What if I get a bleeding ulcer?
What if I get a bleeding ulcer in Singapore: $480 – $7,395 in a subsidised ward (Ward C), based on MOH Bill Size Benchmarks. Average hospital stay: 4.3 days.
Peptic ulcer complications including GI bleeding and perforation.
Hospital bill by ward class
- Ward C (Subsidised · 8-9 beds): $480 – $7,395
- Ward B2 (Subsidised · 6 beds): $637 – $8,920
- Ward B1 (Non-subsidised): $1,538 – $5,073
- Private (Single room): $3,514 – $7,920
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, January–December 2023. Costs are after government subsidies but before MediShield Life or private insurance.
Treatment options
- Complicated peptic ulcer: $742 – $2,742 (Ward C)
- GI haemorrhage (with complications): $761 – $2,354 (Ward C)
- GI haemorrhage (without complications): $480 – $1,159 (Ward C)
- Perforated ulcer repair: $3,157 – $7,395 (Ward C)
Scroll
What if I get a bleeding ulcer?
6:30 AM
You vomit blood into the sink. Not a little. Enough to make you sit on the bathroom floor.
This is not something you can wait out.
This is not something you can wait out.
Your partner drives you to A&E. You're pale and your blood pressure is dropping.
1 in 10
people will develop a peptic ulcer in their lifetime
IV drip. Emergency gastroscopy — a camera into your stomach to find the bleed and seal it.
Bleeding ulcers are treated endoscopically — the bleeding vessel is clipped or cauterised. Surgery is needed if the endoscopy can't stop it.
Long-term NSAID use and H. pylori infection are the two main causes of peptic ulcers
Days of fasting, then soft foods. A course of antibiotics to clear the infection.
Then the bill arrives.
Then the bill arrives.
Treatment breakdown
It depends on the treatment
What they do determines the bill. Tap to see costs by ward class.
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023
Complicated peptic ulcer
$742 – $2,742
Ward C
Ward C$742 – $2,742
GI haemorrhage (with complications)
$761 – $2,354
Ward C
Ward C$761 – $2,354
Ward B2$928 – $2,791
Ward B1$2,057 – $5,073
GI haemorrhage (without complications)
$480 – $1,159
Ward C
Ward C$480 – $1,159
Ward B2$637 – $1,349
Ward B1$1,538 – $3,903
Private$3,514 – $7,920
Perforated ulcer repair
$3,157 – $7,395
Ward C
Ward C$3,157 – $7,395
Ward B2$4,355 – $8,920
Your hospital bill
$0
Ward C (subsidised) · worst case · after subsidies, before insurance
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023
But what does this actually mean for your wallet?
The bottom line
For this scenario, you need at least
$7,395
in cash. That's after government subsidies but before any insurance kicks in.
Your ward, your bill
Subsidised · 8-9 beds · After subsidies, before insurance
~4 months
of HDB mortgage
~24%
of avg Medisave
~1.5 months
of median salary
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks · Data period: Jan–Dec 2023 · Compiled by Keith Teo
Make it personal
What does this mean for you?
Enter your details for personalised insights. Nothing is stored or sent.
$
Ward class matters
Where you stay changes everything
Same condition. The ward determines the bill.
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023
Ward C · Subsidised · 8-9 beds
$480 – $7,395
Ward B2 · Subsidised · 6 beds
$637 – $8,920
Ward B1 · Non-subsidised
$1,538 – $5,073
No more subsidies below
Private · Single room
$3,514 – $7,920
up to 1x Ward C
Insurance impact
What insurance actually does
Ward C bill. The bar shows how much you still pay.
$480 – $7,395
No insurance. You pay the full bill out of pocket or Medisave.
Good to know
Average Medisave balance ($31,000) covers this 4x in Ward C
Beyond the hospital bill
These costs are just the hospital stay
After discharge, expect ongoing costs that for many patients exceed the initial bill.
Dietary managementOngoing medicationFollow-up endoscopiesSpecialist reviewsLab monitoring
And these costs keep rising. Healthcare costs are up 12% since 2020, outpacing general inflation.
If the worst happens
When someone dies in Singapore,
banks freeze every account.
Your family can't withdraw a single dollar until the legal process is complete. Most Singaporeans aren't prepared.
56%
of Singaporean adults don't have a will
40%
of under-65s have no CPF nomination
With a will
2-6 months to settle. Funeral, lawyer, and court fees combined.
~S$6,400
No will
6-12+ months to settle. Legal fees alone are S$10K-$20K. Contested estates reach S$93,000+.
S$10K–$93K+
While your family waits, mortgage payments, insurance premiums, and utility bills keep coming out of their own pockets.
What to do now
5 things to check today
1
Don't ignore symptoms
Persistent stomach pain, blood in stool, or unexplained weight loss warrant a doctor visit, not a Google search.
2
Consider a colonoscopy
If you're 50+, regular colonoscopy screening catches problems early when they're cheaper and easier to treat.
3
Check what your insurance actually covers
Log into CPF, go to My Healthcare, check MediShield Life or ISP coverage. Look for your ward class limit and claim caps.
4
Know your Medisave withdrawal limits
Your Medisave balance doesn't mean that amount is available for one bill. There are per-day and per-procedure caps.
5
Write a will and make a CPF nomination
A simple will starts from S$99. CPF nomination is free at cpf.gov.sg. Without these, your family faces months of legal process and S$10K+ in fees.