Meeting healthcare costs: the case of childhood cancer in Singapore
Social security in Singapore is met by a compulsory personal savings scheme under the Central Provident Fund. Part of these savings go towards the individual's healthcare needs which are met through a spectrum of three schemes – Medisave, Medishield and Medifund, or the ‘3Ms’. This study examines the effectiveness of the ‘3Ms’ in making healthcare services affordable to families with cancer-stricken children. The extent to which the ‘3Ms’ support costly cancer treatment is an indication of the healthcare financing system's ability to meet diverse healthcare needs. Literature research and interviews with medical social workers and families with cancer-stricken children indicate that the ‘3Ms’ are unable to support these families’ medical needs without the help of voluntary welfare organisations. This suggests that there is a need to question a rigid adherence to financial prudence and consider a more flexible healthcare system that is responsive to varied needs.
Singapore: social development, housing and the Central Provident Fund
The high rates of economic growth and significant improvements in standards of living recorded in East-Asian nations such as Singapore in recent decades has attracted increasing attention from social policy scholars in the industrial countries. Many believe that the experiences of these countries offer useful lessons for the Western welfare states. This article examines social security and housing policies in Singapore and shows how both were an integral part of a wider commitment to promote economic development. The article suggests that Singapore provides a good example of a developmentalist approach to social welfare that successfully harmonises economic and social objectives.
Regional strategies for the minerals industries of the states of the SADCC
The SADCC has been in existence for eleven years but little progress has been made in regional coordination of the minerals sector even though this sector is the most important exporter of the region. There is however scope for minerals development at the regional level.