Competition and medical fees

There was a decision by the Competition Commission that the guidelines issued by the Singapore Medical Association on medical fees is anti-competition. I do not agree with their decision.

A sick patient is in no position to negotiate the fees with the doctor. If a doctor over-charges a patient for the consultation or medication, the patient may not be aware about it, or may not have any recourse. The guidelines provided by the Association is actually helpful to the patient to know what is the reasonable level of fees

I do not know what the Competition Commission wish to achieve by removing the guidelines. I think that the unintended consequence is that consumers will have to pay more in medical fees.

What are your views? Participate in this survey.

Tan Kin Lian