Who pays medical expenses of NSmen injured overseas? (Forum letter)

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The concerns Mr Wong Khai Sheng brought up ("Pay for accident insurance of NSmen during ICT"; Oct 15) do not fully address the plight of national servicemen who are involved in non-training accidents overseas.

For example, if a national serviceman is hit by a vehicle overseas while he is off-duty and is taken to the nearest hospital, which happens to be a private one, who foots the bill for his costly medical expenses?

I have heard that the serviceman and his family are expected to pay for the treatment.

I find this unfair because the serviceman did not choose to be overseas and he was injured through no fault of his own. And since he is staying in a foreign hospital, he cannot use his Medisave to pay part of the bill.

Do insurance companies cover national servicemen on military training?

If we want Singaporeans to defend our country, then we must look after their welfare. The Government should foot the bill for national servicemen who are injured overseas; the cost should not be an issue as such injuries are rare.

Gerard Ong