SINGAPORE: Means testing in public hospitals kicks in on Thursday.

And in light of the current economic downturn, the Health Ministry says it will be implemented with flexibility and compassion.

From January 1 this year, when a patient is hospitalised in Class C and B2 wards, his income levels will be checked upon his consent, using a computer system linked to his Central Provident Fund records.

If he earns more than $3,200 a month, he will get less subsidies as his income increases.

At the highest bracket, patients with a monthly income of $5,201 and above will receive subsidies of 65 per cent for Class C wards, and 50 per cent for B2 wards.

If a patient do not give his consent for his income levels to be checked, the subsidy numbers will also apply to him.

Mdm Halimah Yacob, Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said: "I hope means testing will be implemented flexibly, because next year is the year where people will be losing their jobs, where people will be faced with wage cuts. And then of course for those who are marginal cases, you need the social worker to say whether this person will be paying more or paying less, so there are issues to be ironed out."

The Health Ministry has said that a patient retrenched at the time of hospitalisation will enjoy full subsidy.

If his income has shrunk, means testing will be based on his latest income.

As for other forms of financial hardships, for example huge losses in property and stock markets, a medical social worker will assess his situation on a case-by-case basis. But they have been told by the Health Ministry to err on the side of compassion.

Ahead of the roll-out of means testing, public hospitals report no increase in the number of elective surgeries in the months of November and December 2008. - CNA/de