Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Saturday that adults can use Medisave to pay for recommended vaccinations as part of a new immunisation schedule from November 1, 2017.
MOH said that the National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) will "provide guidance on vaccinations that persons aged 18 years and older should adopt to protect themselves against vaccine-preventable diseases" in order to boost awareness vaccinations among adults.
The ministry hopes that adults who have not been previously vaccinated or who are at risk will be able to make more informed choices on vaccination for personal protection with this new scheme.
According to reports, NAIS will comprise seven types of vaccines that will be protective against 11 diseases such as the following.
- Influenza
- Pneumococcal (PCV13/PPSV23)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV2/HPV4)
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap)
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
- Hepatitis B
- Varicella
"Vaccination provides a person with protection against infectious diseases, and is one of the strategies to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks in the community," Senior Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min told Channel NewsAsia.
"While the coverage for vaccinations under the National Childhood Immunisation Programme has been high for most of the vaccines, there is low awareness of the benefits of adult vaccination for personal protection and protection of at-risk family members."
Dr. Lam added: "With the introduction NAIS, we hope to encourage Singaporeans to take up the recommendations made in the NAIS, to protect themselves and their loved ones against the relevant infectious diseases."
Under the Medisave400 scheme, Singaporeans will be able to use up to S$400 of their Medisave per account for the recommended vaccinations and will eventually help them pay for the recommended adult vaccines.
