SINGAPORE residents will be allowed to use Medisave for hospitalisation and day surgeries at two hospitals in Malaysia from March 1 onwards.

This was announced by Health Management International (HMI), a regional healthcare provider, on Wednesday.

Residents are allowed to use this scheme at two healthcare providers under HMI - Regency Specialist Hospital in Johor and Mahkota Medical Centre in Malacca. Both hospitals will undergo regular audits by MOH and the CPF Board.

According to the press release issued by HMI, both Regency and Mahkota hospitals have facilities and medical equipment that are comparable to Singapore hospitals. They use medical and diagnostic equipment from the same global brands as their counterparts here, as well as obtain pharmaceutical drugs from the same international suppliers.

Regency, which was officially launched last November, also has 15 Singapore-based specialists credentialed to treat patients on both sides of the causeway.

"This arrangement enables Singapore residents to enjoy the advantages of being attended to by the best trained Singapore specialists at their clinics in Singapore, while enjoying the cost savings of treatment in Johor," said Dr Gan See Khem, Executive Chairman of HMI.

HMI has also set up a local Medisave-accredited referral centre at Balestier Clinic and Health Screening Centre to facilitate medical and financial counselling, as well as Medisave claims processing assistance to international patients seeking treatment at Regency and Mahkota.