New S$2,000 payout added to Covid-19 vaccine injury financial aid, applications to open from Mar. 17, 2021

For those who suffer serious side effects due to the Covid-19 vaccination.

Zhangxin Zheng | March 16, 2021, 06:21 PM

To give Singaporeans greater peace of mind when deciding on taking up Covid-19 vaccination, the Ministry of Health has introduced the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP).

Applications for the VIFAP will start from Mar. 17, 2021.

The programme will provide financial assistance to Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass holders if there are serious side effects related to their Covid-19 vaccination.

Three tiers of one-time pay-out

There are three tiers to the quantum of the one-time goodwill pay-out under this programme, depending on the severity of the "serious side effects" caused by Covid-19 vaccines:

1. One-time pay-out of S$2,000 for individuals who required inpatient hospitalisation and medical intervention and subsequently recovers;

2. One-time pay-out of S$10,000 for individuals who required admission to High Dependency or Intensive Care, and subsequently recovers; and

3. One-time pay-out of $225,000 for individuals who die or suffer permanent severe disability as a result of COVID-19 vaccination.

According to the MOH's website, a "serious side effect" that qualifies for VIFAP refers to one that is potentially life-threatening or fatal, and requires inpatient hospitalisation or causes persistent incapacity or disability.

The two higher payout tiers were previously announced on Jan 28.

Applications will be reviewed by an independent clinical panel

The VIFAP is not meant to reimburse medical costs.

MOH said that these pay-outs serve to strengthen the support provided for individuals who suffer from serious side effects due to Covid-19 vaccination, on top of the existing healthcare financing schemes such as MediShield Life, MediSave and MediFund.

To apply for VIFAP, individuals will need to submit an application accompanied by medical information on the serious side effect from their treating doctor.

All applications will be reviewed by an independent clinical panel to assess the relatedness and severity of the side effect(s) to the Covid-19 vaccine received.

Applications may take up to a month to be processed upon receiving the complete set of necessary documents and successful applications will be informed by MOH formally via email or post.

More information on how to apply can be found here.

Top image via Kenny Chua/Google Maps.