I recently had an unexpected tooth infection that first caused a fever and then resulted in urgent root canal treatment.

At the dental clinic, I was surprised to learn that I could not use my Medisave to pay for the root canal treatment or subsidise its cost.

I find this ironic as I can even use my Medisave to pay for my mother's outpatient hospital treatments. Moreover, this expensive dental treatment was a medical necessity and certainly not cosmetic therapy.

According to current policies, Medisave can be used to partially pay for only selected dental surgical procedures, such as wisdom tooth extraction and dental implants.

Given the Covid-19 situation, this inflexibility in Medisave policy seems counter-intuitive to enabling citizens to cope with their financial commitments amid unprecedented job losses.

Can the authorities review the list of medical treatments eligible for Medisave payment?

Ortega Gerard James