No, work permit holders are not allowed to buy hospital plans in Singapore. This is because hospital plans, also known as Integrated Shield Plans (IPs), are only available to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.
Work permit holders can buy hospitalization insurance provided by the schemes set up with employers like foreign domestic workers, construction workers and foreign employees in the marine or offshore industries. However these are only known as group insurance policies, and are not the same as IPs.
If you are a work permit holder and are looking for medical coverage, you may want to check out exemptions provided by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for Employers’ Work Injury Compensation Insurance (EMC).
Another option is a personal medical policy, which allows you to have access to private hospitals in Singapore with the insurance company covering costs that hospital fees do not cover, like surgeons fees and nursing services fees.
In summary, work permit holders cannot buy hospital plans in Singapore. However, there are group insurance policies, EMC exceptions and personal medical policies that you can consider instead.
