Primary Care Plan for Work Permit and S Pass Holders

What the Primary Care Plan is

The Primary Care Plan, usually written PCP, is part of a wider Primary Healthcare System that MOM set up for migrant workers. It gives a worker a fixed package of outpatient care for one annual price paid by the employer, rather than leaving the employer exposed to individual bills. MOM frames the benefit in two ways: it supports public health surveillance so that outbreaks are picked up early and work is not disrupted, and it protects employers from unexpected healthcare bills.

Who must have one, and from when

The PCP is mandatory for Work Permit holders, excluding migrant domestic workers, and S Pass holders who meet either of these tests:

• They stay in dormitories that can accommodate seven or more workers, or
• They work in the Construction, Marine Shipyard or Process sectors, based on the business activity the employer has declared to MOM.

For every other Work Permit holder, other than a migrant domestic worker, and every other S Pass holder, the PCP is optional. MOM encourages employers to buy it anyway.

The obligation began on 1 April 2022. From that date employers of newly arrived eligible workers, and of existing workers renewing a pass or changing employer, had to buy the PCP before the pass could be issued. All eligible existing workers had to hold a valid PCP by 31 March 2023 even where their pass renewal fell later.

When in the hiring sequence to buy it

You must buy the PCP before the Work Permit or S Pass can be issued or renewed. MOM’s advice is to buy it as soon as you receive the in-principle approval letter or the renewal notice, rather than waiting until the point of issuance. Once bought, you make a declaration through the relevant eService: Work Permit Online for Work Permit holders, and the Employment Pass eService for S Pass holders. The purchase and the declaration are two separate steps and both are needed.

Buying a PCP, and from whom

You cannot buy a PCP from any insurer or clinic you like. MOM appoints Anchor Operators, each of which manages a geographical zone, and you buy from the Anchor Operator for the zone where your worker lives. The zone is determined by the first two digits of the worker’s residential postal code.

Table 1. Zones, Anchor Operators and prices, current as at 15 September 2026

Zone	Postal code prefix	Anchor Operator	Price per worker per year
A	01-10, 15-25, 28-37, 40-41, 57	HMI Medical	S$138, or S$118 for workers going through an Onboard centre
B	38-39, 42-55, 81-82	SATA CommHealth	S$108, or S$88
C	56, 74-80	SATA CommHealth	S$136, or S$116
D	69-73	SATA CommHealth	S$119, or S$99
E	62-63	Fullerton Healthcare Group	S$138, or S$108
F	11-14, 26-27, 58-61, 64-68	St Andrew’s Mission Hospital	S$108, or S$84

Prices may be paid by monthly instalments through GIRO. The lower figure in each row applies where the worker goes through an Onboard centre, because the statutory medical examination is then covered by the Onboard centre fee instead of the PCP price. Otherwise the medical examination is covered by the PCP price and paid upfront, with the balance in monthly instalments. A worker who lives overseas and commutes daily into Singapore can be enrolled either in the zone where they work or in the zone where it is easiest for them to seek medical attention.

What the plan covers

MOM publishes the scope of services. The PCP covers:

• The statutory medical examination for work pass application and renewal, where required.
• Unlimited consultations for acute conditions such as flu and fever, and for chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
• One annual basic health screening.
• Telemedicine and medication delivery within the zone where the PCP was bought.
• Two-way scheduled transport between dormitories and medical centres for migrant workers, for workers reporting sick, excluding specialist appointments.
• Ambulance or special transport to other medical facilities, for example an emergency department, where necessary.

Table 2. What the worker pays at the point of care

Service	Worker co-payment
Visit to a medical centre or clinic for treatment	S$5 excluding GST per visit
Telemedicine consultation, available 24 hours	S$2 excluding GST per session

For workers who are not covered by a PCP, the co-payment for an outpatient visit is capped by law at 1 per cent of the worker’s fixed monthly salary, or S$5, whichever is higher, and must be agreed through the employment contract or a collective agreement.

The PCP and medical insurance are two different duties

This is the point employers most often get wrong. MOM states it plainly: the PCP does not replace the mandatory medical insurance requirement for inpatient care and day surgery. The PCP covers outpatient primary healthcare only, and will not cover hospitalisation or the fees associated with it.

Table 3. Two separate obligations

	Primary Care Plan	Medical insurance
What it covers	Outpatient primary care, statutory medical examination, screening, telemedicine, transport	Inpatient care and day surgery, including bills for conditions that are not work-related
Who must have it	Work Permit and S Pass holders in dormitories of 7 or more, or in CMP sectors	Every Work Permit holder and every S Pass holder
Minimum level	Fixed scope of services set by MOM	At least S$60,000 per year per pass holder
Bought from	MOM’s appointed Anchor Operator for the worker’s zone	Any insurer offering a compliant plan
When	Before the pass is issued or renewed	Before the pass is issued or renewed, with details submitted online

On the insurance side, MOM enhanced the minimum requirement in two stages. From 1 July 2023 the annual claim limit rose to at least S$60,000, with a co-payment of 75 per cent by insurers and 25 per cent by employers for claim amounts above S$15,000. From 1 July 2025 came standardised allowable exclusion clauses, age-differentiated premiums across two bands, being 50 and below and above 50, and direct payment by insurers to hospitals once a claim is admitted. Where a plan has sub-limits, each sub-limit must meet the minimum annual claim limit.

The cost cannot be passed on to the worker. A co-payment arrangement on medical bills is permitted only where the amount is reasonable and does not exceed 10 per cent of the worker’s fixed monthly salary, the co-payment period does not exceed six months for every two years of employment, and the arrangement is explicitly in the employment contract or collective agreement with the worker’s full consent.

