We have the info on the pharmacies in Singapore, what to do with a doctors prescription & where to get over the counter medicines.
3 February 2014
| Last updated on 28 June 2017
The hospitals in Singapore dispense prescription medication to both outpatients and retail customers. All public hospitals and a few private hospitals have a pharmacy attached, as do most pulic and private run polyclinics and clinics.
Many pharmacies are not open after hours so if you are looking for a pharmacy after hours it is easiest to go to a 24hr clinic with an attached pharmacy. The Ministry of Health website has a pharmacy search. Click Here to find a pharmacy sorted by area
Some pharmaceuticals are available at shops and department stores, so if it is mild medication that you are looking for it is better to visit one of these stores, as they are open much later then the pharmacies.
Most medicines are only available with a prescription and seeing a doctor is relatively inexpensive in Singapore, hence most people do not self medicate. There are very few medications that you can get over the counter, even the ones that are allowed over the counter often require a conversation with the pharmacist who can judge your symptoms.
Medications to treat regular symptoms including cough medicine, pain killers and fever medications as well as anti nausea and anti diaharrea medications can be purchased over the counter without a prescription. Medicines such as anti-biotics, heavy pain killers and anxiety medications are strictly prescription medications.
Prescription medication filled by overseas doctors cannot filled by Singaporean pharmacies. The pharmacies require a prescription from a registered locally based medical doctor. If the specific brand of prescribed medication is not available in Singapore, the doctor can prescribe a therapeutically equivalent drug.
