Kamilia has met with many members in her current role, but she remembers this member in particular. Mr Lee is a retired Permanent Resident (PR) residing in Malaysia, and had written in to request to use his MediSave for an urgent heart operation there while overseas. Unfortunately, his treatment could not be paid for with MediSave, which meant that he had to tap on the medical benefits of his country of residence to pay his bills instead.
However, things weren’t that simple. After his first appeal was rejected and he was told to seek healthcare subsidy in Malaysia, Mr Lee revealed that such an application would take a minimum of three months. Needless to say, there was no way Mr Lee’s emergency heart operation could be put off for that long. Kamilia knew that asking Mr Lee to return to Singapore in order to seek treatment would be impossible with Mr Lee’s poor health condition and the stringent border control due to Covid-19. But she had no intention of leaving him in the lurch.
Kamilia understood that relying on his MediSave was Mr Lee’s last resort, so she set out to help him to the best of her ability. Kamilia first wrote to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Mr Lee’s behalf and explained his situation in detail. She also chose to follow up with MOH on Mr Lee’s case personally rather than letting Mr Lee handle it alone. Through it all, Kamilia kept Mr Lee informed on the progress which helped to assure him.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Hurdles had to be overcome as Mr Lee had to provide the information of his wife and children to MOH. Mr Lee had reservations about asking his children for their information as he would have to reveal his medical condition to them and he did not want to burden them further. While this added a challenge to an already difficult case, Kamilia was undeterred. She helped to relay his concerns to MOH, eventually succeeding in acquiring MOH’s approval to proceed with just the details of Mr Lee and his wife.
And the result? The appeal was brought up to the Minister of Health, and after following up for two and a half months, Mr Lee’s usage of his MediSave to pay for his surgery was approved.
While the happy ending is surely something to celebrate, the journey taken and effort invested by Kamilia to reach this point are equally laudable. Mr Lee’s situation had seemed insurmountable at first. But Kamilia knew that she could not just give up on Mr Lee as it was a matter of life and death. Through her indomitable will and patience, she committed herself to overcoming this hurdle together with Mr Lee.
When asked about the incident, Kamilia recalled fondly that Mr Lee had kindly expressed his gratitude towards her efforts even before his appeal had successfully gone through. He even wrote in about how grateful he was for her help:
“You folks have been most diligent in taking care the needs of those under your charge.
MediSave/MOH has its guidelines to abide by. Nevertheless, the mere fact that you folks have taken the trouble to address my appeal is mindful of the fact that you folks cared.”
This gratitude from him is also something that spurs Kamilia to pour her heart and soul into her work.
In the face of adversity, we must never forget to be kind and compassionate. After all, everyone has their own unique troubles, and it’s only via empathising with each other that we can work together better. Kamilia and Mr Lee exemplify this by being understanding of the other’s limitations, while working together to the best of their abilities towards a common goal. This allowed them to communicate smoothly, eventually resolving this case. Just as Kamilia was touched by Mr Lee’s kind understanding in the face of such an urgent situation, Mr Lee was likewise touched by Kamilia’s empathy and perseverance. It goes to show that in times of need, the importance of a kind, empathetic attitude is paramount - a lesson that many can learn from Kamilia and Mr Lee.
Kamilia is one of our many dedicated staff who are committed to doing their best to help each and every Singaporean tackle any issue they might be facing with their CPF or retirement. If you ever need help regarding CPF matters, do not hesitate to contact us. Like Kamilia, we will endeavour to do our utmost to support you and help you achieve your desired retirement lifestyle.
