Living with Type 1 Diabetes in Singapore

Jemzor · Post by **Jemzor** » Thu, 16 Nov 2017 7:45 pm

I am currently self-employed in the UK and am considering closing the business down and taking on permanent employment in Singapore. I am trying to find out a little more about what living with diabetes there will mean.

In the UK all my medication is free through government subsidy. I am aware in Singapore that all medication and consultations have to be paid for personally as medical cover for local companies are generally quite poor and expat packages have become more and more rare. I was wondering whether anyone here has lived/lives in Singapore and can tell me about their experience with diabetes and in particular the ease of of obtaining medication and cost.

Thank you!

BBCDoc · Post by **BBCDoc** » Thu, 16 Nov 2017 7:50 pm

Your bigger issue is how to move to Singapore in the first place for permanent employment. Do you have a job offer already? Or some connection to bring you over?

For diabetes, everything comes at a cost to foreigners. Get a job with high enough salary and you will be fine.

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Jemzor · Post by **Jemzor** » Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:14 pm

I am aware that it starts with securing employment. But before committing to the process I need to understand it is feasible and would also like to understand first hand what experience people have had in going through the process previously.

biv · Post by **biv** » Tue, 16 Jun 2020 10:18 am

Hi,

I was wondering if you managed to move to Singapore with Type 1 diabetes. I am also currently in UK, but in the process of moving to Singapore (pending job offer), which is likely. However, my wife is Type 1 diabetes and I need to make sure that she is covered. If you have any update, I'd appreciate your response or any tips regarding, which insurance to go with and how much it usually costs annually.

Thanks!

TropicalExpat · Post by **TropicalExpat** » Thu, 18 Jun 2020 8:05 pm

I would say, look for a job first, and during the interview process you can find out what the medical cover is.
In some cases, companies are generous and basically cover everything including pre-existing. In others, they provide the very bare minimum.

Good luck with the job search!

PNGMK · Post by **PNGMK** » Fri, 19 Jun 2020 9:29 am

Medication and doctors visit are not overly expensive here so even if there is no coverage you can probably manage the costs. Once the MY border reopens you can buy medication much cheaper in JB as well (Metformin etc all available over the counter with no script needed).

jbell · Post by **jbell** » Sun, 26 Jul 2020 12:26 am

Hi, I’m type 1 and have been here since September. I’m on MDI and libre. We were lucky as we managed to stockpile a lot of insulin before we came. Singapore is very futuristic in some ways but not in terms of diabetes! (There’s too few of us). So I can’t get Tresiba here, though I can in Thailand and Malaysia. And there seem to be about 5 pumps available (no omnipod). My doctor told me she can order insulin in from overseas- due to Covid she advises we do it 4 months before I need the insulin.
My plan originally was to buy insulin in Malaysia or Thailand but with the current situation, I don’t know how feasible that is. It costs me $200 to see a diabetic consultant and a libre is $92, so very similar to the uk. Abbott are here so do replacements if they fall off easily. I’ve put on sone weight due to all the hypos I was having when I first arrived

that’s my excuse, anyway.

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jbell · Post by **jbell** » Sun, 26 Jul 2020 12:27 am

I should add, there’s a very helpful Facebook group called typeone.sg

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TropicalExpat · Post by **TropicalExpat** » Thu, 30 Jul 2020 1:45 pm

jbell wrote: ↑
Sun, 26 Jul 2020 12:26 am
Hi, I’m type 1 and have been here since September. I’m on MDI and libre. We were lucky as we managed to stockpile a lot of insulin before we came. Singapore is very futuristic in some ways but not in terms of diabetes! (There’s too few of us). So I can’t get Tresiba here, though I can in Thailand and Malaysia. And there seem to be about 5 pumps available (no omnipod). My doctor told me she can order insulin in from overseas- due to Covid she advises we do it 4 months before I need the insulin.
My plan originally was to buy insulin in Malaysia or Thailand but with the current situation, I don’t know how feasible that is. It costs me $200 to see a diabetic consultant and a libre is $92, so very similar to the uk. Abbott are here so do replacements if they fall off easily. I’ve put on sone weight due to all the hypos I was having when I first arrived that’s my excuse, anyway.

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How many doctors have you consulted on availability of Tresiba?
I only ask this because you say you can't get it here. This doesn't mean that it's available but according to the Health Science Authority, it's approved for use, so maybe the doctor is not familiar with it? https://www.hsa.gov.sg/announcements/ne ... --may-2019
Another possibility to see if there are any insurance plans that will help cover this - maybe you work covers this in some way?

jbell · Post by **jbell** » Wed, 05 Aug 2020 9:21 pm

The company that make it don’t offer it here (it’s not licensed here is maybe the term?) but a doctor can order it in for me.

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BBCDoc · Post by **BBCDoc** » Tue, 11 Aug 2020 6:15 am

The drug may not be regulatory approved, but it can be procured by the clinician for compassionate use - if existing on market solutions are not effective for the specific patient.

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