SINGAPORE: Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan says his Ministry will monitor the charges levied by doctors on patients.

And it will gather information from private clinics and publish the data, like what it has done for hospital bill sizes and some clinical procedures.

This is possible as the Ministry is already gathering data from the Chronic Management Programme, where half of all GPs here are on board.

Mr Khaw says doctors should also display their fees as required under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act and Regulations, so patients know how much they have to pay before they decide to seek treatment.

He was responding to questions on what the Health Ministry will do to ensure doctors do not overcharge their patients, following the withdrawal of the Guideline on Fees by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA).

"Singaporeans are educated consumers, so they should demand all those. If you go to a clinic and find those things are missing, then I think vote with your feet, go to another clinic which does so. Why should you be blindly going to that clinic? So I think providers will react if consumers are demanding and discerning. And I think part of public education is to help them, that they have a right as a consumer to know how much the bill will be and so on." Mr Khaw said. - CNA/yy