1. Patients from countries with special travel arrangements (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan) may apply for an Air Travel Pass to enter Singapore (subject to approval).
2. Existing patients from all other countries (excluding countries with special travel arrangements) who require critical follow-ups / with new medical conditions, or new patients requiring treatment not available in their country of residence may apply for a waiver from MOH to enter Singapore (subject to MOH’s approval). Their attending specialists can request for a waiver of the requirement to enter Singapore ONLY if it fulfils ALL of the 6 criteria below:
- The patient should not be entering Singapore for the purpose of seeking medical treatment for an active COVID-19 infection
- The patient is currently under the attending specialist’s active follow-up
- The attending specialist certifies that delay in continuation of treatment will lead to serious, life-threatening adverse outcomes
- The patient is not likely to require usage of scarce healthcare resources (eg. ICU, blood supply)
- For new patients or patients with new conditions, the attending specialist must provide a written support to indicate that the specialty expertise required to treat the new medical condition is unavailable at the patient’s country of residence
- The patient is able to fulfil all prevailing immigration requirements. Should there be any restriction for patients coming from particular countries or areas, their trip should be deferred until such restrictions are lifted
In addition, all existing foreign patients (excluding patients from countries with special travel arrangements) seeking continuing care in Singapore must comply with the following additional criteria:
Pre-departure testing
- Patient (AND accompanying caregiver, if any) must test negative for COVID-19 by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test once, within 72 hours prior to departure
- Patient must not have suspicion of pneumonia on chest imaging performed within 72 hours prior to departure
On-arrival procedures
Each foreign patient may be accompanied by ONE caregiver only (aged 21 years or older). The caregiver must arrive with the patient from the same location, on the same flight/ferry/land ambulance, and should not seek medical services as part of their travel unless it’s a medical emergency. Both the patient and caregiver will be subjected to mandatory on-arrival procedures related to admission, isolation and testing at receiving hospital. Details below:
- Patient and accompanying caregiver (if any) must be admitted and isolated at the receiving hospital on arrival in Singapore via a hospital-arranged ambulance. They would not have to undergo the mandatory On-Arrival Test (OAT) at the checkpoint but must be tested for COVID-19 by PCR at the hospital. The number of tests is dependent on the originating country of the traveller.
- Serology tests – In addition to PCR testing, all patients and caregivers will have to undergo a serology test once in hospital. Serology testing is used to determine if the person has an old infection and, together with the PCR result, will help determine the period of isolation required if the patient tests positive for COVID-19.
- If arrival PCR test/s are negative, the patient and accompanying caregiver can be discharged to the Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) location to complete the SHN, abiding by prevailing SHN regulations. During the time in the hospital, patient can begin to receive the required specialist medical care that the patient had come for, if assessed to be appropriate by the attending specialist.
Please contact the Parkway Regional Office in your home country for more information and assistance.
Contact details for Parkway Regional Offices: https://www.mountelizabeth.com.sg/plan-your-visit/patient-assistance-centres