Singapore Healthcare

Singapore's healthcare system was ranked as the best in Asia and sixth best in the world by the World Health Organization.

It is a regional medical hub with a pool of skilled and experienced medical professionals and researchers, who are able to provide top-notch healthcare services and develop the next generation of cutting edge treatments. It is also a popular meeting place for conferences and training, as a base for healthcare operations management and consultancy and as the centre for clinical trials and research.

Singapore has one third of all JCI- accredited facilities in Asia. In 2006 about 410,000 visitors, out of almost 10 million visitors, declared that they came to Singapore primarily for healthcare reason. The number of healthcare visitors is expected to increase to about one million in 2012.

Singapore has an established reputation as a country where everything work and what is promised gets delivered.

It provides the complete spectrum of healthcare services from primary care such as health screening, to quaternary care services such as organ transplants

International patients can also select from a wide range of services to enhance their health including medical wellness, aesthetic and anti-ageing programs.

They can be assured of receiving world-class medical care in a clean, safe, and affordable environment. Singapore is truly one destination where international patients can enjoy peace of mind when their health really matters.

Singapore enjoys a warm tropical weather that is relatively calm and consistent throughout the year. It is free from natural disasters like earth-quake, typhoons, tidal waves and floods.

Singapore- Infrastructure and Demography

Singapore’s Changi International Airport serves more than 80 airlines to over 180 cities and has for many consecutive years been nominated as the best airport in the world.

It is also probably the most wired country in Asia, with a residential Broadband Internet penetration rate of 115% in June 2009.

The nation’s rich multi-cultural heritage is highlighted through the various ethnic groups (Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians) living together harmoniously that have gradually acquired a distinct identity as Singaporeans whilst still maintaining each race’s traditional practices, customs and festivals.

In addition, with more than 100,000 professional expatriates living and working in Singapore, they too bring their unique cultures and perspectives, adding color and vibrancy to cosmopolitan Singapore.

English is the main official language that binds the various ethic groups together, and communication with patients from English speaking countries is a breeze. For non-English speaking patients, interpreters for major languages are available in most hospitals.

Singapore is not a big country, but the island state bustles all over with attractions and activities. Dining and shopping are two of the top-rated activities of locals.

Needless to say, this is reflected in the staggering range of foods and cuisine, as well as the proliferation of shops in the city and suburban centers.

Singapore - Culture and Food

     

Add on to this is a thriving arts and cultural scene, especially with the opening of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, featuring world-class artistes from all over the world. When the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts and Resort’s World at Sentosa begin operation in 2010, visitors can look forward to a world-class and unique MICE destination and family-oriented attractions.

Ethnic districts such as Little India, Chinatown, Malay Village give a flavor of the culture and history of Singapore.

Lots of fun and funky events such as the Great Singapore Sale, Singapore Arts Festival, festive light-ups and many others make Singapore a most “happening” place to be in.

Singapore is also strategically located at the heart of Asia and a gateway to explore the Southeast Asian region.

Patients recuperating from surgeries frequently take short trips to more than 10 countries in the region within 3 hours flight time.

In the latest 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey involving 215 cities, Singapore was ranked ‘first’ in Asia for offering the best quality of life.

This year’s ranking also identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transport provision, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports. Singapore is at the top of this index with a score of 109.1.

One of the best things about being in Singapore is undoubtedly the food. It is no secret that Singaporeans eat and drink with a passion.

For the newcomer, deciding where and what to eat can be an intimidating, yet at the same time, exciting experience.

Almost every major international cuisine can be found in Singapore. With hundreds of restaurants dotted around the island, you will never have to look very far for that wood-fired pizza or Japanese sashimi.

The choice is so varied it is sometimes startling - there are whole streets where Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan eateries rub shoulders with their Japanese, Thais, American, French, Mexican and Mediterranean counterparts.

Singapore Hospitals

Parkway Group Healthcare

The Parkway Group consists of three hospitals and four speciality centres:

* Mount Elizabeth Hospital
* Gleneagles Hospital
* East Shore Hospital
* Parkway Cancer Centre
* Parkway Liver Centre
* Parkway Eye Centre
* Clinical Research Service

It has a network of hospitals and medical centres in India, Malaysia and Brunei.

