More than $156 Million Disbursed to Needy Singaporeans through MediFund in FY2022

The Medical Endowment Fund (MediFund) provided a total of $156.3 million in assistance to more than 1.1 million successful applications from needy Singaporeans for their medical bills in Financial Year (FY) 2022, i.e., for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. 

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 subsidised medical care due to an inability to pay.
 
3. The amount of MediFund assistance provided in FY2022 was $7.8 million lower than the $164.1 million disbursed in FY2021, mainly due to the lower number of MediFund applications received by the Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs) in FY2022. This may be attributed to enhancements in government healthcare subsidies in the third quarter of FY2022 which improved affordability for more patients. 

4. The key statistics of MediFund assistance provided in FY2022 are as follows: 

(i) The number of approved MediFund applications was 1,126,942, an 8.9% decrease from 1,236,587 approved applications in FY2021. There was also an 8.8% decrease in the total number of applications for MediFund support over the same period;
     
(ii) In PHIs, the total amount of assistance provided to patients was $119.3 million, compared to $128.6 million in FY2021; 

(iii) In Intermediate and Long-Term Care facilities, the total amount of assistance provided to patients was $37.0 million, compared to $35.5 million in FY2021; and 

(iv) On average, the amount of MediFund assistance provided was $936 per inpatient admission, and $99 per outpatient visit, compared to $912 and $95 respectively in FY2021.  

5. More details can be found in the Medical Endowment Scheme Annual Report 2022/2023 (Please refer to the Annex). 

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
24 NOVEMBER 2023