Renewal, address changes and termination

A PCP is valid for 12 months. On expiry it renews automatically for another 12 months unless the employer terminates it. That automatic renewal is convenient while the worker is with you and a trap when they are not. When a worker moves, the zone may change with them, and you should tell the Anchor Operator, because the plan is tied to where the worker lives.

Termination is the part that catches employers out at the end of an engagement. MOM is explicit on the Work Permit cancellation page: if you have bought a PCP, you must terminate it separately by contacting the Anchor Operator directly. It is not terminated automatically when the pass is cancelled, and cancelling the pass while forgetting the plan leaves the GIRO instruction running.

There is no pro-rated refund for the month of termination, and the worker keeps access to services from the Anchor Operator until the end of that month. No further monthly payments fall due after the termination notice takes effect. Refund applications go to the Anchor Operator, not to MOM.

What happens if you do not buy one

MOM’s published consequence is administrative rather than a fine. An employer who fails to buy the PCP, or to pay for it, within 30 days of the date on MOM’s reminder letter commits an infringement under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. MOM then issues a letter debarring the employer from applying for new work passes, and the block on submitting new applications is lifted once the plan is bought or paid for.

MOM does not publish a fixed fine amount for PCP non-compliance on its PCP pages, and we will not state one. The practical cost is that hiring stops. For a construction or process firm mid-project, a debarment from new work pass applications is a serious operational problem, and it starts from a plan that costs a little over a hundred dollars a year per worker. The GIRO instalment arrangement makes payment easy to automate, and the reminder letter is the last warning rather than the first.

What changes on 1 April 2027

MOM announced on 6 August 2026 that it has appointed four Anchor Operators to deliver an enhanced PCP for five years from 1 April 2027. The six current zones consolidate into four.

Table 4. Anchor Operators from 1 April 2027

Zone	Anchor Operator
North	SATA CommHealth
South	St Andrew’s Mission Hospital
East	Healthway Medical Group
West	Fullerton Health

Annual capitation rates will range from S$97 to S$113 per worker per year, against the current S$108 to S$138, and MOM says almost all employers will pay the same or less. Co-payments for clinic consultations and telemedicine will be standardised at S$5 per consultation. Most workers should have a PCP clinic within 2 kilometres of where they live, against 3 kilometres today. A PCP Enrolment Portal arrives at the same time, giving employers one platform for enrolment and a dashboard tracking each worker’s status across zones and operators.

Nothing in the announcement changes who must have a PCP or the relationship between the PCP and medical insurance.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Primary Care Plan compulsory for every Work Permit holder?

No. It is compulsory for Work Permit holders, excluding migrant domestic workers, and S Pass holders who live in dormitories accommodating seven or more workers or who work in the Construction, Marine Shipyard or Process sectors. For everyone else it is optional and encouraged.

Do I need a PCP for a migrant domestic worker?

No. Migrant domestic workers are excluded from the PCP requirement.

How much does a Primary Care Plan cost?

Between S$108 and S$138 per worker per year at present, depending on the zone and the Anchor Operator, payable by monthly GIRO instalments. From 1 April 2027 the range becomes S$97 to S$113.

Does the PCP replace the medical insurance I have to buy?

No. MOM states that the PCP does not replace the mandatory medical insurance for inpatient care and day surgery. You need both. Medical insurance must provide at least S$60,000 of annual coverage per pass holder.

Can I pass the cost of the PCP or the medical insurance to my worker?

The cost of medical insurance cannot be passed on to workers. Workers make a fixed co-payment at the point of care under the PCP, currently S$5 per clinic visit and S$2 per telemedicine session, both excluding GST.

What happens to the PCP when I cancel the work pass?

Nothing, unless you act. You must terminate the PCP separately by contacting the Anchor Operator. There is no refund for the month of termination, and the worker keeps access to services until the end of that month.

Can I choose my own clinic or insurer for the PCP?

No. You must buy from the Anchor Operator appointed for the zone where the worker lives. Having an onsite doctor at the workplace does not remove the requirement.

What happens if I do not buy a PCP?

Failing to buy or pay within 30 days of MOM’s reminder letter is an infringement under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, and MOM debars the employer from applying for new work passes until the position is corrected.

Does the PCP renew automatically?

Yes. It is valid for 12 months and renews automatically for a further 12 months unless the employer terminates it.

How we can help

Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd is an employment agency licensed by the Ministry of Manpower, EA Licence 19C9790. We prepare and file Work Permit and S Pass applications for Singapore employers and manage renewals and cancellations.

We keep the sequence straight, which is where most of the avoidable cost sits. The PCP has to be bought and declared before issuance or renewal, the medical insurance details submitted by the same point, and on cancellation the plan terminated with the Anchor Operator separately from the pass. We track those steps case by case so that nothing is left running after an employee leaves and nothing blocks an issuance on the day. Our wider compliance calendar is in our employer compliance guide.

We do not sell insurance and we receive no commission from any Anchor Operator or insurer. The choice of medical insurance plan stays with you. Where you need payroll, CPF or accounting support around these costs, we refer you to Raffles Corporate Services under a separate engagement.

Talk to our team about Work Permit and S Pass compliance.

Official sources

• MOM: Primary Care Plan (PCP)
• MOM: What is the Primary Care Plan
• MOM: Buying a PCP from Anchor Operators
• MOM: Getting primary care services under the PCP
• MOM: Medical insurance requirements for migrant workers
• MOM: S Pass medical insurance requirements
• MOM: Cancel a Work Permit, including PCP termination
• MOM press release: Mandatory Primary Care Plan, 19 February 2022
• MOM press release: Enhanced Primary Care Plan and new Anchor Operators, 6 August 2026

Figures checked against MOM guidance on 15 September 2026. Prices and Anchor Operator assignments are set by MOM and change from time to time. This page is general information and not legal advice. See our legal and referral information.