Singapore's medical tourism appeal

The Lion City wants to make medical and healthcare advances attractive to patients around the world.

Quality of health care is one of the factors that attract foreign patients to travel to Singapore for medical treatment.

According to the Global Medical Travel Association, Singapore ranked second, after Canada, in the 2020-2021 Medical Travel Index based on three indicators, including destination attractiveness, safety and quality of care. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about 500,000 patients from all over the world came to Singapore each year for health care, especially cancer treatment, complex orthopedic procedures and heart surgery. Medical tourism is estimated to contribute more than 1 billion USD/year to the country's economy .

Singapore’s medical tourism figures are not surprising, as the Lion Island’s healthcare industry has grown significantly over the past two decades. In 2000, the quality of Singapore’s healthcare system was ranked sixth in the world and best in Asia by the World Health Organization (WHO). Not only that, over the past 20 years, the country has introduced many advanced medical technologies to serve complex surgeries and promote medical research.

For example, the National Cancer Centre Singapore has established itself as a regional centre of excellence for cancer treatment, with cutting-edge surgical techniques and interventions, as well as new therapies such as stem cell therapy in the treatment of some of the most complex diseases. The National University Hospital Singapore is ranked among the world’s leading hospitals for complex cardiac and orthopaedic treatments.

Singapore’s medical advancement is the result of strategic partnerships and collaborations with leading medical research institutions around the world such as Duke University and Johns Hopkins University in the US. Through collaboration, Singapore has continuously expanded its research capabilities, improved the quality of medical education and training, and raised healthcare standards.

Over the years, Singapore has adapted its international patient programme to increase the number of medical tourists, collaborating with organisations, insurance companies and hospitals around the world to understand and cater to the needs of patients from different cultures.

Experiencing superior care is not the only motivation for patients to choose Singapore as a medical tourist destination. More and more insurance companies and medical facilities around the world are advising patients to come to Singapore for treatment at a fraction of the cost of other developed countries. For example, in the US, a knee replacement costs around $43,000, while in Singapore it is only $16,000. Similarly, coronary artery bypass surgery costs over $130,000 in the US, while in Singapore it is only $18,000. As a result, health insurance providers such as Aetna, BlueCross and BlueShield, Hannaford Bros. have tied up with various hospitals and health care systems in Singapore to directly contract most complex orthopedic procedures.

Besides affordability, according to experts in the medical field, safety - one of the important metrics of medical tourism in the post-pandemic era - is pushing Singapore to a new level in the field of medical tourism. During the Covid-19 outbreak, Singapore was one of the countries with a very low Covid-19 mortality rate.

After the Covid-19 pandemic was gradually brought under control, Singapore opened its borders in stages, and lifted all restrictions in February 2023. A spokesperson for Raffles Hospital said that the number of foreign patients visiting the hospital has returned to pre-Covid-19 days, accounting for 25% of the hospital's patient population. The majority of foreign patients come from Indonesia, China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Tourists can receive quality medical care in a safe and friendly environment, without worrying about political instability, social unrest. Crime rates in Singapore are low due to the strict penalties applied for any violation of the law. Therefore, Singapore's medical tourism will continue to maintain a high competitive score in the region and the world.

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