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| 30/01/2008 |
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Increasing health costs
By G.K. Goh @ 10:34 AM :: 853 Views ::
2 Comments ::  :: General
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Waiting with bated breath - what is the next health cost increase after Medishield premium increase? Will cost increase come from public or private sector? what further refinements will add to spiralling health costs? Doctors who normally would charge poor patients lowly on compassionate grounds lose their virtue once expenses are charged to insurance and then it becomes the standard charge. Sigh will compassion be thrown out the window with all the new refinements?
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| 18/11/2007 |
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What is the impact of ASEAN community on Singapore?
By G.K. Goh @ 10:05 PM :: 1083 Views ::
0 Comments :: The Young Ones, Far and Away: Overseas Singaporeans, The Golden Years : Elderly, General
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As just an ordinary Singaporean, not quite knowledgeable in international to-ing and fro-ing impact, I wonder whether we Singaporeans should be concerned with the impact of having an ASEAN economic community with relaxed movement of professionals within the region. My limited common sense tells me that where there is a pot of honey, there will be great attraction. Is Singapore considered a pot of honey in ASEAN - will it exacerbate our local Singaporean woes? Will this be another case of good theory but not so good implementation impact for Singaporeans?
God help us if we will give away our hard-earned future to opportunists by being "too clever" in the community of ASEAN. I invite comments from the professionals in Singapore (those good in analyzing the impact for the common man to allay their fears or to open the eyes of our leaders to certain issues which should be addressed first and now) before it is too late. Are our leaders being propelled by Singapore's current lead role in Asean to suggest what is not to our Singaporean benefit? Are we opening ourselves to a floodgate of problems we are not yet prepared to handle? I think what is being proposed is good theoretically but are we opening up too hastily to earn the title of so-called leader in ASEAN?
So far my Singaporean concerns expressed have been on
- LTA transportation woes
- will the majority one day feel like being the minority?
- on ageing issues
- on Formula One
- on gambling
Will my concern now for Singapore being in a relaxed ASEAN economic community become our nightmare tomorrow?
Just a beginning thought.. wonder what other Singaporeans think and how do they feel? We cannot bury our heads in the sand, while we are being propelled by our leaders' recommendations into an unknown scenario.
Always hoping for Singapore's best and encouraging timely coordinated review before the next swell of changes. I encourage positive discussion on how and what can be done to mitigate negative impact rather than on negative NO! NO! NO!
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| 24/10/2007 |
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Two Good customer services came to an end recently
By G.K. Goh @ 11:59 PM :: 1429 Views ::
6 Comments ::  :: General
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It was wonderful to have had free carparks in the compound at the Siglap
branch of the POSB(the people's bank). for several years .... until recently when because of cost cutting?or star recommendation from an elite? POSB made the decision to move the branch. So I stopped going to POSB branch at Siglap and how many else did?
Then NTUC started a branch at Siglap - hurray I thought, how thoughtful with some free parking in front of the premises so I can nip in to buy some urgent groceries with young family members left in the car and there was so much order and patience in the carpark - I thought it was commendable . Last week I was SOOOOOOOO surprised - somebody decided to take away the parking lots and instead installed a row of bricks to prevent parking(what a waste of space!).. and there was such pandemonium for cars picking up and letting off customers.. what lousy customer service! Naturally I will not go there again and how many else will not?
I wonder is it happening in Siglap only or around the island? The URA car park attendants/wardens and traffic police are having a heyday giving summons for those who have to do a quick check deposit or an emergency nip into the supermarket due to lack of convenient parking space for spot buying..
Is the bottom line THE ONLY important factor that matters? Where is the thought for the customer and his/her family convenience?
Can't imagine living with 6.5 millions in Singapore! Oh for some more customer consideration. Will some local management be brave and stem the tide for taking away customer service and keep the budget for several convenient customer car parks? Not asking for much just a few will do with quick turnover.
I love IKEA, Courts, Giant......MNCs retailers... who care for customer comfort and convenience(when they do not have their own car parks they think of subsidizing car park cost). Not because of bias for foreign managed companies but because their management really want to sell AND meet the needs of customers! Local management have much to learn from the MNCs! Let's have less of moneyface and more of customer consideration and care. You are driving us to your foreign competitors for your inconsiderate behaviour! Globalise yes but don't forget the local customers! Cheap? Cheap?
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| 12/09/2007 |
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PTC good job on being brave!!!
