Average Cost of Health Screenings in Singapore

Getting an annual check up is an integral part of maintaining your health. As you get older, your chances of getting certain illnesses increases, which means health screenings also play an important role in catching a disease before it fully develops. With this in mind, health screenings also serve as a cheap investment to avoid more expensive medical bills down the line. Below, we outline the cost of getting health screenings in different medical institutions in Singapore.

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What is a Health Screening?

A health screening, or a full-body check-up, is an annual screening that measures your health. You can get a full body check-up at a public hospital, private hospital or a private clinic. There are two types of health screenings in Singapore: a basic health checkup and a comprehensive health checkup. Basic health screenings include a physical exam that measures your height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and vision. A biological portion includes urine and blood tests to measure blood count, sugar and cholesterol levels, kidney and liver function. Essentially, these tests check whether you are at risk for diabetes, kidney or liver disease or have an infection or tumour. Basic health screenings are adequate for young, healthy patients and can be done once every year to every 3 years, although annual check-ups are highly recommended.

As you get older or if you are at high risk for certain diseases, you'll need to start screening annually and conduct certain tests. In these cases, a Comprehensive screen would be a better fit for you. Comprehensive screenings include everything a basic health screening does and also screens for a variety of other things like your thyroid hormone levels, cancer markers, ABO blood group and Hepatitis A and B. Certain hospitals and clinics also let you customise your health screening with add-ons. For instance, you can also get a Pap smear, mammogram, radiological test, pre-marital test or a bone mineral density test (for osteoporosis screening) if you are concerned about a particular health issue. Unlike a basic health screening that takes an hour to a couple hours to complete, a comprehensive screening can take between 1 hour to 1 day to complete.

Average Cost of Health Screenings in Singapore

The average cost of getting a basic health screening in Singapore is S$262. Private clinics and public hospitals are generally the cheapest, although it is possible to find affordable basic check-ups at private hospitals. The average cost of a comprehensive health screening costs S$1,440 (around 5.5x more than a basic health screening). However, depending on how comprehensive the test is, you may pay as little as S$56 or as high as S$10,500. Because of how varied the prices are, we recommend shopping around to find the test that matches both your health needs and your budget.

Furthermore, some hospitals and clinics create separate health screening packages for men or women that include screening for sex-specific health issues like prostate cancer or cervical cancer. Among clinics and hospitals that separate their packages in this way, women's screening packages tend to cost S$10-S$20 to a few hundred dollars more than men's screening packages. If you don't want to get a full test done but want to get an additional screen or two for a particular issue (i.e. STI testing, pap smear, etc.), your clinic may also offer it as optional add-on. The average cost of an add-on is S$408, but its price is very specific to the procedure.

Average Cost of Optional Screening Packages

Average Cost of a Health Screening in Public Hospitals

The average cost of a basic health screening in a public hospital costs S$226.83. The cheapest health screening in a public hospital is at Ng Teng Fong, while the most expensive is at Singapore General Hospital and costs 3.68x more at S$363.40. The average cost of an add-on screening package at a public hospital is S$190.71. These add-on packages range from fairly simple and affordable, like a Hepatitis B screening, to more comprehensive and expensive add-ons like female-disease or pre-marital screening packages.

Average Cost of Health Screenings in Private Hospitals

The average cost of a basic health screening in a private hospital is S$376, 66% more than the average cost at a public hospital. However, this does not mean that it is always cheaper to get a basic health screening at a restructured hospital. For instance, Mount Alvernia's basic health screening costs just S$131.60, which is cheaper than most public hospital health screenings. Furthermore, Concord International and Farrer park are both cheaper than screenings offered by Changi General and Singapore General.

The cost of a comprehensive screening at a private hospital is S$2,092, or around 4.75x more than a comprehensive screening package at a public hospital. However, this average is skewed to the right due to some private hospitals offering very expensive health screening packages. For instance, some hospitals like Raffles and the Parkway hospitals (which include Gleneagles, Mount Elizabeth and Mount Elizabeth Novena) sell health screening packages that cost upwards of S$6,000. Thus, we believe the median price of S$1,068 is a more representative figure of what you can expect to pay for a comprehensive screening package at a private hospital.

Average Cost of Health Screenings in Private Clinics

If you don't want to go to a hospital to get a full body check up, you can also go to a private clinic. The average cost of a basic check-up at a private clinic is S$222, which is 41% cheaper than check-ups at private hospitals, but around the same price as check-ups in a public hospital. Prices at private clinics tend to vary the most compared to public and private hospitals, so it is prudent to do your research before settling on where to go. For instance, a Mediway basic health package costs S$25 but a basic package at Fullerton costs S$501. The average cost is for an additional screening package (metabolic, pre-marital, lung function, etc.) is S$478, but most packages cost closer to the median of S$80.

A comprehensive health screening at a private clinic costs S$967. They're 54% cheaper than a comprehensive screen at a private hospital, but 166% more expensive than a comprehensive screen at a public hospital. Part of the reason why they're so expensive is because similar to health check-ups at private hospitals, private clinics also offer an array of comprehensive packages. Due to the high prices of a few elite health screening packages, the average is skewed to the right and most people will actually end up paying closer to the median price of S$698. Some clinics also offer add-on screenings, like gastroscopies, colonoscopies, STI testing, pre-marital and metabolic testing. Depending on the add-on, you will pay anywhere between S$14 for a simple bone conduction to S$3,350 for a colonoscopy & gastroscopy package.

How to Save on Health Screenings

There are a few ways you can save on health screenings. First, Singapore citizens and permanent residents are eligible for Screen For Life, a program that heavily subsidises annual health check ups. Eligible Singapore citizens can get a health check-up for a cost between 0 and S$5 at a Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner (GP) clinics. You can also check with your health insurer if they offer a wellness program. Some health insurance companies provide wellness rewards programs that also include discounted rates on full body checks ups. They'll even provide points that you can redeem for rewards if you get positive results. However, it pays to remember that despite the cost of health check-up, it is a small price to pay to avoid more expensive treatments in the future.

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