Patients with these mental illnesses can make use of their compulsory health savings to pay for consultation, medication and relevant tests at public hospitals, polyclinics and participating clinics. -- PHOTO: ZB
FROM next Thursday, patients will be able to use their Medisave for outpatient treatment of two more chronic diseases: schizophrenia and major depression.
Patients with these mental illnesses can make use of their compulsory health savings to pay for consultation, medication and relevant tests at public hospitals, polyclinics and participating clinics.
The list of diseases under the chronic disease management programme, which was started in 2006, currently comprises diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, stroke, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The latest additions will reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients and make treatment more accessible, said a health ministry spokesman.
As with the other chronic diseases, general practitioners can also apply to be under the programme.
Extending the programme to GPs will mean convenience to patients who need only regular medication and check ups, said Dr Alvin Lum, who runs a clinic in the West.
Instead of having to see specialists, these patients can be managed by their GPs, which gives them convenience and reduces the burden to hospitals, he added.
However, even GPs who already see patients with mental illnesses and can prescribe some of the drugs have to be part of a shared care partnership programme with a public hospital before they can be included in the programme.
The partnership links them to nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists in the hospitals. They will also need to attend training by the Institute of Mental Health if they wish to participate.
Dr Lum said such partnerships would be valuable because most family clinics do not often treat such patients, and do not have full knowledge of the drugs for schizophrenia and depression.
Use Medisave for mental illness
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