Committee of Supply 2023 debate, Day 6: Tan Wu Meng on portable healthcare financing and flexible work arrangements for healthcare workers

In Parliament on Friday (Mar 3), Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin dealt with the expenditure estimates for the Ministry of Health. MP Tan Wu Meng then rose to speak. He said as healthcare moves beyond hospitals into the community, healthcare financing also has to be made more portable. He asked for an update on a review of subsidies being made available even if patients require care at or near their homes. Dr Tan also called for flexible work arrangements for healthcare workers so that they can juggle job and family needs and take better care of their own health. Such arrangements could also keep older workers with a wealth of experience in the job for longer. On Healthier SG, Dr Tan asked what is being done to help family doctors get on board, especially those in older clinics which have not gone digital. He also wanted to know how the initiative will affect patients with chronic diseases who are already seeing an established doctor in the community.