Straits Times and 早报 reported on 5 April that the withdrawal of the SMA guidelines means patients can no longer approach the SMA with complaints about overcharging. Now such patients can only turn to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). CASE received 59 complaints about pricing by medical practitioners between January 2005 and December last year, but until now it has referred complaints of overcharging to the SMA. It is not clear if CASE will now handle these complaints. SMA receives an average of about 25 complaints of overpayment a year. Of these, an average of four to five patients get reimbursed by the doctors after SMA intervention. But the amounts are usually small - not above $100. There was also a separate article on how SMA made the decision with ‘great reluctance’, and a column on ‘How to avoid being overcharged’, which included tips like shopping around for a doctor and checking surveys of bill sizes for an idea of what reasonable rates are.
Today (TDY) and Berita Harian added that the results of SMA’s survey on primary care clinics, conducted last year, were being analysed and details would be published on the SMA website within a year. The association would also conduct a similar survey among medical specialists this year. TDY also noted that the SMA was open to exploring a new feedback channel for consumers, in collaboration with the MOH and CASE if doing so did not compromise the association's legal position. TV news noted that CASE may not have the relevant medical knowledge to handle complaints on overcharging by doctors.
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新明日报(10 Apr 07) carried a quote from Minister who said that Singaporeans were educated and aware of their rights. Clinics would thus have to cater to these consumers' demands. In addition, the Ministry would also adopt various methods to monitor the charges at the clinics in order to let the consumer be able to make a more informed choice.
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