My Emergency Department Visit

At SKH Emergency Department, we prioritise care based on medical urgency, not arrival time. After registration, every patient will be assessed at triage so that those in critical condition receive immediate attention. For non-emergency issues or minor ailments, longer wait times may be expected.

Visitor Information for ED

For ED

Patients may be accompanied by ONE (1) person who will wait at a dedicated Next-of-Kin area.

For EDTU*

Visiting hours are 8.00am to 9.00pm daily, including public holidays.

Only 2 visitors are allowed at patient's bedside at any one time during visiting hours.
All visitors/caregivers must wear a mask. Please bring your own mask.
Children below 12 years old are not allowed to visit, except under exceptional circumstances with an indemnity form signed by their parent or guardian.

*Emergency Diagnostic and Therapeutic Unit

Click here to read our full visitor guidelines, including information on PMAs.

Patient Journey

Registration

Please bring along the following for your ED visit.

Your identification document (e.g. NRIC or Digital IC, Birth Certificate, Work Permit, Foreign Pass or Passport)
Referral letter (if applicable)

Patients with travel history and symptoms of prevailing infectious diseases will be brought to the isolation area.

To improve the patient experience for walk-in patients, ambulance and trauma cases are received through a separate dedicated entrance. This helps maintain a calmer environment and smoother flow within the ED.

Your Emergency Department Attendance Fee (S$171*) covers:

Doctor's consultation, nursing care & treatment
Basic investigation (e.g. urine test, blood sugar test, ECG)
Basic treatment (e.g. plaster cast, simple suturing & wound dressing)
Standard medication (maximum one week's supply upon discharge)

Attendance fee excludes specialised investigation/diagnostic services (e.g. laboratory tests, MRI, CT scans), non-standard medications, and medications exceeding one week's supply upon discharge.

Note:

Fees effective from 1 October 2025 and are subjected to change without notice.
COVID-19 tests (ART and PCR) are not part of Emergency Department Attendance Fee and will be charged separately.
Medisave is not claimable for ED bill. For more information on using Medisave for outpatient treatments, visit here.

SKH reserves the right to offset any credit balance against other outstanding bill(s) before processing a refund.

Triage

After registration, we will assess the severity of your condition. Patients with critical or life-threatening conditions will be prioritised. If your condition is non-emergency, a longer waiting time may be expected.

At Triage, our staff will take a brief history of your condition and record your vital signs before directing you to the appropriate area to wait for consultation and treatment.

Please note: A triage fee of $57 would be charged, should you decide not to see the doctor after triage.

Consultation & Treatment

Please note that queue numbers may not be called in sequence. A doctor will examine you and depending on your condition, may order X-ray, laboratory tests, or place you under observation at the ED.

Next Steps

Depending on your condition, you may be:

Admitted: If further investigations or treatment is needed, you will remain in our ED until a ward bed is available.
Hospital care at home: Suitable patients may be offered SKH@Home, an alternative to inpatient admission that allows you to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of home.
Discharged: Please collect medication (if any) at the pharmacy, make payment and return the Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) tag before leaving. Patients may be referred to our Specialist Outpatient Clinics, General Practitioner or Polyclinic for follow-up on their medical conditions.

The RTLS wrist tag helps us manage your care during your ED visit. Do remember to return your wrist tag before leaving as a charge of $120 will apply if it is not returned.

FAQs

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We understand that you are worried about your loved one.

If your loved one is independent and communicative, we do not encourage you to visit or wait in the ED. This is to avoid any exposure of unnecessary risk and overcrowding. Please kindly wait at home while maintaining contact with the patient via his/her mobile phone.

If necessary, one accompanying next-of-kin (NOK) is permitted in our ED, except for patients in the isolation area.

Patients will be updated on their condition after their assessment. You may call the patient directly via his/her mobile phone to get an update.

We seek your understanding that our medical team is focusing on delivering care and treatment to patients and will only update the patient’s registered point of contact (POC) should there be any change in the patient’s condition.

Yes, items such as phone, charger and power bank, may be passed to the patient at their bedside or handed to staff at the ED counter.

For patients in the isolation area, please pass items to the staff at the ED counter.

Yes. If the patient has special needs, please inform our nurses at the Emergency Department adn they will ensure the necessary care is provided to the patient.

If necessary, one accompanying next-of-kin (NOK) is permitted in our Emergency Department, except for patients in the isolation area.

Patients in the observation area can request for light refreshments and hot beverages if they are not on any eating or drinking restrictions.

For patients waiting for admission, meals are provided at the following times. Outside of these hours light refreshments and hot beverages are available on request:

Breakfast: 7.45am – 9am

Lunch: 11.45am – 1pm

Dinner: 5.45pm – 7pm

Once the patient has been transferred to the ward, we will SMS the patient’s Point of Contact (POC) the ward, room and bed details. You may wish to return home while waiting for the SMS. In the meantime, the POC may be contacted for financial counselling regarding the patient’s choice of ward type and charges.

For more information, please refer to our admission guide.

If the patient is discharged from the ED, the medical team will prepare the discharge documents and plans for follow-up care.

If the patient is discharged from the Emergency Diagnostic & Therapeutic Unit (EDTU), our nurse will call the POC to inform of the patient’s pending discharge where necessary.

Your bills are available digitally on HealthHub.

How to view your e-bill

Find useful resources to support your recovery at home.

Post-Discharge Patient Resources

Prohibited items in ED