MEH is Singapore’s largest private hospital with 505 beds. It offers more than 35 clinical specialties and has performed the largest number of cardiac surgeries and neurosurgeries in the private sector in the region.

It is also reputable for its hematology and stem cell transplant center, cancer center, positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) scans, and robotic surgery.

In 1994, it became the first hospital in the Asia Pacific region to achieve ISO 9002 international quality certification and was JCI-accredited in June 2006.

Over the last few years, it has achieved several FIRSTs, including:

- First unrelated blood stem cell transplant for thalassemia major as well as the world’s first unrelated umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant for thalassemia major.

- First in Asia to successfully perform a cardiomyoplasty procedure and transmyocardial revascularization procedure with the heart laser.

- First hospital in Southeast Asia to perform minimally invasive robotic surgery for general surgery using the four-arm da Vinci Surgical System.

- First hospital in Singapore to perform an artificial corneal implant, laparoscopic hernia repair, abdominal aortic aneurysm stenting, fibroid embolization and vertebroplasty.

Gleneagles Hospital

A 380-bed private, tertiary, acute-care and JCI-accredited hospital with about 280 doctors specialising in Cancer, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, gastroenterology and hepatology, hematology, lithotripsy, living donor liver transplant, liver diseases and transplantation, neuroscience, oral and maxillofacial surgery, neonatology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthamology, orthopedics, pediatrics, sports and exercise medicine, and urology.

Achievements:

- Performed the first living donor liver transplant in Southeast Asia

- First hospital in Asia to successfully perform laparoscopic assisted ventricular peritoneal placement on a newborn

- Delivered Southeast Asia’s first sextuplets

National Healthcare Group (NHG)

National Healthcare Group comprises 4 hospitals, 1 national specialty centre, 9 polyclinics, and 3 specialty institutes:

* National University Hospital
* Tan Tock Seng Hospital
* Alexandra Hospital
* Institute of Mental Health / Woodbridge Hospital
* National Skin Centre
* NHG Polyclinics
* The Cancer Institute
* The Eye Institute
* The Heart Institute

National University Hospital (NUH)

NUH, a member of the National Healthcare Group, is a 876-bed hospital, the first to be JCI-accredited and only hospital in Singapore to achieve triple ISO certification simultaneously.

NUH offers a full range of services and facilities, including 32 specialist clinics and centers, clinical support services such as dietetics and diagnostic imaging, dental services, nursing care, and support groups such as the Liver Transplant Support Group, the Breast Cancer Support Group, and the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Achievements:

- Asia’s first frozen embryo baby

- Asia’s first middle ear implant

- Asia’s first hip resurfacing procedure

- Asia’s first Delta Reversed Shoulder System - a technique to relieve pain and return function to patients who have shoulder arthritis due to rotator cuff tears

- Breakthrough in stem cell clinical trial to treat defects in knee cartilage

- Received prestigious American Society of Hematology Merit Award in the field of biomedical research on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia


Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)

It is the largest healthcare group in Singapore, and offers a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care. The group consists of 3 Hospitals, 5 National Specialty Centres and a network of 9 Polyclinics.

Hospitals

1. Singapore General Hospital

2. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

3. Changi General Hospital

Singapore General Hospital

National Specialty Centres

1. National Cancer Centre

2. National Heart Centre

3. National Dental Centre

4. Singapore National Eye Centre

5. National Neuroscience Institute

Polyclinics Singhealth - 9 polyclinics

The SingHealth group has a total of 42 clinical specialties and provide a complete range of integrated services.

It sees 3 million patient visits and performs 175,000 surgeries per year. Singhealth strongly believes in clinical audits and benchmark its best practices on international standards to ensure its patients receive the highest quality care.

The 3 hospitals and 5 Specialty Centres are well equipped with advanced diagnostic equipment and the latest medical technologies.

It has a team of more than 2000 internationally qualified doctors and 12,000 highly trained and committed nurses and allied health talent.

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