25 August 2004

The competition for foreign patient dollars is heating up.

Regional hospitals are offering medical treatments at half the cost of Singapore hospitals. In addition, capability in terms of medical technology and services has supposedly narrowed the gap between these countries and Singapore.

But a new trend is emerging.

Led by Singapore Medicine – a government initiative to develop Singapore into a regional medical hub – hospitals here are boldly making inroads into the region and beyond.

Keen to promote the Singapore brand of medicine, hospitals here have taken the initiative to lower prices, so that regional patients who traditionally could not afford medical care in Singapore will now be able to do so.

Heeding the national call for greater competitiveness, Raffles Hospital - a key player in the local and regional healthcare industry - has launched a palette of Special Fixed Priced Packages at very affordable prices.

Ten attractively-priced surgical packages will be available across the various specialties from 1 September 2004.

The package prices are now lower than or comparable to our closest competitors in the region.

CABG or Open Heart Surgery costs S$15,700.

Cataract operation costs S$2,000, compared to other private hospitals which charge at least $3,000.

For normal delivery of babies, patients pay a never-before rate of S$1,600.

The Raffles Hospital packages are all-in, covering hospitalisation charges, surgical charges and specialists' professional fees for normal risks patients in a 4-bedded ward. (See Price List)

Explaining the move, Dr Loo Choon Yong, Chairman of Raffles Hospital, who also chaired the Healthcare Services Working Group of the Economic Review Committee, said: "We constantly organize ourselves to be more efficient so that we can deliver healthcare more effectively for our patients."

"We hope that with this, the skills of our doctors, our facilities and our cutting-edge technology will be made available to benefit more patients in the region."

For more information, please contact:

Ms Liang Hwee Ting
Corporate Communications Manager, Raffles Medical Group
DID: 6311 1312