Transforming Singapore health care: public-private partnership
Lim, M.K.
Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore 34(7): 461-467
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0304-4602 PMID: 16123824 Document Number: 588965
Prudent health care policies that encourage public-private participation in health care financing and provisioning have conferred on Singapore the advantage of flexible response as it faces the potentially conflicting challenges of becoming a regional medical hub attracting foreign patients and ensuring domestic access to affordable health care. Both the external and internal health care markets are two sides of the same coin, the competition to be decided on price and quality. For effective regulation, a tripartite model, involving not just the government and providers but empowered consumers, is needed. Government should distance itself from the provider role while providers should compete- and cooperate-to create higher-value health care systems than what others can offer. Health care policies should be better informed by health policy research.