S'pore medicine too costly for some

S'pore medicine too costly for some

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Cost-conscious residents of Singapore have been heading to neighboring Malaysia for cheaper medical treatment, a Malaysian newspaper reported yesterday.

Singaporeans with diabetes, for example, can buy a month's supply of treatment medicine for only two ringgit (5 U.S. cents) in Malaysia, far cheaper than the 600 ringgit they would pay at home, The Star newspaper said.

"I have been told that 10 to 15 foreigners, mostly Singaporeans, seek treatment at (a local) hospital daily," Suresh Naidu, a Malaysian politician, was quoted as saying by The Star.

Malaysia's government-subsidized hospitals charge only a nominal fee for medical treatment and drugs.