Singapore has a health care system that is valued as one of the best in the world, with quality medical standards practiced across both the public and private sectors. The public system in particular is renowned for its unique national schemes which cover public health care costs for those who qualify.
The public health system in Singapore covers up to 80% of the costs for citizens and permanent residents, but it is not designed to accommodate expatriates. For an expat to become eligible for public health care they must first become a permanent resident by living and working in Singapore for at least 6 months.
The health system revolves around three main institutions, known as ‘3M’: MediSave, MediShield Life and MediFund.
If you are a permanent resident or citizen working in Singapore, you are legally required to contribute a portion - between 8% and 10.5% - of your monthly salary to your MediSave account. The scheme essentially acts as a savings account from which you can pay essential medical bills and treatment costs if you have an accident or become ill.
You can also use funds from your Medisave account to pay for treatment for dependents (spouse, child, parent or grandparent), but they must also be a permanent resident in Singapore. Further, it can be used to pay for medical insurance premiums, allowing for a flexible choice between public and private medical insurance.
MediShield Life is complementary to Medisave, and is designed to protect residents and citizens against larger hospital bills and costlier outpatient treatments, e.g. chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Permanent residents and citizens are automatically enrolled.
An endowment fund set up by the Singapore government, Medifund exists as a safety net if you have ran out of funds in your MediSave and MediShield Life plans. It’s primary purpose is to provide those in need with medical care.