Ong Ye Kung on fees for upgrading and downgrading hospital ward classes

When patients stay in a higher class ward and then downgrade to a lower ward class towards the end of their stay, they will receive subsidies based on the respective ward classes. “This is fair,” said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. Replying to Parliamentary questions on Tuesday (May 7), he pointed out that where the request to downgrade is due to unaffordability because of complications or unexpected additional costs, public hospitals will find ways to support them financially. For upgrading of wards, he stressed the need to discourage patients from selecting lower ward classes to secure more subsidies for more costly treatments and then switching to higher ward classes once these treatments are completed. Mr Ong said many of these patients are not of lower income and could have chosen the higher ward class from the outset. That is why if a patient upgrades, the level of subsidies will be adjusted retroactively, he added.