Prescription medications can either be purchased through doctors or at one of the many pharmacies available in Singapore. Many medications require prescriptions, though off the shelf medicines are available at pharmacies and convenience stores.
Prescription medications to be filled at pharmacies are called in to specific locations. Thus, even for the larger chains, you must select the pharmacy you wish to use specifically as they are not linked by shared computer systems.
Typical opening hours for pharmacies are from 10am – 9pm. There are no stand-alone 24 hr pharmacies in Singapore. The only 24 hours options are the hospital pharmacies at KK Hospital, National University Hospital, and Mount Alvernia Hospital.
People usually do not consult pharmacists in Singapore. Questions about sicknesses are directed to doctors, but pharmacists can offer good advice and information about a doctor’s prescriptions or about simple ailments.
Prescriptions from overseas doctors are not valid for use in Singapore. Pharmacies require a prescription from a locally registered medical doctor. The patient should bring along overseas prescriptions when visiting a local doctor to secure the necessary prescription. If the specific brand of drug is not available in Singapore, the doctor may be able to switch to a therapeutically equivalent drug.
- Guardian South East Asia: The largest chain of pharmacies island wide found in nearly every shopping center, Tel: 6337 2766.
- P & L Pharmacy: Pharmacy and drugstore for prescriptions and over the counter medicine. 19 Tanglin Road, #01-40 Tanglin Shopping Centre, Tel: 6235 0915.
- Pharma Plus: In addition to core pharmaceutical products, they also stock a range of vitamin supplements and organically certified health and cosmetic products. Camden Medical Centre, 1, Orchard Blvd, #01-04, Tel: 6887 3456.
