Canada has a better health care system

Canada has a lower per capital income than Singapore but gives a better quality of life for its citizens. Just ask the Singaporeans who have migrated to Canada and most will confirm this view. Although Canada has the disadvantage of its cold climate, the other advantages outweigh them.

Canada provides good social benefits available to its people, such as affordable health care and a pension for its elderly citizens. Our Singapore leaders consider that the welfare systems can be abused. This is partly true and largely exaggerated. The abuse is small and is largely under control.

The wastage caused by the abuse is more offset by the savings from a more efficient system of delivery of health care. There is no need to spend time on a convoluted system of different charges for different categories of people and deduction from the various sources (i.e. cash and the 3Ms).

There is also less chance for doctors to over-treat and over-charge patients as they can be monitored by the medical experts managing the Canadian system. In Singapore, consumers will not be able to identify these abuses or to take action to seek compensation. The Singapore system allows many medical specialists to earn high incomes, but also results in high cost that is now becoming too expensive for many citizens.

I hope that Singapore can re-look at the lesson from other countries and take steps to address the steep increase in our health care costs, which is frightening many citizens.

Tan Kin Lian