Finding the Right Heart Doctor in Singapore

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Finding the Right Heart Doctor in Singapore
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Introduction

• An increasing number of health travellers are
  choosing Singapore for a wide range of medical
  treatments, including heart operations. The
  question is how do these travellers know either
  how to choose the right heart doctor, or how to
  access those services, navigating local
  regulations?

3
Introduction

• For many products and services, navigating
  through the myriad of options and locations can
  be challenging. We often dont have the
  knowledge, particularly the local knowledge, from
  which to base our decisions and make our choices.

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Introduction

• This guide will help to navigate the complex
  rules and procedures for finding a good heart
  doctor in Singapore, from finding a doctor to
  understanding the visa process, to enable you
  make the best choices and get the best from your
  treatment.

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Table of Contents

• Why Singapore?
• Dealing With Visas
• Choosing a Doctor
• Thinking About Money
• Summary

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Why Singapore?

• In recent decades there has been an explosion
  in the number of available heart doctors in
  Singapore, giving patients locally and from all
  over the world a range of options. A range of
  public and private, the latter being particularly
  appropriate for foreign patients, services
  provide a range of services and procedures for
  patients with all kinds of heart problems.

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Why Singapore?

• With the increasing affordability of
  international travel, and a range of different
  payment options, many heart patients are learning
  that it is easier to travel to Singapore for a
  heart operation or procedure than navigate long
  waiting lists and complex payment procedures in
  their own country.

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Why Singapore?

• Singapore provides a combination of affordability
  and technical skill that is rarely rivalled in
  the world, as many cardiology specialists from
  around the world have set up clinics in Singapore
  and made it their own.
• Even though it costs more for foreigners,
  typically twice as much as local patients, for
  consultations and procedures, it is still often
  cheaper than in the original country.

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Dealing With Visas

• The vast majority of foreign visitors will
  require a Visa to enter Singapore. This can only
  be granted if the patient has more than six
  months left on their passport. This is a common
  practice for many countries, so it is important
  to ensure that your passport is up to date.

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Dealing With Visas

• Officially, Singapore say that a visa can only
  be granted for business or tourism purposes, such
  as a holiday, although it is possible to enter
  Singapore on a visa for medical purposes, such as
  treatment. However, as is common in many
  countries, foreign visitors are not allowed to
  engage in employment whilst in the country.

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Dealing With Visas

• You should make sure that you have all of the
  relevant documents and paperwork in order to
  attain a visa to enter Singapore, prior to
  agreeing to any treatment, and in particular
  paying any advance costs that may be incurred in
  engaging the services of a heart doctor.

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Dealing With Visas

• If you are planning on entering and remaining
  in Singapore for heart treatment you will need to
  have a doctor in Singapore complete Form 75. This
  document outlines the reasons why your stay, and
  therefore your visa, should be extended and the
  medical grounds which are appropriate for your
  extended stay. As well as the doctor completing
  the form, you will also need to sign the
  document, which confirms that you give permission
  for the relevant personal medical information to
  be shared.

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Choosing a Doctor

• Because of this complex procedure in getting
  permission to stay for treatment, it is advisable
  to find a heart doctor who is willing to treat
  you before entering Singapore or applying for
  your visa. You can arrange to have your medical
  records from your home country shared with a
  relevant doctor.

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Choosing a Doctor

• The vast majority of heart doctors in
  Singapore have an excellent command of English as
  well as an technically high level of
  professionalism and expertise in cardiology. Many
  health clinics in Singapore also have a
  significant percentage of their patients coming
  from overseas.

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Choosing a Doctor

• This means that they will have the knowledge
  to help prospective foreign patients in
  completing the relevant paperwork as well as
  ensuring it is submitted to the relevant
  government departments with any supporting
  evidence that is required.

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Choosing a Doctor

• An open conversation with your heart doctor
  in Singapore means that your course of treatment
  as well as the bureaucratic complexities of the
  process can be navigated with ease, reducing your
  stress levels as well as any unnecessary expense.

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Choosing a Doctor

• The power of personal recommendation is one of
  the best ways to find any qualified professional,
  so it is worth asking friends and family, as well
  as your medical provider, whether they have any
  personal experience or recommendation in terms of
  a Singapore-based cardiologist.

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Choosing a Doctor

• However, as this is unlikely to be helpful for
  most people, often the best source of information
  is the Internet. A number of websites exist that
  can help you to find a heart doctor in Singapore
  across a range of different specialities, such as
  here and here.

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Choosing a Doctor

• If top ten lists are not your thing as they
  can be too generic, another tactic is search for
  heart doctors with specific conditions as
  specialities, for example pericardial disease
  doctor Singapore. You can explore the websites
  of cardiologists and surgeons that interest you,
  providing a shortlist of those to contact to see
  if they can help you in your particular
  situation.

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Thinking About Money

• If you are receiving significant medical
  treatment, such as an operation on your heart
  that will require some time to recover before you
  are able to travel home, you should therefore
  ensure that you have the necessary funds for an
  extended stay in Singapore if required.

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Thinking About Money

• You will also need to create a budget of
  expected costs including travel and medical
  bills and you are likely to find that your
  travel costs will be cheaper at certain times of
  the year due to seasonal popularity of tourism
  etc.

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Summary

• Although it can be a complicated process,
  with a little research and the help of your heart
  doctor in Singapore, you can receive high quality
  treatment, and recover in the warm climes of this
  exotic travel destination, often cheaper and
  quicker than treatment at home.

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Call Dr. MacDonald

• Phone Number
• 65 9430 5007
• Website
• https//heartdoctormacdonald.com/
• Email
• info_at_heartdoctormacdonald.com
• 3 Mount Elizabeth, Medical Centre
• Singapore 228510