By G.K. Goh @ 7:00 PM :: 996 Views ::
6 Comments ::  :: General
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I salute the PTC (Public Transport Council?) for being brave in halting the increase in MRT fares. Well done! Singaporeans let's give credit where credit is due and lift our eyes above complaining at least for this once. Hope many other authorities will follow suit.
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| 25/08/2007 |
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Rush hour takes its toll
By G.K. Goh @ 2:14 PM :: 1071 Views ::
2 Comments ::
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As a motorist... I read the headlines of TODAY dated August 24, 2007 "Rush Hour Takes Its Toll".
My initial reaction was " it's again the marbuk LTA" causing motorists to go crazy with its gantries, charges, proposals and supposed enhancements with no creativity." I wonder how many others had the same thoughts. I wondered if the Rush hour had taken its toll on the LTA. How many accidents will result from people trying to avoid the gantries and how many traffic jams will be caused just before each gantry(multiplied)?
LTA please take the advice of none other than Bill Gates in the article"How could you let these children die?"published in TODAY August 25-26, 2007.
"To turn caring into action, we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact. But complexity blocks all three steps. ....
If we can really see a problem which is the first step, we come to the second step - cutting through the complexity to find a solution. .... Cutting through complexity to find a solution runs through four predictable states - determine a goal, find the highest-leverage approach, discover the ideal technology for that approach,and in the meantime, make the smartest application of the technology that you already have, whether it's something sophisticated, like a drug, or something simpler like a bed net.....the crucial thing is to never stop thinking and working... The final step- after seeing the problem and finding an approach - is to measure the impact of your work and share your successes and failures so that others learn from your efforts. You have to have statistics of course. .. But if you want to inspire people to participate, you have to show them the numbers - you have to show the human impact of the work, so people can feel what saving a life means to the families affected... The emergence of low-cost personal computers gave rise to a powerful network that has transformed opportunities for learning and communicating. The magical thing about this network is not just that it collapses distance..it also dramatically increases the number of brilliant minds we can have working together on the same problem. .. Don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives. "
I agree with Janice Tay .. Same old traffice-stopping story..(TODAY 25-26 August)
and I quote.. "If the medicine is not helping the cough, a wise doctor would probe further to find out what other factors might be causing the cough and prescribe a different treatment. .. has the LT ever wondered why despite putting up more and more Electronic Road Pricing gantries, the traffic congestion never seems to ease?"
Janice mentioned a few pointers which I would like to add my comments to:
- longer travelling routes (and what about the additional consumption of petrol and pollution?)
- inconvenience (which Singaporeans will endure for a short period after more gantries are added by escaping them temporarily as old habits die hard)
- cost ( no matter how much cost - Singaporeans have had to endure the pile ups after a temporary reduction)
- poor road design (including design of road networks and slip roads)
- poor forecasts of road demand, usage and supply
- overly easy credit for car ownership (interface with Finance ministry and lending policies needed?)
- poor transport design coupled with unreliable travelling times (can we add LTA allowing increasing bus and taxi costs are no help at this time?)
Further factors
- forecast of demand and supply of COEs(has there been too much relaxation in allowing number of additions?)
- latest PARF for imported used cars - don't know the motivation for this but will the impact be increased cheating cases where second hand imported cars have no warranties/guarantees from manufacturers and naive Singaporeans are taken to the cleaners? will this add to the vehicle population (assuming lower cost) and pileups?
- 6.5 million population target? - when will enough be enough for LTA?(liaison with Immigration Dept on pace of accepting migrants, MTI on labour requiremnts for industry, tourist promotion board etc)
- what about reintroducing car pooling with sweeteners? (could help mitigate taxi availability problems )
- doing away with road maintenance during peak hours
- pickup points for paasengers (taxi, bus and private cars)
- positioning of safety bollards at bus stops, road centre aisles, parking areas on roads (it seems that collection of parking fees is the highest priority at some two-lane roads with scant regard for safely of person parking and passengers)
- speed limits and expected maintained speeds used in assessments for road pricing (are these speeds too optimistic in small Singapore?)
- increase in the number of sports cars (racing among buses, motorcyclists, bicyles, pedestrians etc)
LTA may have conducted reviews but have these been taken as an integrated plan/whole and have required coordinations among ministries been optimized in forecasting demands, design of roads related to buildings, walkways etc?
The Singaporean motorist/passenger is very simple minded:
- get me from point A to point B
-in the shortest time possible
- at the lowest cost possible.
