{"id":130744,"date":"2025-11-13T08:25:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T08:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/130744\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T08:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T08:25:11","slug":"johor-health-screenings-cancer-tests-lure-singaporeans-with-cost-savings-shorter-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/130744\/","title":{"rendered":"Johor health screenings, cancer tests lure Singaporeans with cost savings, shorter wait"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hospitals across the Causeway are gearing up with an eye on more Singapore patients when the cross-border rail link opens <\/p>\n

[SINGAPORE] Last year, when Candy Lim wanted to do a mammogram, she made an appointment at Gleneagles Hospital and headed over. The catch? It wasn\u2019t the medical facility here but Gleneagles Hospital Johor in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a 15-minute drive after clearing the Tuas Checkpoint, and everything at the hospital was completed within two hours,\u201d says Lim, who paid a promotional rate of RM161 (S$50) for a mammogram and breast ultrasound and went on a weekday. This compares with the few hundred dollars she would have been charged here. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses were fantastic; very nice and friendly. Maybe because they don\u2019t have to deal with a lot of patients, they\u2019re more relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Happy with her experience, the real estate agent got her mother to do the same screening tests and even took her uncle there for his first health screening as well. <\/p>\n

For Wan Hoe Yin, whose company provides a budget of S$500 every two years for health screening, it made sense to stretch his dollar in Johor. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith the same amount of money, it covers two X-rays, two ultrasounds, one CT (computed tomography) scan of the heart as well as tumour markers and all the other standard tests,\u201d says the manager, whose colleague went with him to do the same screening that took just three hours to complete.<\/p>\n

Increasingly, Singaporeans \u2013 driven by the strong Singapore dollar as well as the high cost of medical services here \u2013 are heading across the border to undergo health checks. Many, like Lim and Wan, are pleased with the smooth, comfortable and professional service they received in a private hospital. <\/p>\n

Others, like Tay Boon Liang, turned the cross-border healthcare visit into a mini break with family. \u201cI find general health screening an off-the-shelf product with little differentiation across most providers,\u201d says the manager in financial services who paid half of what it would have cost for an executive screening package here. \u201cSo the cost savings are a driving factor for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A growing number<\/p>\n

The influx of Singaporean patients is benefiting Johor healthcare providers, with Gleneagles Hospital Johor for instance, gaining in particular due to brand familiarity. The hospital is part of IHH Healthcare \u2013 the largest private healthcare provider in Singapore, which also operates the Mount Elizabeth hospitals. <\/p>\n

\"\" The number of Singaporean health-screening patients has seen a remarkable growth this year, says Sipika Singh, Gleneagles Hospital Johor\u2019s deputy chief executive officer. PHOTO: GLENEAGLES HOSPITAL JOHOR <\/p>\n

Sipika Singh, Gleneagles Hospital Johor\u2019s deputy chief executive officer, says the number of Singaporean health-screening patients grew by around 35 per cent compared with the same period last year. She noted that this surge was remarkable, as growth in the past three to four years had been relatively steady. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis could have been driven by the positive buzz around the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (bilateral initiative to boost cross-border trade, investment and business activity),\u201d she says, adding that Singaporeans make up 16 to 18 per cent of all its health-screening patients. \u201cWe\u2019re able to manage waiting times and deliver screening reports within hours, which helps the patient experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hospital now offers a basic health-screening package for RM688 (before a 6 per cent sales and service tax or SST) which includes tumour marker tests, a chest X-ray and electrocardiogram. <\/p>\n

Patients can add on tests such as a mammogram (RM250), cardiac screening (RM688) or its most popular option, the abdomen and pelvis ultrasound (RM388). If preferred, they can also arrange for a virtual review of their screening results.<\/p>\n

\"\" Health-screening patients at Gleneagles Hospital Johor are offered food and beverages. PHOTO: GLENEAGLES HOSPITAL JOHOR <\/p>\n

Says Sipika: \u201cOur effort is focused on making care deeply personal and seamlessly connected, so patients never feel the distance between countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Health365\u2019s CEO George Foo (right) with Dr Henry Tan, senior consultant general surgeon at KPJ Bandar Dato\u2019 Onn Specialist Hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. PHOTO: HEALTH365 <\/p>\n

