Medical tourism in Singapore is a level ahead of its counter parts in the ASEAN region. Here’s why.
Nearly in every aspect, Singapore can be considered the most distinct country in its region, from infrastructure to healthcare, it ranks first in almost all of these indexes. Medical tourism in Singapore is no exception in this regard as the country casually sits unrivaled at the top of the industry in its region and also serves as one of the most attractive medical tourism destinations worldwide. Considering that Singapore has achieved this feat in a region with mighty competitors such as Thailand and Malaysia, both of which are also aspiring medical tourism powers with their own distinctive and unique selling points makes it all the more impressive.
The origin of medical tourism in Singapore goes back to 1990 recession in the Southeast Asian countries, along with Thailand and Malaysia, Singapore began investing large sums of funds into the medical tourism industry to make up for the deficit resulted by the economic crisis; thanks to Singapore being the most developed country in its region, and also due to its world class medical quality, it quickly jumpstarted ahead of its regional rivals.
Singapore has 21 JCI accredited hospitals, and since the entire country is made up of a single island and city, all of these elite and world class medical centers are in close proximity to one another.
When it comes to pricing, Singapore does not offer the same low prices as in Malaysia or its other competitors in the region. Singapore has a no compromise policy when it comes to price to quality ratio and they will charge their standard regulated fees regardless of the patient being a medical tourist or not. What keeps the medical tourism ship floating in Singapore is not the low prices, but the sheer quality of the country’s healthcare system and state of the art facilities. Singapore is officially recognized by the World Health Organization as having the world’s fourth best healthcare system in the world, which is a massive selling point. Medical tourism in Singapore is considered as a major part of the country’s economic strategy and as such, it enjoys constant economic support from the government, for example major online and offline medical tourism marketing campaigns are undertaken by the Singaporean government each year.
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Fierce rivalry with its regional competitors also ensures that Singapore is in a constant effort to maintain and advance its medical science and stay ahead of the curve. Although medical costs in Singapore are nearly double the cost in its regional competitors, they still cost as much as 60 percent less than the Western medical tourism destinations. For example, an orthopedic knee replacement surgery is performed in Malaysian for 10 thousand US dollars, 16 thousand US dollars in Singapore, whereas in the US itself it costs upwards of 30 US dollars. This stat perfectly showcases the Singaporean medical tourism strategy that has resulted in the country being considered both reasonably affordable and also with high medical quality.
The norm for Southeast Asian medical tourism destinations is usually to have their medical tourism markets made up of a customer base from neighboring countries, for example more than 300 thousand Indonesian patients visit Malaysia each year. This is also the case for Singapore, with more than 200 thousand patients from Indonesia making their way into the island for medical purposes. However, whereas the regional rivals of Singapore usually settle for the “local” patient base, Singapore actively markets its medical tourism capabilities globally, and as a result they have a steady inflow of medical tourists from around the planet, including many European states, the United States, Canada, China, Australia and Russia.
Accessibility, Hospitals, and Top Treatments
The Mount Elizabeth Hospital, pictured above, is considered one of the most advanced hospital in all of Southeast Asia
Singapore has 21 JCI accredited hospitals, and since the entire country is made up of a single island and city, all of these elite and world class medical centers are in close proximity to one another. This makes for an increasingly versatile set of medical treatments to be available in a relatively small area, making the country and ideal medical tourism destination with regards to accommodation and housing options as no matter the location of your stay, there will always be a state of the art hospital nearby. Some of the most famous and decorated hospitals of Singapore are Mount Elizabeth Hospital, National University Hospital, Raffles Hospital, and National Cancer Centre.
As aforesaid, Singapore excels in nearly all medical fields, however there are a number of treatments that are part of the country’s medical brand and therefore attract the most medical tourists to the country. Singapore offers some of the highest quality orthopedic services in the world.
Hip and knee replacements, spinal fusion, and hip resurfacing are all rendered on demand in Singaporean hospitals with an average prosthesis durability of over 30 years, which is 5 years above average.
Singapore also is a leading country in cardiac procedures with the National University Hospital being recognized as one of the most innovative cardiac medical centers in the world. Heart bypass surgery and valve replacements are particularly well-performed in Singapore with a very low margin of error.
Finally, Singapore is the most capable countries in cancer treatment both in its own region and in the world. The National Cancer Center is almost exclusively dedicated to the study, research, and treatment of different cancers. Chemotherapy, radiology, and immunotherapy are among the top cancer related treatments to look for in Singapore.
Article by: Parsa Khaknezhad
