Expats have rated Singapore as a top destinations in terms of the quality and availability of healthcare.
It seems Singapore is a top destination for expats once again, particularly in terms of healthcare. For an expat moving abroad, healthcare in a new country is going to be a big consideration. Access, quality, navigating the system and language barriers are all things that can tinge an expatriate’s view of the health service in their adopted country.
The HSBC Expat Explorer survey was released last week, and with it a wealth of information from expats around the world. When rating countries in terms of quality and access to healthcare Singapore came top with Thailand in second place and France in third. The heavy use of private hospitals by expats in Thailand is likely to account for its high ranking as there is a still a large disparity between the quality of healthcare in government facilities and that in private ones.
If we look at how easy it is to organise health care in a new country we get slightly different results. Singapore has slipped into third place. In first place is Hong Kong with the Cayman Islands in second. Thailand is in fifth place, but France slips down to 14th position. This would indicate, while it’s easy to access healthcare and expats are satisfied with the quality, organising health care in terms of paperwork and perhaps access to insurance is more difficult.
Too many pizzas for expats in Italy?
When asked how healthy their diet was, expats in Hong Kong gave the most positive answers. Expats in the Cayman Islands and Singapore also rated their diets as healthy. South Africa and Thailand also appeared in the top five countries for healthy diets. Italy, Oman and India came bottom of the healthy diet league table.
Overall, if we consider quality and ease of organising of health care, and how healthy the diet is, Thailand comes out as the best country. The top five for these categories are:
- Thailand
- France
- Singapore
- Spain
- Switzerland
Whether you’re a generally healthy person or someone with a chronic condition, health care quality, access and diet will play an important part in how well you adjust to your new home.
Do you have an experiences of healthcare in these countries? Let us know whether you agree with the survey results in the comments below.