Dialysis patients and current recession

24 Mar 2009

Question No:  946  

Question

Name of the Person: Dr Ong Seh Hong

To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the last 5 years (i) what is the annual number of dialysis patients being turned away by dialysis centres run by voluntary welfare organizations when they developed medical complications; (ii) what is the number of patients who reduced their recommended minimum dialysis because of financial difficulties; (b) whether there has been a sharp rise of such phenomenon recently due to the financial crisis; and (c) what is being done to help all these patients. 

Reply

Reply From MOH

1. There are three voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) which run dialysis centres.  They serve more than 2,500 patients every year.  Out of these, about 50 to 70 patients would develop complications requiring more intensive care during dialysis.  The VWOs do not turn such patients away.  Instead, they are referred to public hospitals for dialysis, until their conditions stabilise. 

2. With Government subsidy and generous donations from the public, no patient should have to cut down on dialysis because of financial difficulties.  The VWOs report that all their patients are dialysed at the medically recommended frequency.