Will LTA try be more creative and have a Total Revamp Review? We know it will take time for infrastructural changes which have accumulated over time (MRT designs, layouts and implementation have shown that radical changes can be made with sufficient planning) but better late than never and do share with us the why's and wherefores with convincing data. . Please read Bill Gates advice on problem-solving again and do your best in giving us a simple network of roads, regulations and guidelines to follow. We are looking for and expect the best transport system from the best team of transportation experts. Do not disappoint us. We have enough drunken (from alcohol) drivers. We don't want "marbuk" drivers who find it hard to remember LTA road networks, rules, regulations, charges and fines .
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| 10/08/2007 |
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Possibilities? Yes.. but please be careful
By G.K. Goh @ 3:05 PM :: 1130 Views ::
3 Comments ::  :: General
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I watched the NDP yesterday and agreed that there are great possibilities for Singapore.
However, skimming through newspaper TODAY,10 August 2007, I have two concerns which I hope the powers that be will address:
1. SOON, A COMMON HOTLINEFOR SOCIAL AID
"The new line, called ComCare, is set to replace six existing hotlines. Currently the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the five Community Development Councils (CDCs) each run one hotline.....This move to consolidate social services comes at a time when the Government is extending more help to the poor and needy, in light of the widening income gap ....this outsourced helpline can either operate 24 hours daily or for12 hours on weekdaysand five hours on Saturdays... A baseline of 6300 calls per month is expected. All messages left on the voicerecording system should be responded to within one working day.... You have to give them proper training and send them down to the help agencies, the CDCs to observe and learn.. But it is the the CDC staff - the ones who are currently taking such calls - who will still be the ones to evaluate and provide the necessary help at the back end..... I f done properly, it can make us more efficeint ... "
- Is this an extension of service to the poor? -i.e. reducing 6 lines to one or is this to "extend by another level" the line of communication between poor and help?
- Where CDCs (who run hotlines now) are replaced by an outsourced vendor - is this getting nearer or further from the point of need?
- Is this consolidation the result of another theoretical survey recommendation?
Will one helpline be able to handle 6300 calls per month? Over 24 hours this will mean 203 calls a day.?
- So voice recording system will be used- have you ever had to listen to all the permutations on voice recording systems to aid the owner instead of the customer? How will a person in distress cope? Is the intention to add another stress to an already stressed and helpless person?
How many distressed persons will have a Handphone or phone line for call-back within 24 hours?
Will the person wanting to speak to a person have to talk to a machine in frustration- is this a social aid possibility in the future? another nameless machine facility - for more frustrating repeats of information because you do not know who you last spoke to or to call for follow-up? or will there be a round robbin chase to no useful end?
- Why have one more layer when "it is the CDC staff- the ones currently taking such calls- who will still be the ones to evaluate and provide the necessaryhelp back end ". Is it not more effective to have the one handling the backend handle the front end as well? Why the need for one more layer and no accountability?
- Who will bear the strain of inefficiency while "training" is being under-taken? The needy again?
- No doubt the outsource provider's staff will be paid lower than the government or CDC staff - or else where is the economy? Will it not then have impact of quality sustainability in a day of better job opportunities? Pay peanuts and get monkeys.
- "If done properly, it can make us more efficient" - we all know the operative word for machine service is "IF, IF, IF" - they dont work and will most definitely not work with the poor uneducated, not tech savvy, not government savvy... will it be more efficient for government/CDC staff and more excruciating, frustrating and impossible for those who need help in the future?
Will the common hotline for social aid become another frustrating bank hotline? At the latter, at least the bank has your money and you can withdraw your money, at the former, you have no money and the government servants keep the money. . for other priorities?
2. WHO'S THE MINORITY NOW?
"Whites outnumbered in 1 in 10 US counties, straining race relations...
There's some culture shock..but the momentum is building and it's going to continue."
If the U.S. with a longer history and more space than Singapore is facing this problem now - can Singapore afford to face the same sentiments in the future with a population of 6.5 million within a short length of time?
It need not just be triggered by population numbers alone... biased policies on immigration, work, housing, community benefits all can make the majority in number to feel like the minority in the future.
Will there be controls? What type of controls? Will an Ombudsman be necessary when a super breed of imported techies, supervisors take the helm of government/business and make the policies? Opportunists could be swift, suave communicators who will not be "voted" in.. how will the cabinet ensure proper balance in the future? Will the President be another controller of balanced administration in the future? May God help us with wisdom!
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