Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Singapore

How the system is arranged

Primary care comes from private GP clinics on almost every street and from public polyclinics, which are cheaper for those entitled to subsidy and not for you. Hospital care splits between the restructured public hospitals — Singapore General, National University Hospital, Tan Tock Seng and the regional hospitals — and private groups such as Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and Raffles. Clinical standards across both are high; the difference is price, waiting time and how much choice you get over your consultant.

• Private GP visit including medication: quick, walk-in, and modest by local standards.
• Polyclinics are subsidised for citizens and PRs; foreigners pay the full rate.
• Public hospital A&E has an attendance fee before any treatment is billed.
• Private hospitals cost considerably more and are where most corporate plans send you.

Insurance is not optional in practice

Employers are required to provide medical insurance for some pass categories and not for others, and where it is not required it is nevertheless normal. Read the schedule closely: annual limits, whether outpatient is included, the ward class you would be admitted to, and whether pre-existing conditions are excluded. Many people hold a personal international policy alongside the company plan, particularly if they intend to leave eventually, because cover bought at fifty costs a great deal more than cover bought at thirty.

• Check the annual limit against what a week in a private hospital actually costs here.
• Ward class determines your room and much of the bill in a public hospital.
• Outpatient, dental and maternity are usually separate riders.
• Insurance requirements differ by pass type; confirm what applies with MOM and your employer.

Emergencies

995 reaches the emergency ambulance service, which is free when the case is a genuine emergency and chargeable when it is not. 1777 is the non-emergency ambulance line for cases that need transport but not blue lights. Both public and private A&E departments will treat you and bill afterwards; the attendance fee alone is enough to make a GP clinic the better call for anything routine.

• 995 for emergency ambulance and fire; 999 for police.
• 1777 for non-emergency ambulance transport.
• A&E attendance fees apply before treatment charges — a GP is far cheaper for the non-urgent.

Pharmacies and everyday medicine

Retail pharmacies are widespread and stock the usual over-the-counter range, but Singapore is stricter than most of the region about prescription-only medicines, and a GP consultation is often the fastest route to what you need. Some substances that are ordinary elsewhere are controlled here, so check before travelling with any prescription medication.