The Singapore government is tired of footing the bill for unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, and will soon force them to pay their own medical bills.
Governments around the world are struggling to deal with the strain COVID patients put on available medical resources. There have been countless cases of patients seeking treatment for cancer, needing minor surgery, or dealing with any number of other conditions being sent home because of hospitals filled to the brim with COVID patients. Often, it is unvaccinated patients that cause the lion’s share of the burden.
It appears Singapore has had enough, and is preparing to take measures to ensure individuals that choose to remain unvaccinated, without a medically valid reason, will have to foot their own bill, according to NPR.
“Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement when announcing the change.
The change will take effect on or after December 8. It’s a safe bet many other countries will eventually follow suit.