SINGAPORE – The government has refuted claims that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s medical expenses are paid by taxpayers, calling it a “blatant lie”.
This is in response to an online report published on Monday (June 6) by socio-political website TR Emeritus (TRE). In the report, it stated that Mr Heng is “fully entitled to free A-Class healthcare in government and restructured hospitals”.
It said: “Being an A-class patient means being surrounded round the clock by Senior Consultant neurologists at the Professor and A/Professor-level, daily checks by other specialists, doctors, advanced practicing nurses, and a rotating team of bodyguards.
“This means that the bill will be at least $15,000 per day which are actually funded by taxpayer’s monies,” it added.
In a Facebook post on the Gov.sg page after midnight on Tuesday (June 7), the government said that TRE “has once again sought to mislead the public”.
The post said: “As TRE would have known very well if it had bothered to check the facts, Ministers in Singapore are on the same medical benefit scheme – the Medisave-cum-Subsidised Outpatient (MSO) scheme – as most civil servants.
The Straits Times, The New Paper, Facebook screengrabs
“Officers on the MSO Scheme get a 2 per cent CPF contribution to their Medisave accounts capped at $2,380 per year on top of their normal statutory Medisave contributions.”
TRE’s report, which is a comment from a reader, said that Mr Heng’s hospitalisation bills added up to $500,000 to date. It also gave a break down of the bills which included medical care, procedures and services.
Mr Heng has been hospitalised for 25 days as of Monday (June 6).
On Mr Heng’s current health condition condition, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post on May 30 that Mr Heng was recovering well and was “fully lucid, communicative, and cheerful”.
stephluo@sph.com.sg
