What if I get gallstones?
What if I get gallstones in Singapore: $726 – $6,724 in a subsidised ward (Ward C), based on MOH Bill Size Benchmarks. Average hospital stay: 3.5 days.
Gallstone disease requiring cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) or ERCP for bile duct stones.
Hospital bill by ward class
- Ward C (Subsidised · 8-9 beds): $726 – $6,724
- Ward B2 (Subsidised · 6 beds): $843 – $6,798
- Ward B1 (Non-subsidised): $2,304 – $13,407
- Private (Single room): $6,088 – $45,693
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, January–December 2023. Costs are after government subsidies but before MediShield Life or private insurance.
Treatment options
- Biliary tract disorders (medical): $726 – $3,592 (Ward C)
- Cholecystectomy (keyhole): $1,463 – $3,669 (Ward C)
- Cholecystectomy with bile duct exploration: $2,562 – $6,724 (Ward C)
- Complicated cholecystectomy: $2,231 – $4,687 (Ward C)
- ERCP (bile duct stone removal): $2,216 – $5,927 (Ward C)
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What if I get gallstones?
9:45 PM
A sharp, squeezing pain under your right ribs. It builds fast.
You thought it was the char kway teow.
You thought it was the char kway teow.
The pain doesn't pass. A friend drives you to A&E. An ultrasound confirms what the doctor suspected.
1 in 5
adults will develop gallstones in their lifetime
Surgery to remove the gallbladder. Usually keyhole, usually one night in hospital.
Most cases are laparoscopic cholecystectomy — four small incisions, done under general anaesthesia.
Gallstones are more common after 40, and more common in women
A week later you're eating normally again.
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
Biliary tract disorders (medical)
$726 – $3,592
Ward C
Ward C$726 – $3,592
Ward B2$843 – $3,735
Ward B1$2,304 – $9,766
Private$6,088 – $45,693
Cholecystectomy (keyhole)
$1,463 – $3,669
Ward C
Ward C$1,463 – $3,669
Ward B2$1,411 – $3,179
Ward B1$6,941 – $11,836
Private$19,363 – $23,802
Cholecystectomy with bile duct exploration
$2,562 – $6,724
Ward C
Ward C$2,562 – $6,724
Ward B2$2,810 – $6,798
Private$23,562 – $35,420
Complicated cholecystectomy
$2,231 – $4,687
Ward C
Ward C$2,231 – $4,687
Ward B2$1,995 – $4,322
Ward B1$8,184 – $13,407
Private$23,088 – $38,877
ERCP (bile duct stone removal)
$2,216 – $5,927
Ward C
Ward C$2,216 – $5,927
Ward B2$1,643 – $4,790
Ward B1$8,822 – $12,875
Private$9,157 – $25,848
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
$6,724
in cash. That's after government subsidies but before any insurance kicks in.
Your ward, your bill
Subsidised · 8-9 beds · After subsidies, before insurance
~4 months
of HDB mortgage
~22%
of avg Medisave
~1.3 months
of median salary
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks · Data period: Jan–Dec 2023 · Compiled by Keith Teo
Make it personal
What does this mean for you?
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$
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
$726 – $6,724
Ward B2 · Subsidised · 6 beds
$843 – $6,798
Ward B1 · Non-subsidised
$2,304 – $13,407
No more subsidies below
Private · Single room
$6,088 – $45,693
up to 7x Ward C
Insurance impact
What insurance actually does
Ward C bill. The bar shows how much you still pay.
$726 – $6,724
No insurance. You pay the full bill out of pocket or Medisave.
Good to know
Average Medisave balance ($31,000) covers this 5x 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.