Medical Care in Singapore - Advantages of Singapore's Healthcare system for expatriates from Indonesia

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Singapore as a regional centre of medical excellence

Healthcare facilities in Singapore are extensively recognized as the best in Southeast Asia. In a bid to continuously improve its medical expertise, both the Singapore government and private hospitals team up with reputable medical institutions such as John Hopkins University Hospital, Pennsylvania University Medical Center, Stanford University Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, to seek further breakthroughs in medical research and development. Over the years, it has achieved a healthcare service level that is comparable to those of the developed countries.

Besides world-class healthcare, Singapore has developed a strong local capability in complex procedures such as organ transplant, assisted reproduction, limb reattachment and joint replacements. At the same time, new methods of medical treatment, such as the use of laser technology, are constantly being tested and introduced.

Why choose medical care in Singapore

Services provided by Singapore's public and private hospitals are highly regarded by nationals and expatriates residing in neighbouring countries. Both public and private hospitals are equipped with the latest medical equipment to maintain a high standard of medical service. Major hospitals in Singapore are recognized as benchmarks for healthcare delivery standards in the region and as such have built Singapore's reputation as a medical center of excellence.

As such, Singapore is poised to maintain its position as a regional centre for medical care, especially among customers in Southeast Asia. Its excellent healthcare facilities has attracted international patients traveling to Singapore from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and as far away as India, seeking quality medical care that is not available in their countries of residence. This includes a whole range of medical treatment, from health screening services to treatment of complex diseases.

To summarize, why more expats are traveling to Singapore for medical care:

Professionalism – Singapore hospitals are inspected, our doctors are regulated and audited
Well-managed healthcare system
Personalised services offered by the International Patients Centre
Consistency – patients are assured that the quality and reliability they experience will continue even after surgery
Top-notch medical expertise
Advanced technology
Safety – Singapore’s Centre for Transfusion Medicine is internationally reputed for its high standards of blood safety practices and management of blood transfusion services. It is recognized as a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre
Cultural and language diversity

Healthcare practice in Singapore

The Ministry of Health (MOH) regulates the standard and practice of healthcare services. It manages the five professional boards such as the Singapore Medical Council, Singapore Nursing Board, Singapore Dental Board, Pharmacy Board and Laboratory Board and aims towards regulating the conduct and ethics of medical practitioners in Singapore. All private hospitals, medical clinics, clinical laboratories and nursing homes are required to maintain a good standard of medical services through licensing by MOH.

Hospital Services

Singapore's well-established healthcare system comprises a good selection of private hospitals, including restructured (government) hospitals and several specialty clinics, each specializing in and catering to different patient needs, at varying costs.

Of the government hospitals, several of these hospitals provide acute care services with multi-disciplinary acute inpatient and specialist outpatient services as well as 24-hour accident and emergency services. In addition, there are 6 specialty institutes for ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology, cardiology, neuroscience and dentistry. The tertiary specialist care on cardiology, renal medicine, haematology, neurology, oncology, radiotherapy, plastic and reconstructive surgery, paediatric surgery, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery and transplant surgery are centralised in the larger general hospitals.

The remaining restructured hospitals provide special functions such as maternity, mental, infectious and sub-acute care services. The private hospitals have similar specialist disciplines and comparable facilities as the restructured hospitals.

Raffles Medical Group is the leading integrated healthcare provider in Asia. Raffles Medical Group owns the country's largest network of private GP clinics as well as Raffles Hospital. Located in the heart of Singapore, it is a tertiary hospital offering a wide range of specialist services. Raffles Specialist Centre is organised into various specialty clinics to meet the specific needs of our patients. Our services range from prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases and medical conditions, to aesthetic procedures such as photorejuvenation and cosmetic surgery.

Raffles Aesthetics
Raffles Cancer Centre
Raffles Children’s Centre
Raffles Chinese Medicine
Raffles Counselling Centre
Raffles Dental
Raffles Dialysis Centre
Raffles ENT Centre
Raffles Eye Centre
Raffles Fertility Centre

Raffles Health Screeners
Raffles Heart Centre
Raffles Internal Medicine Centre
Raffles Japanese Clinic
Raffles Orthopaedic Centre
Raffles Physiotherapy Centre
Raffles Skin Centre
Raffles Surgery Centre
Raffles Women’s Centre

Medical Personnel

Out of the more than 5,000 doctors in practice, about 42% of them are trained specialists with postgraduate medical degrees and advanced specialty . The number of doctors in Singapore is evenly distributed between the public and private sector. Doctors in the public sector are provided with continuing education under the Health Manpower Development Program, for postgraduate training and practical attachments at overseas centers of international recognition. Under the same program, nurses are awarded fellowships for overseas training in education, administration and clinical specialities.

