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Piles surgery in Singapore

Not every case of piles ends in piles surgery.

A haemorrhoidectomy, commonly referred to as piles surgery, is a procedure used to address haemorrhoids, swollen veins in the rectum or anus that often cause discomfort, pain and bleeding. By removing the affected veins, it aims to alleviate symptoms and prevent potential complications.

FRCSEd (General Surgery)Day surgery, MediSave-claimableFive clinics in Singapore

In short

Three

Ways it is done

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty, stapled haemorrhoidopexy and conventional haemorrhoidectomy, chosen on the severity of the condition and individual patient requirements.

Day surgery

How it is done

All three procedures are performed under anaesthesia as day surgery, and all three are MediSave-claimable.

4 to 5

Out of 10, the first week

Post-haemorrhoidectomy pain is real. It settles to 2 to 3 out of 10 by the second week, then 1 to 2 mainly during bowel movements.

2 to 4

Weeks to full recovery

Light activities such as walking usually resume within a few days to a week. Full recovery takes 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the technique used.

His story

Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof

Senior Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon, seeing patients at five clinics in Singapore.

  • MBChB (Sheffield), M.Med (Surgery), FRCSEd (General Surgery)
  • Consults in English and Malay
  • MOH Fellowship, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
  • Singapore Health Quality Service Star Award 2023
  • Dean's Honour Roll for Teaching

What to expect, in short

What to expect, in short

Three

Ways piles surgery is done

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty, stapled haemorrhoidopexy and conventional haemorrhoidectomy. Which one is used depends on the severity of the condition and on individual patient requirements, and that assessment is what the consultation is for.

Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice

up to $1,950

What MediSave can cover for day-surgery haemorrhoid surgery

That is up to $1,120 from MediSave for the operation itself, $1,390 where the procedure is a stapled one, plus up to a further $830 a day towards day-surgery charges. Integrated Shield Plans commonly cover the rest of a day-surgery admission, subject to your own deductible and co-insurance, and what you can draw from MediSave is also limited by your own balance. MOH publishes what patients were actually billed before any of that is applied: for a day-surgery haemorrhoidectomy the median was $10,200, with the middle half of bills running $8,894 to $11,590, and stapled haemorrhoidopexy sits a little higher at $10,837. Section 10 breaks the same bill into the surgeon, the anaesthetist and the hospital, and shows the $3,812 spread between one private hospital and another.

Source: CPF Board (source: CPF Board, using MediSave for hospitalisation, opens in a new tab), MediSave withdrawal limits. Median bills: MOH transacted bill data, TOSP SF836A, private hospital day surgery, 1 January to 31 December 2023. Includes GST.

  1. Written fee estimate

    Required before the procedure

  2. Letter of Undertaking

    Itemised, from the surgical team

  3. Insurer confirms

    Pre-authorisation and deductible

  4. Final bill

    MediSave and insurance applied

4 to 5

Out of 10, pain in the first week

Post-haemorrhoidectomy pain is real, and it is described here rather than played down. It settles to 2 to 3 out of 10 by the second week and then to 1 to 2, mainly during bowel movements. Sphincteric spasm contributes significantly and catches most patients off guard, so being prepared for it makes a meaningful difference.

Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice

Pain after conventional haemorrhoidectomy

First week
4 to 5
Second week
2 to 3
After that
1 to 2

Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice

2 to 4

Weeks to full recovery

How long full recovery usually takes, depending on the surgical technique used. Strenuous activity and heavy lifting wait until the surgeon says otherwise. After laser haemorrhoidoplasty the wound typically heals within seven to ten days and most patients return to normal activity within a few days.

Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice

  1. Light activity

    Walking, within a few days to a week

  2. Full recovery

    Usually 2 to 4 weeks

  3. Follow-up

    An appointment within a few weeks

01

When surgery is considered

Surgery comes up when the symptoms stop answering to anything else.

This surgery is usually recommended for patients with severe haemorrhoids or when less invasive treatments have not provided sufficient relief. It may be recommended for individuals experiencing ongoing symptoms or specific issues with haemorrhoids.

Persistent rectal bleeding should always be assessed by a specialist before it is assumed to be haemorrhoid-related.

