COVID-19: If you are unvaccinated, your medical bills wont be paid

The coronavirus pandemic has been a menace in different parts of the world and many areas are still recovering from its impact. Despite the availability of vaccines, many people are not so keen on taking the vaccines. Globally, there are millions of people who do believe in the potency of these vaccines. In fact, many believe conspiracy theories regarding the available vaccines. However, many governments around the world are not taking vaccination for granted. The government of Singapore is taking a giant step in ensuring that its citizens get the covid-19 vaccine.

According to the government of Singapore, it will no longer pay the medical bills of covid-19 patients who are “unvaccinated by choice,”. Before now, the government of Singapore is responsible for the medical bills of all covid-19 treatments for citizens. This also extends to non-citizens with permanent residency as well as long-term visa holders. However, the government now considers those who purposely refuse to take the vaccine as a drain on health care resources worldwide.

However, the government is giving people time to get the vaccine thus it is not implementing this new law immediately. According to the report, unvaccinated covid-19 patients will start paying their medical bills from December 8th. However, those who do not have the complete does (partially vaccinated) will start paying their bills from December 31st. This gives people about a month to get the complete dose of the vaccine.

Singaporean kids under the age of 12 will still get free treatment

Nevertheless, this new law does not apply to children under the age of 12. This is because people who are 13 and above are eligible for covid-19 vaccination in Singapore. This means that Singaporean kids (Under 12) will still get free covid-19 treatment even if they are unvaccinated. The Singapore Ministry of Health said

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. Hence, from 8 December 2021, COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice will be charged for bills at hospitals and Community Treatment Facilities.

According to reports, the vaccination rate in Singapore is relatively high. According to the government, 86% of the entire population is fully vaccinated. The Southeast Asian sovereign island has a population of 5.7 million people reported 2,470 new cases of covid-19 on Monday, along with 14 deaths. If you are in Singapore and you don't have the vaccine, there is still time to get the jab.