OREANDA-NEWS.  The Singapore government has decided from 8 December not to pay medical bills for coronavirus treatment for citizens who chose not to be vaccinated. This was announced by the country's health minister, Ong Ye Kung.

"The health ministry will have to charge treatment fees for COVID-19 patients who could have been vaccinated but refused to do so. The measure is being introduced from December 8, 2021,"- he said.

According to The Straits Times, two-thirds of elderly patients admitted to intensive-care units of Singapore's hospitals have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the past month, according to the inter-ministerial team in charge of combating the disease.

According to the authority's order, children under 12 and those who cannot get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to medical reasons will be treated at government expense.

The Singapore Ministry of Health noted that the government has been paying the medical bills of citizens and permanent residents since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, 85 per cent of Singapore's population has been fully vaccinated, with another 18 already receiving the third dose of COVID-19.

Earlier, Singaporean medical consultant Dale Fisher said that it made sense for terminally ill citizens diagnosed with COVID-19 not to be hospitalised but to be allowed to be treated or even die at home if they so wish. In his opinion, this practice is better for both the patient and their relatives and for the healthcare system.