Singapore

Singapore skyline

Like Malaysia, Singapore is less familiar to US patients as a health travel destination than Thailand and India. However, Singapore has been a top international healthcare destination since the 1980s. The country boasts 13 JCI-accredited hospitals and centers and the most JCI-accredited facilities in Asia. Singapore is also home to Asia’s second largest hospital network, Parkway Group Healthcare, with 1,500 beds, 1,400 specialists, and three JCI-accredited treatment centers.

In 2000 the World Health Organization ranked Singapore’s healthcare system number one in Asia and sixth in the world. Singapore has one of the lowest infant (1.9/1,000 births) and maternal (0.0 to 1.0/1,000 live or stillbirths) mortality rates in the world. Life expectancy averages 79.3 years; males live an average of 77.4 years and females, 81.3 years.

The Health Manpower Development Program, sponsored by the Ministry of Health, sends Singapore doctors to the best medical centers around the world, and they return to serve, bringing with them a quality of services to match international standards.

Singapore and Medical Tourism

In 2003 the government of Singapore launched the SingaporeMedicine Initiative to develop and maintain Singapore as a medical travel destination and to consolidate its considerable medical offerings. The Singapore government supports the healthcare industry for both local and international patients. Research partnerships with US universities, such as Johns Hopkins and Duke Medical Center, along with formal relationships with GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, underscore Singapore’s sustained commitment to cutting-edge healthcare. Singapore as a medical destination is uniquely supported by a multifaceted medical hub, with research and development (bench, translational, and clinical), medical conferences and training, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, and headquartering of multinational healthcare corporations.

Singapore boasts a wider range of healthcare services than most other countries. Highlights include the Biopolis Biotechnology Research Center, SingHealth’s National Cancer Centre Singapore, and National Neuroscience Institute.

The National Cancer Centre is one of Asia’s leading hospitals for oncology diagnosis and treatment. This multidisciplinary research and treatment complex offers specialties in bone, breast, brain, cervical, colon, liver, lymph, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers. The National Neuroscience Institute, the leading regional specialist center for treatment, education, and research in the neurosciences, has the world’s first integrated neuroscience center, the BrainSuite. It has an operating theater equipped for high-precision radiosurgery and advanced image-guidance navigation.

Health travelers enjoy the widespread use of English as the preferred business language. Because Singapore is one of Asia’s wealthiest nations and has Southeast Asia’s highest standard of living, medical travelers are spared the glaring cultural and economic contrasts often seen in India, Central America, and South America. Most of Singapore is squeaky clean, with some city streets so filled with US retail storefronts that they feel eerily like home.

While most treatments are far less costly than in the US, Singapore remains one of Asia’s more expensive medical stops, catering largely to patrons from adjacent countries, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, who are seeking higher quality care and are willing to pay for it. The slightly higher prices are offset by shorter stays, better outcomes, and quicker returns to active life.

Those seeking scenic side trips or exotic vacations should know that Singapore is entirely urban and suburban, offering few opportunities for rural or beach excursions. However, Malaysia and Thailand, both excellent medical destinations in their own right, are relatively short hops by air from Singapore and offer additional vacation options.