There are 942 dentists, giving a ratio of 1 dentist to 4,130 population. About 77% of the dentists are in private practice. The nurse to population ratio is 1:244, with a total of about 15,947 nurses. 55% of the nurses work in the public sector.

Medical Evacuation

Singapore, due to its strategic location, is the primary destination for medical evacuations in the region for four major emergency assistance companies, namely: International SOS (AEA), World Access (Asia), WorldWide Assistance (Singapore), and AXA Assistance.

Foreigners giving birth in Singapore

Singapore is a popular destination for many foreign women living in the neighbouring countries to deliver their babies here. The Singapore Immigration and Registration office has a well-established policy for these visitors. Below is a step-by-step guide for foreign expectant mothers who wish to give birth in Singapore:

Application for Permission to Deliver in Singapore

the expectant mother must apply to the Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) office for permission to deliver in Singapore through a local sponsor, before her arrival.
the local sponsor, who must be a Singapore citizen or Permanent resident, should produce the following documents upon application:

a copy (original) of duly completed Form 14, Form V39 and Form IMME 555 (you may wish to download these forms at www.sir.gov.sg and the explanatory notes). Every applicant (including children) has to complete a set of these forms.
Applicant's marriage certificate (original and photocopy)
Local sponsor's identity card or valid re-entry permit
Letter from a medical officer stating applicant's expected date of delivery and whether there are any expected complications in the pregnancy
Letter from the expectant mother's country's Embassy or High Commission stating that her newborn child will follow the parent's nationality and a valid travel document of that country will be issued to the newborn child
Applicant's valid travel document.
Local Sponsor will have to furnish a Security Deposit upon approval. The amount is between $1000 - $5000 SGD, depending on the applicant's nationality.

Registration of Birth

once the baby is born, his/her birth could be registered with the Birth Registration Centre at the following locations :

PR Services Centre

Raffles Hospital
KK Women's & Children's Hospital
East Shore Hospital
Gleneagles Hospital
Mt Alvernia Hospital
Mt Elizabeth Hospital
National University Hospital
Singapore General Hospital
Thomson Medical Centre

Note 1: For births in other hospitals, the baby's birth has to be registered at the PR Services Centre within SIR building

Note 2: For those who are not born in hospitals (eg. at home or in cars), the mother has to obtain a Notification of Live Birth from the doctors/midwife/ambulance staff who delivered the baby

Birth registration must be done within 14 days to 42 days from the date of birth, including Sundays and public holidays. If registration is done after 42 days, a letter of explanation stating the reason for late registration must be submitted for the Registrar/Registrar General's approval. After approval has been given, the birth will be registered and the Birth Certificate will be issued.
The following documents are required to be produced at the time of birth registration:

Notification of Live Birth, issued by the Hospital
Both parents' Identity Cards, if they are Singapore residents
Original marriage certificate
Both parents' passports, entry permit and embarkation/disembarkation card issued by Immigration Department (for foreigners)
A letter of authorisation from the parents of the child (if someone else registers the birth on behalf of the parents)
A fee of $18.00 SGD is payable for birth registration. Some hospitals may charge an administrative fee for the service provided on top of the $18.00 SGD
Child's name must be furnished at the time of birth registration

Ethnic characters of the child's name in Chinese/Jawi/Tamil (optional) can be included in the Birth Certificate. This is optional but parents/informants must ensure the accuracy of the ethnic characters furnished.
For Chinese children who have been given a name in full Hanyu Pinyin version, the Chinese characters of his name must be reflected in the birth certificate.

Maternity Care before and after Delivery in Singapore

In Singapore there are several hospitals that offer good maternity care which the expectant mothers could choose from. The cost varies, depending on the gynaecologist, the room type selected, the mode of delivery and the duration of the stay.