$156 MILLION DISBURSED TO NEEDY SINGAPOREANS THROUGH MEDIFUND IN FY2023

The Medical Endowment Fund (MediFund) provided a total of $156 million in assistance to needy Singaporeans for their medical bills in the Financial Year (FY) of 2023, i.e., for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. This amount was disbursed across approximately 1.1 million successful applications.

2.               MediFund is a safety net for needy Singaporeans who are unable to afford their remaining medical bills, after government subsidies and drawing on other means of payment including MediShield Life and MediSave. With MediFund, no Singaporean would be denied access to appropriate, subsidised care due to an inability to pay.

3.               The amount of MediFund assistance provided in FY2023 ($156.0 million) was comparable to FY2022 ($156.3 million). The key statistics of MediFund assistance provided in FY2023 are as follows:

(i)          The number of approved MediFund applications was 1,095,985, a 2.7% decrease from 1,126,942 approved applications in FY2022. There was also a 2.7% decrease in the total number of applications for MediFund support over the same period;

(ii)         In public healthcare institutions, the total amount of assistance provided to patients was $118.0 million, compared to $119.3 million in FY2022;

(iii)       In intermediate and long-term care facilities, the total amount of assistance provided to patients was $37.9 million, compared to $37.0 million in FY2022; and

(iv)       On average, the amount of MediFund assistance provided was $929 per inpatient admission, and $97 per outpatient visit. 

4.               More details can be found in the Medical Endowment Scheme Annual
Report 2023/2024.