Our healthcare system comprises public and private healthcare, complemented by rising standards of living, housing, education, medical services, safe water supply and sanitation, and preventive medicine.
Over the years, MOH has followed the principle of ensuring that good and affordable basic medical services are available to all Singaporeans. We have been continuously fine-tuning our system to ensure we are always aligned with this principle and developed our healthcare system into one that has received praise and recognition both locally and internationally.
MOH would like to share some of the accolades received for our healthcare system.
Singapore healthcare begins with building a healthy population through preventive healthcare programmes and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Good, affordable basic healthcare is available to Singaporeans through subsidised medical services at public hospitals and clinics. Our hospitals and healthcare system will never withhold help to a Singaporean because of financial limitations. Yet our philosophy promotes individual responsibility towards healthy living and medical expenses. Medisave, Medishield, ElderShield and Medifund schemes exist to help Singaporeans “co-pay” their medical expenses.
Primary health care includes preventive healthcare and health education. Private practitioners provide 80% of primary healthcare services while government polyclinics provide the remaining 20%. However, public hospitals provide 80% of the more costly hospital care with the remaining 20% by private hospital care.
Our island network of 18 outpatient polyclinics and some 2,000 private medical practitioner's clinics provides our primary health care services. Each polyclinic is an affordable subsidised one-stop health centre, providing outpatient medical care, follow-up of patients discharged from hospitals, immunisation, health screening and education, investigative facilities and pharmacy services. The needy elderly receive further help through the Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS). PCPS is most helpful for those who cannot travel to polyclinics. More..
Our 7 public hospitals comprise 5 general hospitals, a women's and children's hospital and a psychiatry hospital. The general hospitals provide inpatient and specialist outpatient services, and a 24-hour emergency department. 75% of public hospital beds are heavily subsidised. There are also 6 national specialty centres for cancer, cardiac, eye, skin, neuroscience and dental care. More..
There is a comprehensive range of residential and community-based healthcare services that caters to the long-term care needs of Singaporeans. The services available include community hospitals, chronic sick hospitals, nursing homes, sheltered homes for the ex-mentally ill, inpatient hospice institutions, home medical, home nursing and home hospice care services, day rehabilitation centres, dementia day care centres, psychiatric day care centres and psychiatric rehabilitation homes.
Through the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), patients work with their doctors to manage their diseases. They regularly monitor their conditions, seek early medical treatment and make the necessary lifestyle changes. Medisave may be used for the outpatient treatments of four chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorder and stroke), which affects about 1 million Singaporeans. MediShield provides a low cost catastrophic illness insurance scheme, designed to help members meet medical expenses from major or prolonged illnesses.
With our partners and stakeholders, we seek to provide patients with holistic and integrated care. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) was set up to smooth the transition of patients from one care setting to another. Each regional healthcare cluster is anchored by a regional Hospital working with a variety of Primary, Intermediate and Long-Term care sector and support services to deliver patient-centric care. Our healthcare clusters - Alexandra Health (managing Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in the north), National Healthcare Group (managing Tan Tock Seng Hospital in the central region), National University Health System (managing National University Hospital), Jurong Health Services (managing the upcoming Jurong General Hospital in the west) and SingHealth (managing Changi General Hospital in the East) - have also been set up to drive the movement towards integrated care. More
Dental care begins with preventive dentistry promoted through the Health Promotion Board. The Board targets students through a network of 200 static clinics located in the schools as well as 30 mobile dental clinics. This plus fluoridation of potable water and availability of fluoridated toothpaste has greatly diminished dental decay and tooth loss. Public dental services are available in some polyclinics and hospitals, and the National Dental Centre.
In 2005, Singapore spent about S$ 7.6 billion or 3.8% of GDP on healthcare. Out of this the Government expended S$1.8 billion or 0.9% of GDP on health services.