How Singapore Solved Healthcare

Audio editing by Eric Schneider
Motion graphics by Vincent de Langen
Everything else by Evan

This includes a paid sponsorship which had no part in the writing, editing, or production of the rest of the video.

Video supplied by Getty Images

[admiraljamster]

As a Singaporean, I am genuinely surprised our healthcare system is so revered by the international community. To us it almost feels like something that is given (not for free but well subsidised)

[Unazaki]

Singapore hospitals: We give u an estimate of your costs up front and the average cost islandwide
American hospitals: We're gonna pretend we didn't hear that

[luxither]

Bruh, Singapore just went "Why not both" on whether their healthcare should be private or public.

[tomo]

Just want to share my personal experience for a better view of the Singapore health system.

I was aged 22 when I had a urinary tract infection(UTI).

I stayed in a Class A ward which was up to SGD$2000 for my 3 day stay (Including the various test performed and medicine I was given). My ward was a private air-conditioned room with TV and even a personal bathroom to shower in. But I did not had to pay a single cent out of my pocket.

Being 22, I have not yet entered the workforce and hence did not have any money in my medisave account. Instead I was able to pay with my mom's medisave account (with her consent ofc) as she was my direct relative, though this was only able to cover 40% of the total cost.

The other 60% came from my private insurance which was at a SGD$100 premium per year.

Even if lets say I was an orphan and did not have insurance, I was eligible for a 100% covered bill if I was to opt for a class B2 ward as I was serving national service (national conscription) at the time.


Gotta say while I disagree with the government on quite a few matters as a citizen, the healthcare system in Singapore is rather good.

Hospitalizations aside, Singapore also has government clinics called polyclinics, which are heavily subsidized by the government and are also filled with doctors with lesser experience (Though good enough for the usual things such as flu, viral infection, etc). Hence many citizens are able to have access to affordable healthcare at the cost of waiting time (If you did not have an appointment, the waiting time is about 2-3 hours, worst case scenario 5 hours). If you're infected with a more serious, specialized sort of illness, you're then referred to the private hospitals with specialized doctors which is also heavily subsidized (If you were to go there straight you could save time, but then your treatment will not be as heavily subsidised).

[petercdavidson]

5:39 - I started looking for a rogue autoplaying tab until I realized it was background noise from this video. The ol' slip!

[srry]

Is it free-market, or is it centrally planned? *Yes.*

LOL Singapore in a nutshell

[Taroxin]

As a Singaporean, I confirm that this is correct. The CPF contribution system is not voluntary though, it's mandatory. I used to bitched about it when I was starting out in my career on my meagre salary but when I started buying my own house in my 30s and going to hospitals, I'm like woah....I can afford all this.

[Gabriel-ezio]

'hot humid summers'
Singaporeans: So, just a regular day?

[sylvanfranklin]

Next episode: how Singapore can afford to buy its citizens Nebula and Brilliant for free.

[BritskNguyen]

The solution is easy: hainanese chicken rice once a week keeps the doctor away.

[rogehmarbi]

I just finished watching "How singapore solved housing" and now they have solved healthcare too. Man that country is on a roll

[ruejr]

This healthcare system works in Singapore and might only work in Singapore because it needs a highly efficient bureaucracy, high rates of formal sector employment, and a relatively flat healthcare system hierarchy. Place this kind of system into the US and it would likely fail due to the layers of government (federal + state). Place this into Thailand and it would likely fail due to having a large informal sector where employers don't pay taxes and contributions. Place this in Germany and it would likely fail because of all the steps needed in its bureaucracy to function in the name of checks and balances.

[bxnubte]

Singapore’s geography is absolutely a benefit! No one’s denying that. Even, us, Singaporeans would wholeheartedly agree with anyone who raises this element. It is indeed smaller, one of the smallest even! In fact, when pitted up against any other nation, it would be almost obtuse to point out Singapore’s size. Her convenient size certainly makes the creation these healthcare institutions and the successful running of them much easier. That said, just because Singapore had geography on her side, does not mean that all small nations fare well in providing transparent, affordable and equitable healthcare. It boils down to governance. And good governance is one in spite of a nation’s acreage.

[wormsblink]

> “When the government runs a budget surplus”

Westerners: what’s a budget surplus?

[astroch]

Singapore: Heavily regulated to ensure competition.
American: that aint right

[AngelineNgkittykat]

My late father was in hospital for months and thankfully for the medical coverage the govt provided for the 'pioneer generation', the out of pocket we had to pay was almost next to zero. This is one of the things that as a Singaporean I am extremely thankful for.

[MrMediator]

"Tightly regulated to ensure competition"

*Americans screaming in confusion*

[guacre]

Next episode:
*How Singapore solved the meaning of life*

[darrenclloo]

To Polymatter, as a Singaporean I appreciate a well researched article that tries to explain a system
that most countries should if they could, emulate to bring about a better life for their citizens,
if they would only try. My compliments to you.
However it's so disappointing to see so many netizens here readily say that it would never work
in their country without giving it a go. You are defeated before you even got to the door.
Some say that Singapore being a rich country, using about 4% of it's GDP is not the same as
compared to a place like Yemen using 4% of theirs. True but you missed the fact that Singapore
did not start off rich. It took a lot of hard work and good governance by all Singaporeans for
the last 56 years after independence to get to where we are.
Some also say that it would never work for a large country and we were lucky that Singapore
is geographically so small and that is why things work so well they do.
Has anyone heard of Rwanda, an African country wrecked by civil war, where a million citizens were
hacked to death in a little over 5 weeks, probably a hundred times the size of Singapore?
Well, their present leader decided that he would try to emulate the successful policies of Singapore
(Lee Kuan Yew), to bring his country out of the devastation that civil war caused, for the last 20 years.
I hear Rwanda is doing pretty well now, much better than all the surrounding African countries.
They are showing the will to try, to better every citizens lives. I just hope you do too.

[jacobbranker]

I once got laughed out of a classroom for posturing that social security needed to be re-evaluated while attending a top-tier business school in the United States. It felt beyond satisfying to hear you call it a pyramid scheme. Thank you sir.