Deviants in our midst

Deviants in our midst
ST: April 15, 2007
A Sunday Times report last week on the deviant religious teacher with 10 wives and 64 children shows what can go wrong in a community if people surrender their common sense to charlatans who use religion as a cover, says Political Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim

Subsidy cut to drive home message of family planing

Subsidy cut to drive home message of family planing
TODAYonline • April 12, 2007
Letter from Karen TanDirector, Corporate Communications, Ministry of Health
In "A penalty for having more children" (April 3), Ms See Lay Keng asked why KK Women's and
Children Hospital's delivery charges for fourth order births are higher compared to lower
order births.
Delivery fees depend on the class of ward chosen and the birth order. Subsidies for higher
order births are lower to reinforce the message that couples should plan their family size
in accordance to what they can afford. Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/182724.asp

A penalty for having more children?

A penalty for having more children?
TODAYonline • April 3, 2007
Letter from See Lay Keng
I am due to deliver my fourth child in a few weeks' time. Friends and relatives who have
heard about my pregnancy have congratulated me and my husband for helping to up the
national birth rate despite the impending Goods and Services Tax hike.
We enjoy raising our children and thus do not mind having more if we can afford it. We are
not well-to-do but with a little sacrifice and belt-tightening, we can still enjoy family
life with the new addition.
I was shocked recently when I checked with KK Hospital about the admission and
hospitalisation charges for the delivery of my fourth child. If I book a B1 ward, the
estimated bill size for the fourth child is $2,840, while that of the first to third child
is $2,210. As the Medisave claimable is fixed in all cases, I am expected to pay an initial
cash payment of $1,140 for the coming delivery, instead of $510 for the first to third
child. The difference is a significant sum.
I was told that the charges by the doctor for the fourth birth is about double that of the
first to third births. For example, for a normal delivery, an associate consultant will
charge $1,057.80 for a fourth child but will charge $456.80 for the first to third child.
I am bewildered. Am I being penalised for having more children? I thought with our low
national birth rate, the government is trying desperately to encourage all those who can to
have more children. Or is this an old policy that has not been changed to reflect the
current situation? Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/181132.asp