Pain and discomfort

Surgery may be needed when haemorrhoids cause significant discomfort that affects daily life and does not improve with other treatments.

Bleeding

Persistent or heavy bleeding from haemorrhoids that does not respond to conservative measures can be treated with haemorrhoidectomy.

Prolapsed haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids that extend outside the anus and are challenging to manage with non-surgical options may be removed surgically.

Recurring haemorrhoids

Frequent flare-ups that persist despite changes in diet or lifestyle may benefit from surgical removal.

Not responding to other treatment

Haemorrhoids that do not improve with medications, dietary adjustments, or less invasive procedures may require surgery.

Surgery is not the first thing tried. Rubber band ligation, dietary change and topical treatment come first, and for Grade 1 and Grade 2 haemorrhoids they are often enough.

Chart of the four grades of haemorrhoids. Each row pairs a cross-section diagram with a clinical photograph: grade one sits inside the anal canal, grade two prolapses with straining and retracts, grade three needs to be pushed back, and grade four remains permanently prolapsed.
The four grades of internal haemorrhoids. Grade 1 and Grade 2 usually respond to the non-surgical options; Grade 3 and Grade 4 are where surgery enters the conversation.

What haemorrhoids are, how they are graded, and the non-surgical options that come before an operation are on the haemorrhoids page. What blood in the stool can mean, and when it needs looking at urgently, is set out in this article on anal bleeding.

80 seconds, on why most haemorrhoids are benign
02

What it achieves

What the operation is meant to change.

For those with severe or recurring haemorrhoids, haemorrhoidectomy provides several benefits. By removing the affected veins, it aims to alleviate symptoms and prevent potential complications.

Relief from the daily discomfort

Surgery reduces the discomfort associated with haemorrhoids, allowing individuals to go about their day more comfortably.

Fewer complications

Removing haemorrhoids reduces the chance of complications such as anaemia from bleeding or infections linked to prolapsed haemorrhoids.

Easier bowel movements

Surgery can lessen the strain and discomfort during bowel movements, which can also help prevent further issues.

Less chance of it returning

Haemorrhoidectomy lowers the likelihood of future haemorrhoid episodes compared to non-surgical treatments.

03

The three procedures

Three procedures, and the presentation each one is built for.

There are several surgical approaches to treating haemorrhoids, chosen based on the severity of the condition and individual patient requirements. All procedures are performed under anaesthesia as day surgery and are MediSave-claimable.

Anatomical cross-section through the back passage. A ring of muscle surrounds the canal. Higher up, above a wavy line across the canal, sits a swollen cluster of veins shown in blue. Lower down, below that line and close to the skin, sits a second separate swollen cluster of veins.
Where the swelling sits decides the treatment. The lining above that line carries little sensation; the skin below it is far more sensitive.

7 to 10

Days for the laser wound to heal

The opening made to introduce the laser fibre is small, and it typically closes within seven to ten days. That is the practical difference laser haemorrhoidoplasty buys for the patient in the middle of the range: significantly less post-operative discomfort than conventional haemorrhoidectomy, and a return to normal activity within a few days.

Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty fills a specific clinical gap. It is the right option for patients whose haemorrhoids are too large or symptomatic for rubber band ligation, where ligation has failed or is unlikely to work, but who do not yet have the degree of prolapse that makes conventional surgery necessary.

A small opening is made to introduce the laser fibre into the haemorrhoidal tissue, which coagulates and shrinks it from within. This wound typically heals within seven to ten days. Post-operative discomfort is significantly less than conventional haemorrhoidectomy, and most patients return to normal activity within a few days.

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty is billed under the same MOH table code as conventional haemorrhoidectomy, TOSP SF836A.

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy uses a circular stapling device to reposition prolapsed haemorrhoid tissue back into the anal canal and reduce its blood supply, rather than removing it entirely. It is particularly suited for haemorrhoids with circumferential prolapse combined with significant Grade 3 prolapse.

The result is less post-operative pain and a faster recovery than conventional haemorrhoidectomy. Some studies report higher long-term recurrence rates compared to conventional haemorrhoidectomy, and that trade-off is worth discussing before you decide.

