2019 DUNMAN HIGH SCH Prelim AnsPaper

© DHS 2019 1 [ Name : Index Number: Class : DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL Preliminary Examinations 2019 Year 4 ‘O’ Level Programme HUMANITIES SOCIAL STUDIES 2273/01 2274/01 27 August 2019 1 hr 45 minutes Additional Materials: Answer Paper READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, index number and class on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. You may use a soft pencil for any rough working. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. START EACH SECTION ON A FRESH PAGE. DO NOT WRITE ON THE MARGINS. Section A Answer all parts of Question 1. Section B Answer both parts of Question 2. At the end of the examination, fasten your work securely together. Submit Section A and Section B separately.

© DHS 2019 2 [ This document consists of 8 printed pages.

© DHS 2019 3 [ SECTION A (Source-Based Case Study) Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates. 1 LIVING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources you are told to use. In answering the questions you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 (a) Study Source A What can you infer from the source about healthcare in Singapore? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Source B Why was this poster published? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Sources C and D How different are the two sources in showing that the government has met the healthcare needs of the elderly? Explain your answer. [7] (d) Study Sources E Are you surprised by the source? Explain your answer. [7] (e) ‘The government has provided adequate healthcare services for the elderly.’ Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement? [10]

© DHS 2019 4 [ How does the government meet the healthcare needs of the elderly? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Developed countries all over the world are ageing and Singapore is no exception. With advanced healthcare, it means that more Singaporeans will be living longer with chronic conditions. The ageing population will increase the healthcare needs of the nation significantly, and Singapore has to be prepared well in advance to meet these needs. One of the main thrusts of the Healthcare 2020 masterplan is to increase overall healthcare capacity. This means that more community hospitals, nursing homes, and other h ealthcare facilities need to be increased to meet the changing demands to strengthen community care. Despite the government efforts, there are still many who are unhappy with the healthcare benefits. This is because the Merdeka Generation package was roll ed out only 5 years after the Pioneer Generation package, and therefore there were some elderly who were not able to benefit from these packages. Study the following sources to find out whether the government has adequately met the healthcare needs of the elderly.

© DHS 2019 5 [ Source A: An extract from the Straits Times on nursing homes in Singapore, November 2016. An elderly couple who have been married for 54 years but were forced to live apart for 1.5 years in different nursing homes due to the lack of beds. When they reunited, the wife’s dementia condition had deteriorated to an extent that she could not recognise her own husband. Cases such as this raise the issue of whether the shortage of nursing home beds here means that elderly couples who need such services have to spend their golden years apart. Source B: A poster showing ways Singapore is helping the seniors, published on the Ministry of Finance Facebook page, February 2019.

© DHS 2019 6 [ Source C: Adapted from the key findings of Lien Foundation’s aged care study in terms of healthcare costs, August 2018. Government home care for a severely disabled senior can cost as much as $3,100, while the median cost to stay in a voluntary welfare organisation nursing home is $2,100. Households which have a per capita monthly income of $2,601 and above do not qualify f or subsidies. This calls for more help to lower costs by increasing government subisides for home care. Also, the study has found that the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) spending on long-term care rose significantly in recent years, hitting $800 million in 20 16. However, the $800 million was only 8 per cent of the healthcare budget and 0.19 per cent of Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the year. In comparison, developed nations in the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development spent an average of 1.4 per cent of their GDP on long-term care in 2014. Source D: An extract from a news report in response to Lien Foundation’s aged care study, August 2018. There is up to 80 per cent subsidy for seniors who qualify, and for those who still cannot afford such care, Medifund will step in. The Government has already increased its spending on the eldercare sector, from $1.3 billion in the four years from 2007 to $5.1 billion in the four years from 2012. It has also committed $2 billion to support the proposed CareShield Life scheme, in premium subsidies for the long -term care insurance which pays at least $600 a month for those who are severely disabled. This comes into effect in 2020.

© DHS 2019 7 [ Source E: A speech by an opposition politician on Singapore’s healthcare packages in a local newspaper, February 2019. He raised the issue of the fairness in periodic benefits such as the Merdeka Generation Package, as well as the Pioneer Generation Package. Such packages led to inherent inequality for some of our senior citizens who, by virtue of their year of birth, stand to miss out on a few years of medical benefits because of the interval between one-time packages. Instead of such generational packages, the opposition politician called for a “universal and permanent” senior citizen healthcare package for all Singapor eans from the age of 60. He added that, “The centerpiece of such a scheme should be aimed at alleviating the out -of-pocket expenses for primary healthcare, so as to address cost of living for all Singaporeans from the age of 60.” Source F: A comment from an elderly on the Merdeka Generation Package, February 2019. The subsidies and discounts will be greatly beneficial for me in easing healthcare costs in the future, because I have osteoporosis and I had to tap on my husband’s Medisave account to foot some of my bills at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Sometimes, my bill can go up to $700 for one appointment, because of certain injections and medications. Now with the $200 top-up to my Medisave account from the package, I might not need to use my husband’s account. Even if I do, the amount I pay will be less. With more money in our Medisave account, definitely it will be beneficial for us should anything happen in the future. Copyright Acknowledgements: Source A © https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2019/01/04/medishield-life-pays-only-4-50-out-of-elderly-mans-4477-surgery-fees-after- government-subsidy/ Source B © https://www.facebook.com/MOFsg/photos/a.438726952818245/2372983396059248/?type=3&theater Source C © https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/moh-to-grow-aged-care-services-to-meet-rising-demand Source D © https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/moh-to-grow-aged-care-services-to-meet-rising-demand Source E © https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/workers-party-cites-inherent-inequality-generational-packages-calls-permanent- scheme Source F © https://www