Overview ofHealthcare Services For the acute care sector, the public sector dominates 80 percent of

Overview ofHealthcare Services

For the acute care sector, the public sector dominates 80 percent of the care in this sector. The primary care sector is dominated by private sector providers, which account for about 80 percent of the market. In the step-down care sector (e.g., nursing homes, community hospitals and hospices), service mainly is provided by voluntary welfare organizations, most of which are funded by the government for services rendered to patients.

Primary healthcare service: Primary healthcare service mostly is provided (80 percent) through some 2,000 private medical clinics in Singapore. The remaining 20 percent of primary healthcare is provided through the 18 public sector polyclinics. Each polyclinic serves as a one-stop health center that provides outpatient medical care, follow-up of patients discharged from hospitals, immunization, health screening and education, investigative facilities and pharmacy services. Singaporean citizens age 65 and above, children up to 18 years of age and all school children are given up to 75 percent reduction in their consultation and treatment fees.

Secondary and tertiary specialist care services: There are seven public hospitals in Singapore. They comprise of five general hospitals, one women’s and children’shospital, and one psychiatry hospital. The general hospitals provide multi-disciplinary inpatient and specialist outpatient services, and 24-hour emergency departments.

Additionally, six national specialty centers provide cancer, cardiac, eye, skin, neuroscience and dental care. The seven public hospitals and six specialty centers provide 80 percent of the secondary/tertiary

services while the remaining 20 percent isprovided by private hospitals.

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Singapore’s medtech market holds a lot of potential for international medical device firms. To be successful, though, companies must understand the complexities ofSingapore’s healthcare system.