Medical Tourism in Singapore: A Structure-Conduct-Performance Analysis

This study presents a structure-conduct-performance analysis of the 17 Singaporean hospitals that are engaged in the medical tourism industry. Using data from hospital Websites, Singapore's Ministry of Health and the Singapore Department of Statistics, it argues that barriers to entry give it the structure of an oligopolistic industry. However, because the industry is dominated by two publicly controlled hospital groups, the conduct and performance of the industry differ from those of the classical oligopoly model. The presence of two types of consumers, Western and Southeast Asian, also distinguishes this industry from the classical model. In the end, Singapore's medical tourism hospitals appear to perform well in serving their international and domestic clients.