Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

Unvaccinated Covid Patients To Pay Their Own Medical Bills If Hospitalised: Singapore

Unvaccinated Covid Patients To Pay Their Own Medical Bills If Hospitalised: Singapore

The government currently foots the complete COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders, other than for those who have tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel.
Singapore's COVID-19 patients who remain unvaccinated by choice will have to pay for their hospitalisation bills from December 8, the government said on Monday, as it got tough on people who are still holding off from getting their jabs.

The government currently foots the complete COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders, other than for those who have tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel.

On Monday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung described the decision not to pay for unvaccinated people infected by COVID-19 an "important signal" to those who are still holding off on getting their jabs.

Speaking at a press conference held by the multi-ministry task force tackling COVID-19, which he co-chairs, the minister said hospitals would much prefer not having to bill these patients, as he urged all those eligible to get vaccinated.

"Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources," the Ministry of Health said.

The new billing measure applies only to those who choose not to be vaccinated despite being medically eligible, and who are hospitalised and are on COVID-19 treatment facilities on or after December 8, The Straits Times reported, citing the minister.

"Billing will still be based on our current subsidy framework, subject to MediSave use and MediShield Life claims, so it will still be highly supported and highly subsidised," Ong Ye Kung said.

MediSave and MediShield are linked to compulsory savings under the Central Provident Fund covering all employees.

Those who are ineligible for vaccination, such as children under 12 years of age, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will continue to have their bills fully covered by the government, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, individuals who are partially vaccinated will not be charged for COVID-19 bills until December 31, to allow them time to administer their second jabs.

After this deadline, they will also have to foot their own medical bills if they contract the virus.

The authorities recognise that there are a few individuals who are medically ineligible for all COVID-19 vaccines under the National Vaccination Programme, according to The Straits Times report.

These individuals will be exempted from the vaccination-differentiated safe management measures from December 1.

On Sunday, Singapore reported 2,553 cases and 17 deaths. The affluent city state has reported 218,333 positive cases.

Separately, an expert committee will make a recommendation on whether to extend the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to children aged five to 11 in the second half of November, Ong said.

The Minister's comments came after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorised the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children in that age group.

Ong noted that the US FDA made its decision after Pfizer conducted a clinical trial and recommended that children in this age group receive one-third of the full adult dosage. They will still get two separate doses.

"The study in the US concluded that vaccination for this group is safe and effective based on this reduced dosage of the adult formulation of the vaccine," he said.

Singapore's expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination has studied the data and assessed that overall, it is beneficial for children aged five to 11 to get vaccinated, especially given the ongoing community transmission, he said.

The Ministry of Health will also conduct a study with a few hundred children in this age group to understand the suitability of a smaller dosage of the vaccine for children here, the minister added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×