SINGAPORE: The Singapore government announced changes to its healthcare subsidy policies on Wednesday to make further distinction in the privileges enjoyed by citizens and permanent residents, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

With the adjustments announced by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, the subsidy for permanent residents in most income bands will eventually be half of those given to citizens.

The adjustments will apply to some of the inpatient services, day surgery and specialist outpatient clinics in restructured hospitals, and intermediate and long-term care services.

In the first phase of the changes, starting from October this year, the C Class ward subsidies for permanent residents earning 3, 201 Singapore dollars (US$2,540) to 3,350 Singapore dollars (US$2,659) will be cut to 49 percent from the current 59 percent.

This will be further reduced to 39.5 percent in April next year, which is half the 79 percent subsidy for a citizen.

For the intermediate and long-term care sector, the subsidy adjustments will be implemented in the third quarter of this year.

Accoridng to media reports, the Health Ministry said that it is mindful of the impact the subsidy adjustments will have on lower income permanent residents.

For example, permanent residents who earn 3,200 Singapore dollars  (US$2,540) and below will see only a 5-percent reduction in their subsidy for C Class wards in public hospitals, from 60 percent to 55 percent, starting from October this year.

Fatimah Lateef, deputy chairman of the government parliamentary committee for health, said the differentiation between citizens, permanent residents and other foreigners is "something that we cannot run away from, whether it is in healthcare or education and so on."

"Now that the difference is quite marked and more stark, I think Singaporeans will be quite happy to know that their rights are taken care of, their needs are top notch," he said.

Singapore government has recently announced changes to the rules for admission to most of its primary schools that will reduce the chances for children of permanent residents when vacancies there are limited.

- Bernama