Pass for Newborn baby

[krkap]

Hi,

Firstly, thanks for reading my topic.
I got married this year. Me and my wife are holding S pass and we are in Singapore since 2010.
My pay is 3600$/month (Including allowance) and my wife pay is 2200$/month (Working in school as contract staff). We are planning for a baby, but I doubt whether the infant can stay with us in Singapore??
Is it possible for us to apply any pass for the newborn??

Please let me know your thoughts.

[okonu]

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... for-family

Doesn't look like you can get a DP unless you are on an EP, not an S Pass

[BBCWatcher]

That's the wrong link. DPs are available, in principle, for children of S Pass holders as well. See here for more information.

The major impediment is the $5,000 minimum fixed monthly salary requirement. Unfortunately it's not possible to pool incomes to qualify. Also, the employer has to agree to sponsor the DP. Some employers refuse to do so.

You can still start a family and have a baby in Singapore if you wish, and your newborn can stay in Singapore for up to six weeks (or longer with special approval). Of course you'll need to make sure you get a passport for your new baby. It can be expensive to deliver in Singapore, although the quality of care is generally excellent.

Some families in this situation go ahead and start a family, but they give notice to their employers when the time comes and then leave Singapore. Other families have one spouse continuing to work in Singapore while the other spouse cares for the new baby outside Singapore. And some other families send only the baby to another country, in the care of a close family member (such as the baby's grandparent). All of these options have pros and cons, of course.

[ecureilx]

That's the wrong link. DPs are available, in principle, for children of S Pass holders as well. See here for more information.

The major impediment is the $5,000 minimum fixed monthly salary requirement. Unfortunately it's not possible to pool incomes to qualify. Also, the employer has to agree to sponsor the DP. Some employers refuse to do so..

Of late, quite a few employers are refusing to sponsor DP. Not sure what's going on .

[x9200]

It can be expensive to deliver in Singapore, although the quality of care is generally excellent.

OP, just in case you consider, the opinion of BBCWatcher on the quality is just his opinion and from some other people experience who actually delivered in Singapore this quality could be far from excellent even in the top private hospitals.

[BBCWatcher]

OP, just in case you consider, the opinion of BBCWatcher on the quality is just his opinion....

No, that's not correct. There are reasonable statistical measurements of the quality of maternal and neonatal care. The infant mortality rate is one extremely important measurement. As it happens, Singapore is currently tied for the fourth lowest infant mortality rate in the world. Only Japan, Iceland, and Monaco statistically beat Singapore on that score.

"Generally excellent" is a factually correct characterization, supported with ample statistical evidence, of the standard of maternal and neonatal medical care in Singapore. It's not only an opinion.

Taking a look at other countries in the region, the infant mortality rate is nearly 17 times higher in India, nearly 4 times higher in Thailand, and over 5 times higher in Malaysia, as examples. Also it's fair to point out that KK Hospital in Singapore has the largest, highest level (most advanced) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Southeast Asia. You'd have to go as far as Japan to find anything of similar calibre.

[okonu]

If it anything like HK - the public hospitals had amazing obstretics/ neo-natal care. However, some expats preferred the '5 star hotel' atmosphere and customer service of the private hospitals. If there is a serious problem though - you get transferred to public hospital who have the specialists & equipment. But a public hospital could be some way removed (in terms of customer service & non medical facilities) of what some people want from childbirth experience.

Depends on what you define as quality...

[BBCWatcher]

Agreed. Most parents rank the health and well being of mother and baby as their top priority, so statistical measurements like infant mortality rates are quite important.

After that, in priority order, many other factors matter, too.

For what it's worth, I think a lot of people compare B2 or lower public hospital wards with private hospital private wards. That's not a fair comparison, obviously. The public hospitals can provide excellent "high end" comfort services (like NUH's water birth, for example), but they're not free. And if you want some really fancy food then that's what husbands (on leave) are for.

[x9200]

OP, just in case you consider, the opinion of BBCWatcher on the quality is just his opinion....

No, that's not correct. There are reasonable statistical measurements of the quality of maternal and neonatal care. The infant mortality rate is one extremely important measurement. As it happens, Singapore is currently tied for the fourth lowest infant mortality rate in the world. Only Japan, Iceland, and Monaco statistically beat Singapore on that score.

