What if my baby is born premature?
What if my baby is born premature in Singapore: $338 – $105,916 in a subsidised ward (Ward C), based on MOH Bill Size Benchmarks. Average hospital stay: 6 days.
Neonatal intensive care for premature and sick newborns.
Hospital bill by ward class
- Ward C (Subsidised · 8-9 beds): $338 – $105,916
- Ward B2 (Subsidised · 6 beds): $339 – $10,112
- Ward B1 (Non-subsidised): $1,162 – $4,607
- Private (Single room): $1,346 – $20,068
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, January–December 2023. Costs are after government subsidies but before MediShield Life or private insurance.
Treatment options
- Neonate 750-999g: $49,876 – $105,916 (Ward C)
- Neonate 1250-1499g: $13,558 – $22,820 (Ward C)
- Neonate 1500-1999g (multiple major problems): $11,374 – $27,236 (Ward C)
- Neonate 1500-1999g (major problem): $7,679 – $14,989 (Ward C)
- Neonate 1500-1999g (other problem): $3,302 – $9,016 (Ward C)
- Neonate 1500-1999g (no problem): $915 – $4,012 (Ward C)
- Neonate 2000-2499g (multiple major problems): $2,910 – $12,131 (Ward C)
- Neonate 2000-2499g (major problem): $1,792 – $7,819 (Ward C)
- Neonate 2000-2499g (other problem): $338 – $3,593 (Ward C)
- Neonate 2000-2499g (no problem): $571 – $977 (Ward C)
- Neonate >2499g (multiple major problems): $1,744 – $7,405 (Ward C)
- Neonate >2499g (major problem): $744 – $2,891 (Ward C)
- Neonate >2499g (other problem): $350 – $1,614 (Ward C)
- Neonate >2499g (no problem): $444 – $731 (Ward C)
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What if my baby is born premature?
11:58 PM
You're 29 weeks. It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
Something is wrong and the midwife is calling for the team.
Something is wrong and the midwife is calling for the team.
Your baby is born weighing less than a kilogram. The NICU team takes over immediately.
105
days: the average NICU stay for a very premature baby
Incubator. Breathing support. Round-the-clock monitoring.
You sit beside the cot and watch the numbers.
You sit beside the cot and watch the numbers.
Premature babies may need ventilation, feeding tubes, medication for lung development, and treatment for infections or complications common to early birth.
KKH handles more than 1,000 premature births every year
The day you take your baby home, you cry the whole way.
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
Neonate 750-999g
$49,876 – $105,916
Ward C
Ward C$49,876 – $105,916
Neonate 1250-1499g
$13,558 – $22,820
Ward C
Ward C$13,558 – $22,820
Neonate 1500-1999g (multiple major problems)
$11,374 – $27,236
Ward C
Ward C$11,374 – $27,236
Neonate 1500-1999g (major problem)
$7,679 – $14,989
Ward C
Ward C$7,679 – $14,989
Ward B2$2,276 – $10,112
Neonate 1500-1999g (other problem)
$3,302 – $9,016
Ward C
Ward C$3,302 – $9,016
Ward B2$453 – $2,113
Private$11,388 – $20,068
Neonate 1500-1999g (no problem)
$915 – $4,012
Ward C
Ward C$915 – $4,012
Neonate 2000-2499g (multiple major problems)
$2,910 – $12,131
Ward C
Ward C$2,910 – $12,131
Neonate 2000-2499g (major problem)
$1,792 – $7,819
Ward C
Ward C$1,792 – $7,819
Ward B2$536 – $1,816
Neonate 2000-2499g (other problem)
$338 – $3,593
Ward C
Ward C$338 – $3,593
Ward B2$381 – $737
Ward B1$2,268 – $3,692
Private$1,433 – $3,556
Neonate 2000-2499g (no problem)
$571 – $977
Ward C
Ward C$571 – $977
Ward B2$487 – $867
Ward B1$1,508 – $1,924
Neonate >2499g (multiple major problems)
$1,744 – $7,405
Ward C
Ward C$1,744 – $7,405
Ward B2$800 – $3,824
Neonate >2499g (major problem)
$744 – $2,891
Ward C
Ward C$744 – $2,891
Ward B2$406 – $1,073
Ward B1$1,421 – $4,607
Private$4,849 – $12,905
Neonate >2499g (other problem)
$350 – $1,614
Ward C
Ward C$350 – $1,614
Ward B2$398 – $733
Ward B1$1,911 – $4,111
Private$1,663 – $2,708
Neonate >2499g (no problem)
$444 – $731
Ward C
Ward C$444 – $731
Ward B2$339 – $679
Ward B1$1,162 – $1,584
Private$1,346 – $3,190
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
$105,916
in cash. That's after government subsidies but before any insurance kicks in.
Your ward, your bill
Subsidised · 8-9 beds · After subsidies, before insurance
~59 months
of HDB mortgage
~342%
of avg Medisave
~21.2 months
of median salary
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks · Data period: Jan–Dec 2023 · Compiled by Keith Teo
Make it personal
What does this mean for you?
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$
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
$338 – $105,916
Ward B2 · Subsidised · 6 beds
$339 – $10,112
Ward B1 · Non-subsidised
$1,162 – $4,607
No more subsidies below
Private · Single room
$1,346 – $20,068
up to 0x Ward C
Insurance impact
What insurance actually does
Ward C bill. The bar shows how much you still pay.
$338 – $105,916
No insurance. You pay the full bill out of pocket or Medisave.
Good to know
This could use up to 342% of your average Medisave balance ($31,000)
Beyond the hospital bill
These costs are just the hospital stay
After discharge, expect ongoing costs that for many patients exceed the initial bill.
Postnatal or post-op careSpecialist reviewsOngoing medicationUltrasound follow-upsCounselling
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
Plan your maternity costs
Delivery packages vary enormously between hospitals. Compare fees and check what your insurance covers.
2
Use your Baby Bonus
MediSave grants and the Baby Bonus scheme offset a significant portion of maternity and early childhood medical costs.
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.