What if my child has a heart defect?
What if my child has a heart defect in Singapore: $357 – $18,419 in a subsidised ward (Ward C), based on MOH Bill Size Benchmarks. Average hospital stay: 3.9 days.
Congenital heart disease in children requiring open heart surgery or catheter procedures.
Hospital bill by ward class
- Ward C (Subsidised · 8-9 beds): $357 – $18,419
- Ward B2 (Subsidised · 6 beds): $4,953 – $7,840
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, January–December 2023. Costs are after government subsidies but before MediShield Life or private insurance.
Treatment options
- Congenital heart disease (medical): $357 – $1,309 (Ward C)
- Complex open heart surgery: $12,005 – $18,419 (Ward C)
- Simple open heart surgery (ASD/VSD): $7,131 – $15,259 (Ward C)
- Septal defect closure (catheter): $3,295 – $7,533 (Ward C)
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What if my child has a heart defect?
11:03 AM
The doctor pauses during the routine scan. She calls a colleague over.
Your child's heart has a hole in it.
Your child's heart has a hole in it.
Some defects close on their own. Others need intervention — sometimes within months of birth.
8 in 1,000
babies are born with a congenital heart defect globally
Monitoring, medication, or surgery. The cardiologist will map out the plan.
Minor defects like small VSDs may resolve without treatment. More complex cases — Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries — require open-heart surgery.
KK Women's and Children's Hospital is Singapore's primary centre for paediatric cardiac surgery
Your child grows. Thrives. Graduates from cardiology follow-up.
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
Congenital heart disease (medical)
$357 – $1,309
Ward C
Ward C$357 – $1,309
Complex open heart surgery
$12,005 – $18,419
Ward C
Ward C$12,005 – $18,419
Simple open heart surgery (ASD/VSD)
$7,131 – $15,259
Ward C
Ward C$7,131 – $15,259
Septal defect closure (catheter)
$3,295 – $7,533
Ward C
Ward C$3,295 – $7,533
Ward B2$4,953 – $7,840
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
$18,419
in cash. That's after government subsidies but before any insurance kicks in.
Your ward, your bill
Subsidised · 8-9 beds · After subsidies, before insurance
~10 months
of HDB mortgage
~59%
of avg Medisave
~3.7 months
of median salary
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks · Data period: Jan–Dec 2023 · Compiled by Keith Teo
Make it personal
What does this mean for you?
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$
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
$357 – $18,419
Ward B2 · Subsidised · 6 beds
$4,953 – $7,840
Insurance impact
What insurance actually does
Ward C bill. The bar shows how much you still pay.
$357 – $18,419
No insurance. You pay the full bill out of pocket or Medisave.
Good to know
Average Medisave balance ($31,000) covers this 2x 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.
Wound carePhysiotherapyPain managementFollow-up imagingSpecialist reviews
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
Get a second opinion
For elective surgery, a second opinion costs $100-$300 and can save you thousands if an alternative approach exists.
2
Ask about day surgery
Many procedures that used to require overnight stays are now done as day surgery, significantly reducing the bill.
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.