At $29, the vaccines will be a “cost-effective shield” against H1N1, said healthcare provider SingHealth as it became the first to declare prices yesterday.
Writing on the Ministry of Health’s blog, SingHealth Polyclinics chief executive Tan Chee Beng said dedicated phone lines have been set up, and those on the waitlist will be given appointments when the vaccines arrive.
“At $29 nett … the cost of the H1N1 vaccination is much lower than Tamiflu (up to $60),” wrote Dr Tan.
The price is comparable with seasonal flu jabs costing $20 to $40.
When contacted, the National Healthcare Group said its polyclinics would offer the same price.
General practitioners could use the polyclinics “as a reference and set the vaccines at an affordable price for the public”, said an MOH spokesperson.
Raffles Medical Group, which runs 65 primary care clinics, told MediaCorp its tentative vaccine price is $30. It has received “thousands” of requests, with corporates accounting for the bulk of orders.
Some consumers, such as father of two Kelvin Toh, found the $29 price “reasonable”.
Mr Toh’s 10-year-old son contracted H1N1 last month, and his family were given doses of Tamiflu. The 46-year-old design and print director said he would enquire if vaccines were necessary for his family of four.
MOH has said no one will be turned away at polyclinics because of inability to pay. Non-Pandemic Preparedness Clinics will also have access to the vaccines if they place orders with the distributor, said the MOH spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Spring Singapore announced yesterday that vaccines and drugs developed and tested in Singapore can now enjoy faster access to overseas markets. With the Republic admitted to the OECD Mutual Acceptance of Data framework, data from pre-clinical trials conducted by selected facilities here will be accepted by some 30 OECD and non-OECD members, including the United States and Japan, speeding up products’ time-to-market.