"Generally excellent" is a factually correct characterization, supported with ample statistical evidence, of the standard of maternal and neonatal medical care in Singapore. It's not only an opinion.

Taking a look at other countries in the region, the infant mortality rate is nearly 17 times higher in India, nearly 4 times higher in Thailand, and over 5 times higher in Malaysia, as examples. Also it's fair to point out that KK Hospital in Singapore has the largest, highest level (most advanced) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Southeast Asia. You'd have to go as far as Japan to find anything of similar calibre.

Mortality rate is one of many factors contributing to the quality of the services and thus the standard. If you generalise based on a single factor you prove nothing. Please quote this ample of statistic data reflecting all the relevant areas or at least the most significant areas.

What you do is a manipulation. It is like you would say the quality of driving in Singapore is excellent because the No of road fatalities per capita is one of the lowest in the word (what is true). Unfortunately, it is enough to spend an hour in the local traffic to see this excellency.

Lastly, what you describing at the bottom part of your post is the quality/capability of the infrastructure. This alone again, is only one factor contributing to the "standard" and as such can not support your categorical claim.

[ecureilx]

Can't comment on the rest but ...

Also it's fair to point out that KK Hospital in Singapore has the largest, highest level (most advanced) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Southeast Asia..

Having SE Asia's best NICU hasn't necessarily translated into excellent care - I will leave it at that.

[BBCWatcher]

We're going to have a very boring, tedious, dysfunctional, poorly trafficked forum if there are evidence-free objections to describing Singapore's pregnancy-related medical care as what it is: "generally excellent."

[x9200]

It's a very primitive move to push the responsibility of proving your claims to your opponents. Perhaps you could visit a local primary school to enjoy this sort of rhetorics? You made a baseless claim you miserably failed to support with adequate and sufficient evidence. You used the categorical statements. I said, "from some other people experience". Can you comprehend the difference?
Let me give you an advice. It used to be given in situations like this on this forum: you found yourself in a hole? Stop digging. Your failure is obvious to everybody with a tidbit of common sense and I bet this hurts. Also, don't make categorical statements if you can not prove them.

[BBCWatcher]

It's a very primitive move to push the responsibility of proving your claims to your opponents.

Wait a minute. Upthread I provided a link to an authoritative source for infant mortality statistics. Do you have any serious, fact-based argument challenging the characterization of Singapore's pregnancy-related medical care as "generally excellent" or not? If you're going to challenge a widely acknowledged, documented fact, then you'd better provide some evidence.

But OK, here's some more evidence....

GOV.UK: "Healthcare in Singapore is of a high quality...."
U.S. State Department: "Good medical care is widely available in Singapore."
World Health Organization (2000 report on medical systems): "Singapore is ranked 6th [in the world], the only Asian country apart from Japan in the top 10 countries."

Good grief, this is ridiculous. The earth is also not flat, by the way.

[x9200]

Do you understand that the mortality is only one factor? Do you know what is delivery? Do you realize how many things, besides the mortality will affect the standard's level? If you don't and you clearly don't you should not give any advices on this forum and anywhere else because you can not comprehend something really basic.

Do you really think the driving standards in Singapore are excellent? I am asking this, because this is something relatively easy to understand. Following your logic, the driving standards in Singapore are excellent. This is such a nice analogy. Good infrastructure, good cars, low fatality, and in India they drive worse. Yes, it must be excellent.

And now you throwing in some general data (opinions based on selected criteria) without direct relevance to the discussed area. This is exactly like with the local education that is engineered to rank high. How it is in practice, you BBCW would never know because all your knowledge is purely theoretical with no practical component and clearly you can not contextualize. BBCW.google.gov.sg.

I will repeat my request, please provide the ample of evidence you mentioned concerning the quality of delivery related services. If this is so obvious and widely acknowledge why it is so difficult for you to provide such evidence? Would you have similar trouble proving the Earth is not flat (or flat, not sure about your beliefs)?

[BBCWatcher]

Do you understand that the mortality is only one factor?

Yes, at least a slightly important one! My goodness!

What other country/countries are you recommending that Krkap and his wife choose for "generally excellent" (or better) quality of pregnancy-related care?