Sept 19 - SOME 15,800 Singaporeans do not have any Medisave savings to pay for their medical bills, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed in Parliament yesterday.

Although they make up only 0.6 per cent of an estimated 2.7 million CPF members, they are still a cause for concern, Mr Khaw said.

One thing, however, heartened him: Those with spouses and children can tap their combined Medisave accounts to meet their own personal health-care needs as 'we look at Medisave as a family account and not so much an individual' one.

As for those without family members to depend on, Mr Khaw assured Members of the House that they have Medifund to turn to.

The third leg of the 3M health-care system, Medifund provides medical financial assistance for the needy.

Mr Khaw was responding to a question posed by Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC), who wanted to know whether Singaporeans have enough Medisave savings to pay for their health care, especially since lifespans are increasing.

In reply, Mr Khaw said that, generally speaking, CPF members above the age of 40 who earn more than $2,000 a month will have more than $20,000 in their Medisave accounts.

This, he said, will be adequate to cover 16 instances of hospitalisation in a Class B2 ward.

Those above the age of 40 who earn above $3,000 a month will, on average, have Medisave balances at least matching the Medisave minimum sum of $28,000. One in around five CPF members has more than the minimum sum in his Medisave account, he added.

But he urged Singaporeans to continue boosting their Medisave accounts. This is especially important as higher wages for medical staff and the use of technology translate to rising health-care costs, he added.

Above all, Mr Khaw offered some words of advice to cope with old-age expenses.

'Stay healthy, continue to work for as long as you can and save up as much money as you can,' he said. 'And don't forget to buy insurance.'