Medical and Elderly Care Endowment Schemes Bill

Bill No. 7/2000

Read the first time on 17th January 2000.

An Act to reconstitute the Medical Endowment Fund and to establish the ElderCare Fund for the purpose of endowment schemes providing financial assistance in connection with medical and health care in Singapore and for matters connected therewith, and to repeal the Medical Endowment Scheme Act (Chapter 173A of the 1994 Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Medical and Elderly Care Endowment Schemes Act 2000 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

(2) The Minister may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of the different provisions of this Act.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“approved institution” means any hospital or other health care institution approved by the Minister under section 8;

“approved provider” means an organisation providing step-down care in respect of which an approval under section 23(5)(a) is in force;

“approved services” means step-down care provided by an approved provider in respect of which an approval under section 23(5)(a) is in force;

“authorised officer” means any officer authorised by the Minister in writing to exercise such power or perform such function or duty under this Act or any regulations made thereunder as the Minister may specify therein;

“Council” means the Advisory Council established under section 6;

“ElderCare Fund” means the ElderCare Fund established under section 18(1);

“eligible patient” means a person who is eligible to make an application under section 15;

“Medifund” means the Medical Endowment Fund established under the repealed Medical Endowment Scheme Act (Cap. 173A) and reconstituted under this Act;

“Medifund Account” means the account of a Medifund committee referred to in section 10;

“Medifund committee” means the committee appointed under section 14;

“organisation” means a society, body or group of persons, whether corporate or unincorporated;

“personal care” means assistance of a personal nature given to help a person who, by reason of any sickness, disability or injury, is unable on his or her own to attend to his or her daily needs or carry out his or her daily routine;

“recurrent costs”, in relation to the provision of any step-down care, means all such costs incurred or to be incurred by the provider in relation to its ongoing operations in providing such care other than the following costs:

(a)	the cost of acquiring the land on which the premises (whether built or to be built) at which such step-down care is or to be provided; and
(b)	such other costs that are capital in nature as the Minister may prescribe;

“step-down care” means —

(a)	accommodation, personal care and health care for persons suffering or recovering from any sickness, disability or injury;
(b)	personal care and health care during the day for any such persons; or
(c)	such other forms of health care or care arrangements for any such persons as the Minister may prescribe;

“step-down care institution” means any premises used (whether or not exclusively) for the purpose of providing step-down care therein;

“subvention” means a subvention under Part III out of the income of the ElderCare Fund.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, step-down care shall be taken not to include any medical or health care provided in any maternity home or premises used or intended to be used for the accommodation of pregnant women or of women immediately after childbirth.

(3) For the purposes of sections 3(2)(c) and 18(1)(c), the net income from investments shall be the amount ascertained by adding to, or deducting from, the income received from the investments of capital moneys any profit derived or loss sustained, as the case may be, from the realisation of such investments.

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