Singapore Hospitals & A&E: Where to Go and What It Costs

The two hospital systems

Restructured (public) hospitals are government-owned but run commercially: Singapore General, National University Hospital, Tan Tock Seng, Changi General, Khoo Teck Puat, Ng Teng Fong, Sengkang General and others, plus the national specialty centres — the National Heart Centre, National Cancer Centre, the Singapore National Eye Centre. This is where the hardest medicine happens, where the trauma centres sit, and where the teaching and research live. Care is superb; the rooms are functional.

Private hospitals — Mount Elizabeth (Orchard and Novena), Gleneagles, Raffles Hospital, Parkway East, Thomson Medical, Mount Alvernia — offer speed, a consultant you choose by name, privacy, and rooms that look like hotels. For planned procedures with good insurance, this is where most expats go.

Ward classes, decoded

The class system confuses every newcomer. In public hospitals, wards run from Class C (open ward, fan or basic air-con, highest subsidy) through B2 and B1 to Class A (single room, your choice of doctor). For citizens and PRs, the class determines the subsidy — C is heavily subsidised, A is not. For foreigners, none of it is subsidised, so the class is simply a comfort-versus-cost decision: how much privacy do you want to buy? Many insured expats take B1 or A in a public hospital and get world-class clinical care in a decent room for less than a private hospital would charge.

A&E: what it costs and when to go

Attendance alone runs roughly SGD 130–200 at a public hospital before anything is done to you, and private A&E costs more. Emergency departments triage by severity, so a genuine emergency is seen immediately and a sprained ankle waits behind it — for hours, occasionally. Every A&E treats anyone regardless of nationality or ability to pay.

Go to A&E for: chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke signs, serious injury, uncontrolled bleeding, high fever in an infant. Don't go for: anything a GP could handle — which is most things. A 24-hour GP clinic at SGD 60–100 solves the 2am fever faster and for a fifth of the price; the ladder is in the everyday care guide. Call 995 for an ambulance in a real emergency — it's free to call, fast, and the paramedics choose the right hospital, which beats your Googling.

Specialists: no gatekeeper

You can book a specialist directly, usually within the week, without a GP referral. Consultations run SGD 120–250. Two caveats: a GP referral often unlocks a better rate and smoother insurance claim, and a good GP will tell you when the specialist is unnecessary — which saves more than either. Singapore's specialists are frequently trained in the UK, US or Australia and many hold joint appointments; if a name matters to you, the hospital's website lists credentials properly.

Costs, and the transparency tool nobody uses

The Ministry of Health publishes actual bill sizes by procedure, hospital and ward class at moh.gov.sg — real distributions, not estimates. Before any planned procedure, look yours up and take the number to your insurer. Almost no expat knows this exists; it's one of the most useful pages in Singapore healthcare. The wider cost picture, and why your employer plan may not cover it, is in the costs and insurance guide.

Practical notes

• Bring: passport or pass card, insurance details, and a card that works — private hospitals may ask for a deposit on admission.
• Language: everything runs in English; Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are widely spoken by staff, which matters enormously for visiting parents — see our guide to finding a Mandarin-speaking doctor.
• Visiting hours are generous and family involvement is expected and welcomed.
• Second opinions are normal and nobody takes offence. In a system this good, they're cheap insurance on a big decision.

Frequently asked questions