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Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

Old Jul 17th 2016, 10:01 pm
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Default Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

Hello, I Am currently in negotiations with a company to move to Singapore with my family. The package on offer Includes full Family medical cover. However due to an accident several years ago I have pre-existing medical conditions which require regular Consultancy checks plus medication such as tablets and injections. It has also caused Type 2 Diabetes for which Is treated by diet.
As a pre-existing condition would this be covered under normal Singapore Company Health cover?
All of my treatments are currently covered by the UK NHS including all required medication and as such I do not have to pay for prescriptions. Again is this covered and if not is prescription drugs expensive in Singapore?
Finally if nothing is covered under the company Health Insurance is it easy for a newly arrived expat to arrange for doctor/consultancy etc?
I am in my very early 40's so I have many years of working ahead of me including an unlimited time in Singapore.
Any help or direction on where I could gain more information on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Regards
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Old Jul 17th 2016, 10:58 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

Hi. I don't know what your company would cover you for. You would need to ask your company that.

The system in Singapore (and Malaysia) is different to the UK. You take control of your health! There is good and bad to that. You are not tied to one doctor or polyklinik. You go to whichever one you wish to go to.

Polykliniks....just turn up with your passport. Be prepared to queue sometimes. Singapore kliniks do have the reputation of dishing out rather a lot of medication, so you may wish to read up on the internet after you've been given meds. That's what we used to do.

If I were you, I would just check at a pharmacy if you can buy the meds you require and how much that would cost, and whether you need a prescription or not. Sometimes you don't. You take control!
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Old Jul 18th 2016, 7:25 am
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Default Re: Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

As bb says you should check in detail what your company says it will provide and what is states in your contract.
Not always the same thing.

You can use a polyclinic in Singapore if you like. I do. But imo they are just a few steps above triage and will pass you on to a consultant very quickly.

Large Group doctor practices are islandwide and more expensive than polyclinics but they will pass you on to their consultants who are more expensive still and sometimes are very quick to suggest expensive and pointless treatments.

There are also individual doctors practicing. No experience of those.

Also as bb says you really have to take control of your own health.

It was strongly suggested by a large Group practice Deputy Head of Surgery that an expensive and painful procedure be undertaken on me asap but as I was returning to UK shortly I waited until I could be seen by a UK specialist who after a few tests said that nothing further was required except some very cheap medication which sorted things and that was 15 years ago and things have been fine since.

Although Singapore hospitals have the very latest equipment and it's quite easy to get tests carried out I'm not sure the correct results are always reached.

Just my opinion.

Last edited by ex reg; Jul 18th 2016 at 7:29 am.
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Old Aug 3rd 2016, 4:48 am
  #4  
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Default Re: Moving to Singapore with pre-existing medical condition

Varies by company scheme I think. I've just moved back, and my new company medical scheme expressly excludes pre-existing conditions for the first year.
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