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Singapore General Hospital has apologised for the confusion after a patient claimed that he was charged nearly $100 for a box of medication at the Government hospital when the same medication costs about $30 elsewhere.

Facebook user Ah Soon, who underwent surgery to remove kidney stones at SGH, claimed that the hospital prescribed that he buy four boxes of Citravescent sachets and that SGH charged him $99.08 for each box of Citravescent.

The patient was, however, shocked to find that he could buy the same product for a much lower cost at pharmacies and online. Indeed, 1 box of 28 sachets of Citravescent is sold for $36.90 at Guardian pharmacies, $30.90 at RedMart and $30.80 at PharMed Heathcare.

The Independent wrote to SGH to find out whether the Government hospital really does sell a box of 28 Citravescent sachets for nearly $100. In the hospital’s reply to us, a spokesperson clarified that the cost of four boxes is $99.08.

Explaining that the printing label on each box reflected the total price of $99.08 four boxes, SGH apologised for the confusion:

“We would like to clarify that the unit sales price for Citravescent Effervescent Granules (4mg x 28 sachets) is $24.77 per box.  The patient was prescribed four boxes; hence the total cost is $99.08.  The printed label on each box showed the total cost for four boxes which gave the wrong impression that each box cost $99.08.  We apologise for the confusion.”

Read Ah Soon’s full story here:

https://theindependent.sg.sg/patient-claims-sgh-charged-him-nearly-100-for-medication-that-is-sold-for-30-at-local-pharmacies/