Medical screenings: MOH will act against errant clinics

16 January 2013, Straits Times

There shouldn't be varying standards in foreign worker medical screenings

I WISH to share a few comments after reading the article ("Docs seek stricter rules for screening"; last Wednesday).

First, the statutory medical examination required by the Ministry of Manpower for foreign labour is a comprehensive and generic examination for all workers. It is not the same as a pre-employment examination.

Second, the examination is a simple but comprehensive and detailed one covering all the body systems.

There should not be any varying standards in carrying out the tests. Any doctor trained as a clinician can conduct the examination and will arrive at the same conclusion as his peers.

Third, the crux of the issue is that there are clinics set up purely for this purpose. Such clinics should not be allowed by the Ministry of Health in the first place.

With such a set-up, the clinics will not be able to survive without the contracts to examine the workers.

The clinics are then pressured to resort to tactics that gather the most number of company contracts - quoting prices beyond reason, offering free screenings at the workplace, carrying out unnecessary but expensive tests, cutting corners such as not having the doctor examine the workers or explain test results, and certifying workers fit when they are not.

This is an example of why free market principles do not apply to a distorted market such as health care.

Fourth, these examinations must not penalise anyone suffering from chronic illnesses that are well controlled.

Workers, local or foreign, must not be discriminated against just because they have chronic illnesses. Doing so would be a breach of medical and business ethics.

Finally, for the same reason, companies that have decided to employ these workers must foot the bill to ensure that they are well taken care of, and not exclude their pre-existing conditions from their entitled medical benefits.

Leong Choon Kit (Dr)

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Reply from MOH

1 February 2013, Straits Times

Medical screenings: MOH will act against errant clinics

WE THANK Dr Leong Choon Kit for his comments ("There shouldn't be varying standards in foreign worker medical screenings"; Jan 16).

All medical clinics licensed to deliver health care, whether for the management of patients or medical screening, are held to the same stringent standards, regardless of whether they attend to locals or foreigners.

We take a serious view with regard to how medical screenings are conducted in licensed medical clinics. We will not hesitate to investigate the clinic concerned if we suspect that an offence has been committed under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act, based on substantiated complaints and feedback that we receive.

Doctors who are unprofessional in carrying out medical screenings may be referred to the Singapore Medical Council for investigation.

We are also working with the Ministry of Manpower to review the process of medical screening of foreign workers and to identify ways to tighten the process.

Bey Mui Leng (Ms)

Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Health