Reconstitution of Medical Endowment Fund
3.—(1) For the purposes of this Part, the Medical Endowment Fund or Medifund continues and is reconstituted in accordance with this Act.
(2) There must be paid into the Medifund —(a)
all capital moneys as are appropriated from time to time from the Consolidated Fund and authorised to be paid into the Medifund by this Act or any other written law;
(b)
gifts or bequests given or made for the purposes of Medifund; and
(c)
the net income from investments of capital moneys in the Medifund.
(3) The Minister is responsible for the administration of the Medifund, and all moneys belonging to the Medifund may be deposited in any bank and invested in any investment authorised under the Financial Procedure Act 1966.
(4) The Medifund must be regarded as a Government fund and as comprising public moneys for the purposes of any written law.
Capital moneys of Medifund
4.—(1) For the purposes of this Part, the Minister for Finance may, from time to time, pay into the Medifund such sums of capital money as the Minister may determine out of moneys to be provided by Parliament.
(2) Despite the terms of any gift or bequest, all gifts and bequests given or made for the purposes of the Medifund must be paid into the Medifund as capital moneys.
(3) The capital moneys of the Medifund must not be used for any purpose other than for investment.
(4) Where at any time there is a permanent diminution of the capital moneys of the Medifund, the Minister must, before paying out the income of the Medifund, make good the diminution from that income.
Application of income of Medifund
5. The income of the Medifund may be paid out and applied for all or any of the following purposes only:(a)
for the provision of grants to Medifund committees to be applied for the purpose of defraying in whole or in part the hospital charges, fees and other expenses incurred by patients of approved institutions who are unable to pay those charges, fees or other expenses and are approved by the relevant Medifund committee;
(b)
for other purposes authorised under this Act to be paid out from the Medifund or that may be prescribed.
Advisory Council
6.—(1) For the purpose of advising the Minister as to the application of the income of the Medifund, an Advisory Council is established, comprising members appointed by the Minister.
(2) The Minister must appoint one of the members as chairperson.
(3) The Schedule has effect with respect to the Council.
Functions of Council and directions by Minister
7.—(1) The Council may, from time to time, make recommendations to the Minister on all matters relating to the application of the income of the Medifund.
(2) The Minister may, on the recommendations of the Council, issue to any Medifund committee directives or guidelines on the approval of applications from eligible patients and on the administration of the Medifund Account of that committee.
Division 2 — Grants to Medifund committees
Approved institutions
8. The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, approve or revoke the approval of any hospital or other healthcare institution for the purposes of this Part.
Conditions on payment of grants
9.—(1) The Minister may, from time to time, authorise the payment of grants in such amount and to such Medifund committee as the Minister may think fit.
(2) The Minister may, in authorising payment for any purpose under section 5 to any Medifund committee or other person, impose such terms and conditions as the Minister may think fit.
(3) The Minister may require any Medifund committee or other person who fails to comply with such terms or conditions to repay into the Medifund any moneys paid under section 5.
Medifund Account
10.—(1) Every Medifund committee which receives a grant under section 5 must establish and maintain an account to be called a Medifund Account with a bank in Singapore.
(2) The Medifund committee must pay into the Medifund Account all moneys received as a grant under section 5 and any interest accruing on the moneys must be paid into and form part of the moneys in the Medifund Account.
Withdrawal from Medifund Account
11.—(1) No money may be withdrawn from any Medifund Account unless the withdrawal is authorised in accordance with section 17.
(2) A Medifund committee must repay into the Medifund Account any moneys withdrawn in contravention of subsection (1).
Dissolution, etc., of Medifund committee or approved institution
12.—(1) Despite any other written law to the contrary, all moneys in the Medifund Account of any Medifund committee designated to approve applications from eligible patients of any approved institution —(a)
are deemed not to form part of the property of the Medifund committee or approved institution if the committee is dissolved or the institution goes into voluntary or compulsory liquidation; and
(b)
are not available for payment of the debts of the Medifund committee or approved institution or liable to be paid or taken under or pursuant to an enforcement order or process of any court.[Act 25 of 2021 wef 01/04/2022]
(2) The moneys in the Medifund Account must, after deduction of any payment to the approved institution which has been authorised under section 17, be vested in and paid into the Medifund if the Medifund committee is dissolved.
Accounts of Medifund Account
13.—(1) Every Medifund committee must cause to be kept proper accounts and records of all transactions and affairs relating to its Medifund Account and must do all things necessary to ensure that all payments are correctly made and properly authorised and that adequate control is maintained over the moneys and receipts of its Medifund Account.
(2) Every Medifund committee must, as soon as practicable after the close of the accounting period of its Medifund Account but not later than 30 June of each year, cause to be prepared and submitted financial statements in respect of that year to the auditor of the Medifund Account.
(3) The accounting period of a Medifund Account begins on 1 April of each year and ends on 31 March of the succeeding year.
Division 3 — Medifund committees
Medifund committees
14.—(1) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, appoint one or more Medifund committees, comprising persons appointed by the Minister, to consider and approve applications from eligible patients in approved institutions and to administer payments out of their Medifund Accounts.
(2) The order under subsection (1) must designate the approved institutions and the classes of eligible patients in relation to which a Medifund committee may approve applications under section 15 and exercise any other powers or duties under this Part.
(3) A Medifund committee may sue or be sued in the name by which it is described in an order under subsection (1).
Applications by eligible patients
15.—(1) Every person who —(a)
is a citizen of Singapore;
(b)
has received treatment or requires treatment from any approved institution;
(c)
is unable to pay the hospital charges, fees or other expenses incurred by the person; and
(d)
satisfies such other requirements as may be prescribed,
may apply to the Medifund committee designated to approve the person’s application for a payment out of the Medifund Account of the Medifund committee to defray in whole or in part the hospital charges, fees and other expenses incurred by the person.
(2) Every application under subsection (1) must be supported by such evidence as may be prescribed and by any further evidence that the Medifund committee may reasonably require.
Application made on behalf of patient
16. If an eligible patient, by reason of incapacity by physical or mental illness or any other cause, is unable to make an application under section 15, any member of the patient’s immediate family or the medical social worker in charge of the patient’s case may submit the application on the patient’s behalf.
Payments authorised by Medifund committee
17.—(1) Upon receipt of an application made under section 15, the Medifund committee designated to approve applications from such class of eligible patients of such approved institutions for the purposes of this Part may, if it thinks fit and subject to the availability of moneys in the Medifund Account —(a)
approve the application of any eligible patient of any approved institution in that class; and
(b)
authorise in writing payments of such amount as it thinks fit out of the Medifund Account to the approved institution to defray in whole or in part the hospital charges, fees and other expenses incurred by that eligible patient.
(2) The Medifund committee must, in considering any application and authorising payment, comply with any regulations made under this Act and any directive and guideline issued by the Minister under section 7(2).
(3) The Medifund committee may consider any other circumstances which, in the opinion of the committee, is relevant to the application.
(4) Despite subsection (1), a Medifund committee may authorise any person to approve the application by any eligible patient in exceptional circumstances and when the payment does not exceed such amount as may be specified in any directive or guideline issued under section 7(2).
(5) Nothing in this Act is to be construed to require a Medifund committee or an authorised person referred to in subsection (4) to approve the application of every patient who satisfies the requirements under section 15.
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.
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