My Singapore hospital experience

Several people have asked me about medical care in Singapore. Since I've gotten an up close and personal tour, I thought I would share a few things I've seen with my medical friends.

Singapore is known for its excellent healthcare. It has been a model for efficient and quality service. There are public and private hospitals and both are meant to be very good. I was in a private hospital, so I can't speak to the differences in the public system.

1. In the ER, the MD evaluation is almost more like a triage. Patients are called into a proper doctor office for evaluation. The ER is primarily staffed by house officers, basically graduates that have not chosen a specialty. Residencies are not required. The physician decides how to disposition the patient-either discharge, observe, or admit. Then the patient is moved to that area. The doctor I saw immediately decided I should be admitted and I was moved to a bed.  I was admitted directly to the GI specialist who gave orders for initial labs and IV fluids.

2. The admission nurse brought me a list of rooms and prices and asked me to choose my room. It was like a hotel list with room sizes and amenities ranging from double room to extravagant presidential suites. I ended up in a basic suite where my specialist was already there waiting for me, even though it was 11 pm on a Sunday night. (He told me he lives across the street from the hospital). The whole process from door to done took less than 2 hours.

3. Being a private hospital, a deposit or insurance was required on admission. I asked what happened if you are unable to pay and was told you are discharged to the public hospital. Every test was discussed associated with a price. Every test from routine bloodwork to colonoscopy was a choice with agreement on the price. It reminded me a bit of a car mechanic. The mechanic calls to tell you what they found and how much it will cost to fix each thing. It was odd but honest. Luckily, our overseas insurance takes good care of us and we had no concerns.

4. That being said, few tests were done. The only bloodwork I had done was on admission. No cat scan. Only the basics. When I would ask something specific, my doctor relied on the good ole physical exam to lead his decisions.

5. Back to the room choosing, the first night I heard a baby crying. I asked the nurse about what I heard and she told me the woman in the next room had just delivered. So there's obviously no separation of wards. Not sure how I feel about that-a brand new baby next door to a terrible infection and common nurses caring for both. Infection control is obviously a necessary priority.

6. The nurses on the ward work as a team instead of assignment to a patient. Each nurse has a role-medication nurse, vitals nurse, discharge nurse, etc. The medication nurse wears an orange construction looking vest that says "do not disturb" and makes rounds dispensing all medications from locked cabinets in each patient room.

7. This may be related to my suite, but my experience was like staying in a hotel. Food comes on tableclothed trays, coffee maker and hair dryer in the room, even high end toiletries in the bathroom. Amenities including reflexologist, masseuse, and acupuncturist are available as well (I did not partake.)

8. On discharge, patients are expected to make their payment in full. No billing. No outstanding debts. Private local insurances aren't a thing here so there are no insurance company talks, except for pesky expats like us. Prices are prices and are non negotiable. Simple.

Overall being the hospital sucks but this was the best of a bad experience. Maybe my experience is specific to my quirky, sweet Dr. Leong, but I felt very lucky to be cared for here.  It's a different system, but it seems to work well. Singapore is small, so it's difficult to argue that some aspects could be applied on a larger scale, but interesting to see there might be another way.