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Covid-19 testing and treatment no longer free from April to be in line with support for other acute illnesses: MOH

SINGAPORE — Patients infected with Covid-19 will be required to pay for related testing and treatment from April 1 as subsidies and financial support related to the pandemic will be scaled down, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (Feb 9).

Patients infected with Covid-19 will have to pay for related testing and treatment from April 1, 2023.
Patients infected with Covid-19 will have to pay for related testing and treatment from April 1, 2023.
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SINGAPORE — Patients infected with Covid-19 will be required to pay for related testing and treatment from April 1 as subsidies and financial support related to the pandemic will be scaled down, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (Feb 9).

However, vaccinations and oral antivirals will remain fully subsidised for certain clinically eligible patients until further notice.

MOH said in a statement that as Singapore moves to treating Covid-19 as an endemic disease the way it does for influenza, financing support for Covid-19 will be realigned to that for other acute illnesses.

Regardless of their vaccination status, all patients who visit a hospital or a Covid-19 treatment facility when they are ill with Covid-19 will no longer be accorded a 100 per cent subsidy.

Other regular healthcare safety nets, such as government subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave, will still apply to citizens and permanent residents to defray their healthcare expenses.

“We wish to assure lower-income Singaporeans that financial assistance will be available to ensure that healthcare cost remains affordable,” MOH said.

Apart from the above, patients will have to pay for Covid-19 testing at polyclinics and general physician clinics, subject to prevailing subsidies.

Community isolation facilities will also no longer be required for Covid-19, but the authorities will keep some of these facilities open for patients who would like to self-isolate for valid reasons.

All such occupants will be charged for their stay, and citizens as well as permanent residents will not be able to tap subsidies, MediShield Life or MediSave to pay for their bills since these facilities will not medical facilities.

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