SINGAPORE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Singapore government said on Friday that it will extend Medifund assistance to needy Singaporeans who require HIV treatment, including medications.

    The Health Ministry said in a statement that it will inject 8.5million Singapore dollars into Medifund, an endowment fund set up by the government to help needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their medical expenses, and make it available to hospitals.

    The ministry added that HIV patients who face difficulty affording their medical bills can approach the Medical Social Workers of the Medifund-approved restructured hospitals and institutions for help.

    According to local radio 938live, in the first 10 months of 2009, there were a total of 378 reported new HIV cases among Singapore residents. This is similar to the 456 HIV cases notified for the whole of 2008.