REPORT: NG WAN CHINGwanching@sph.com.sg

SHE was halfway through her pregnancy and see-ing a doctor here.

Then Madam Hiuk Mee Yiun decided shewould give birth in Malaysia, to save some money –about half of what she’d pay if she were to deliver inSingapore.

She’s not the only one heading to Malaysia to saveon medical bills. (See other report on page 10.)

That number appears to be growing.

Since Mar 1 last year, Singapore residents have beenallowed to use their Medisave for elective hospitalisa-tion overseas.

The scheme kicked off with 12 hospitals and medi-cal centres in Malaysia run by two Singapore-basedprivate health-care providers – Health ManagementInternational (HMI) and Parkway Holdings.

HMI and Parkway Holdings said they’ve had morepeople enquiring about their services in Malaysia.

Growing numberHMI said there’s been a 60 per cent increase in the

number of Singaporeans and Singapore permanentresidents (PRs) in its hospitals in Malaysia since lastMarch compared to 2009. It declined to give specificnumbers.

“The patients come for a wide range of medicaltreatment, including ENT (ear, nose and throat), obstet-rics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics,endoscopy and health screening,” said an HMI spokes-man.

At Parkway, 34 patients to date have been referred toPantai group of hospitals and Gleneagles KualaLumpur.

“The majority of the cases we have processed are

women in their 20s to 30s who have undergone obstet-

rics procedures,” said a Parkway spokesman.

Patients are also using their Medisave to cover their

medical bill overseas.

From Mar 1 to Dec 31 last year, 58 patients who

went overseas to seek elective medical treatment

claimed just under $125,000 from Medisave, said a

Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman.

But it wasn’t just cost that persuaded Madam Hiuk

to deliver her first baby in Malacca.

She’s a Malaysian citizen and a Singapore PR.

Her parents live in Malacca, her hometown.

But being allowed to use her Medisave to offset her

hospital bills and the hospitalisation fees in Malaysia

sealed it for her.

The 32-year-old corporate secretary has been living

and working here for the past six years.

She said she was comfortable returning to Malacca,

including the hospital where she was going to give birth

in.

Said Madam Hiuk in an interview with The New

Paper on Sunday: “It is much cheaper for me to do it

this way. I saved a lot of money.” (See graphics.)

And there was very little inconvenience despite the

distance from Malacca to Singapore.

Also, she regularly returned home – once every

two to three months – to see her parents and

parents-in-law.

Her husband, a fellow Malaysian, also has Singa-

pore permanent residency. The couple own an HDB

flat.

When Madam Hiuk first discovered she was

pregnant, she went to a private obstetrician and

gynaecologist in Toa Payoh. She had five check-ups

here, spending about $100 plus each time.

She did not ask about any maternity packages at

that point.

“After that, I calculated that it would not be

worth it for me to sign up for the maternity package,

where you pay one lump sum for a series of

check-ups, including delivery of the baby, as I had

already lost out on the first few check-ups.

“Anyway, I had also thought that I might be

giving birth in a Malaysian hospital,” she said.

She contacted Mahkota Hospital herself and

made her own appointment with a doctor there.

“I sent all my medical reports to the doctor in

Mahkota. I also informed the doctor here that I was

going to Malacca to deliver my baby,” she said.

After that, she had her check-ups in Malacca at

the Mahkota Hospital, run by HMI.

PreparedTwo weeks before her due date, she went on

maternity leave and went home to Malacca.

“People told me the first baby could come earli-

er, so I went back two weeks before I was due,” she

said.

As it was, her baby boy was born on the actual

due date – Nov 6.

“I was very happy. Everything went very smooth-

ly. The room in the hospital was very nice,” she said.

She stayed in a two-bed room in the hospital for

a night. Her baby had some issues with “high blood

sugar”.

“It was a minor issue and he was taken care of by

doctors in the same hospital,” she said.

Continued onPAGE 10

News

Stapled HaemorrhoidectomyHernia RepairCoronary AngiogramPercutaneous Transluminal

Coronary AngioplastyHysterectomyNormal DeliveryCaesarean DeliveryCataract SurgeryTotal Knee ReplacementTotal Hip ReplacementGastroscopyColonoscopy

Functional EndoscopicSinus Surgery

2,9561,684

1,8708,968

3,7501,600

2,9001,530

8,33310,416

341

500

2,651

2,7261,578

2,4709,675

3,1501,200

1,9501,832

7,8059,108

152

283

3,044

3,1513,827

4,66520,215

8,0132,955

6,1113,075

17,06516,525

596

1,424NA

6,8809,740

NA

29,123

NA

5,5629,119

4,50326,181

NA

1,0311,701

7,000+

PRICE COMPARISON FOR COMMON PROCEDURESREGENCY$S

Parkway group of hospitals in Malaysia: Normal Delivery - $840, Caesarean Delivery - $1,600

MAHKOTAS$RESTRUCTUREDHOSPITAL $S

SINGAPORE

MALAYSIA

MOUNTELIZABETH$S

CHEAPER: Some Singaporeans are going toMahkota Medical Centre in Malacca for medicaltreatment PICTURE: HEALTH MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL

“I’m also veryhappy that I didn’thave to come up

with a single cent outof my pocket. In

Singapore, I estimateit would have cost meat least twice as much.”

– Madam Hiuk Mee Yiun, a Singapore PR(below), who gave birth to her boy in Mahkotahospital in Malacca

More Singaporeans aregoing to Malaysia formedical procedures.The reason? It’scheaper there.But are lower priceseverything inhealth care?

TNP INFOGRAPHICS: TEOH YI-CHIE

She cuts medicalfees by HALF

8 13 February 2011 ● THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY ● 13 February 2011 9