George Foo, founder of healthcare and wellness publishing agency, Health365, has seen health-screening inquiries grow from 20 to 30 to about 100 a month since it started its medical concierge service about a year ago. Health365 works with about six hospitals and medical centres in Johor to offer health checks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients want to do more scans and things that aren\u2019t included in basic packages which will cost a lot more in Singapore,\u201d says Foo. \u201cIt\u2019s always less convenient to go overseas for health screening, but it\u2019s a question of cost versus convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Popular screening services include colonoscopies, which are typically excluded from standard health-screening tests and are costly. A colonoscopy in Singapore varies widely depending on the hospital and specialist fees, and can range from around S$2,000 to S$5,000.<\/p>\n

At Gleneagles Hospital Johor, the estimated cost ranges from about RM5,000 to RM6,000, excluding SST.<\/p>\n

Healthcare home and away<\/p>\n

Another reason some Singaporeans head to Johor for health screening is privacy \u2013 to shield any possible health concerns from their employers or insurers.<\/p>\n

However, those who discover issues from their screening, then return to buy health insurance before seeing a doctor here should know that their claims risk being declined, and their insurance policy could even be voided, if the insurer discovers there was no full disclosure prior to the purchase.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor peace of mind, the advice is to just buy sufficient insurance before you go for any health screening,\u201d says Eddy Cheong, CEO of insurance advisory Havend. \u201cBecause at that point in time, you buy in good faith and are truly not aware of any new health concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, beyond the tests themselves, patients should consider the continuity of care \u2013 whether follow-up consultations, treatment or specialist referrals can be conveniently arranged if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Singapore, all facilities offering screening services are licensed under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act and regulated by the Ministry of Health,\u201d says Dr Eric Chiam, CEO of the Minmed Group, which operates four health-screening centres and more than 30 clinics here. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis ensures a high and consistent standard of clinical quality and data security. A key advantage is the ready availability of follow-up by general practitioners, who can interpret findings and refer promptly to specialists when required.\u201d <\/p>\n

Minmed\u2019s focus is on making screening \u201caccessible, digital and meaningful\u201d. Screening is made more convenient without a need for fasting, and there are packages for different health profiles and budgets, he says.<\/p>\n

In any event, if there are serious red flags from screening results across the border and treatment is needed, most patients are likely to prefer seeking medical attention in Singapore. This is especially since national health insurance scheme MediShield Life provides at least basic, lifelong hospitalisation coverage, notes Havend\u2019s Cheong. <\/p>\n

Of course, there is plenty of potential in the health-screening business in Johor, particularly with the cross-border Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link starting service by December 2026. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery hospital that I visit in Malaysia is expanding, and they\u2019re ramping up in Johor because the RTS is coming,\u201d says Health365\u2019s Foo, noting that Singapore\u2019s Thomson Medical Group is building a huge facility there, while Malaysia\u2019s Sunway Group is planning its new, 300-bed Sunway Medical Centre in Iskandar Puteri.<\/p>\n

\"\" Gleneagles Hospital Johor is gearing up and investing in more capacity and technology. PHOTO: GLENEAGLES HOSPITAL JOHOR <\/p>\n

Indeed, Gleneagles Hospital Johor\u2019s Sipika says it is actively working on \u201cintegrated care models\u201d with Singapore healthcare providers, especially since there are other IHH hospitals here. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re exploring how we can work with both the public and private Singapore healthcare systems so we can complement each other,\u201d she says. \u201cBut on the whole, Gleneagles is on an expansion path.\u201d<\/p>\n

In anticipation of a rise in patient numbers, especially those on day-trips, the hospital is investing in more capacity and technology, such as a second MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine.<\/p>\n

For some Singaporeans, however, the cost savings and good service in Johor are only attractive to a certain extent. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was quite impressed,\u201d says Eric Toh, a retired business owner. His RM1,888 comprehensive health check included a heart scan and even dental screening and face-to-face review on the same day. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was so smooth, the atmosphere was very good and the environment quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he will do his future health screenings in Singapore. \u201cBecause in any case, if there are any sicknesses, insurance can help take care of it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hospitals across the Causeway are gearing up with an eye on more Singapore patients when the cross-border rail…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[163,521,85,46],"class_list":{"0":"post-130744","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}