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy is billed under MOH table code TOSP SF837A.

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy is the most durable of the excisional options in the published trial evidence. It carries a lower long-term recurrence rate than stapled haemorrhoidopexy and than transanal dearterialisation, though against laser haemorrhoidoplasty the pooled recurrence rates are not significantly different. Where an energy sealing device such as LigaSure is used in place of conventional diathermy, the Cochrane review of twelve randomised trials found less pain on the first day after surgery and a return to work about five days earlier. It is the procedure recommended for Grade 3 to Grade 4 haemorrhoids, large or thrombosed external piles, and cases where other treatments have not provided lasting relief.

Most patients experience pain around 4 to 5 out of 10 in the first week, settling to 2 to 3 out of 10 by the second week. After that, most patients notice mild discomfort of 1 to 2 out of 10 mainly during bowel movements. A yellowish mucoid discharge for two to three weeks is normal as the wound heals.

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy is billed under MOH table code TOSP SF836A.

Under general anaesthesia the sphincter muscles relax completely, which allows an accurate assessment of the anatomy that is not possible in clinic. That assessment is what settles the final choice between stapled haemorrhoidopexy and conventional haemorrhoidectomy.

04

Preparing for surgery

Three things are settled before the day of the operation.

Preparation covers your general health, what you eat in the days beforehand, and which of your medications need to pause. Each one exists to reduce a specific risk on the day.

  1. Medical evaluation

    Blood tests, medication review, existing conditions

  2. Dietary advice

    A low-residue diet, then fasting from midnight

  3. Medication adjustments

    Blood thinners and anti-inflammatories paused

Medical evaluation

A thorough medical evaluation is conducted to assess the patient's overall health and suitability for the procedure. This may include blood tests, a review of current medications, and an assessment of any existing medical conditions. The evaluation helps identify and manage potential risks before surgery.

Dietary advice

Patients may be advised to follow a low-residue diet in the days before the procedure to minimise bowel movements. Fasting is typically required from midnight before the surgery to ensure the digestive system is clear, which reduces complications during the operation.

Medication adjustments

Certain medications, such as blood thinners or anti-inflammatory drugs, may need to be stopped temporarily before surgery to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding. Clear instructions will be provided on which medications to pause or continue to ensure patient safety.

05

Step by step

What actually happens, from anaesthetic to discharge.

The operation follows the same four stages whichever technique is used. It is day surgery, so the last of those stages ends with going home rather than with a ward.

  1. Anaesthesia

    General, or regional to numb the lower body

  2. Surgical technique

    Laser, stapled or conventional

  3. Closure

    Left open, or closed with dissolvable stitches

  4. Monitoring

    In recovery until stable for discharge

Anaesthesia administration

Anaesthesia is administered to ensure the patient remains comfortable and pain-free during the surgery. General anaesthesia may be used to induce sleep, or regional anaesthesia may numb the lower body. The choice depends on the patient's condition and the procedure being performed.

Surgical technique

The surgeon selects the most appropriate technique based on the severity and type of haemorrhoids. Options include laser haemorrhoidoplasty, stapled haemorrhoidopexy, or conventional haemorrhoidectomy, each designed to remove or shrink haemorrhoids effectively while minimising tissue damage.

Closure

After removing or reducing the haemorrhoids, the surgical site may be left open to heal naturally or closed with dissolvable stitches. The method depends on the specific procedure and the need to promote healing while reducing the risk of infection.

Post-procedure monitoring

Patients are monitored in a recovery area until they wake from anaesthesia and are stable enough for discharge. Vital signs and pain levels are assessed, and initial post-operative care instructions are provided before the patient is sent home.

06

Recovery

Recovery, described as it actually goes rather than as it sells.

Post-haemorrhoidectomy pain is real, and knowing the shape of it in advance is most of what makes it manageable. These are the numbers patients are given in clinic before they agree to anything.

A yellowish mucoid discharge for two to three weeks after conventional haemorrhoidectomy is normal as the wound heals.

Pain management

Most patients experience pain around 4 to 5 out of 10 in the first week, settling to 2 to 3 out of 10 by the second week. After that, discomfort is mainly 1 to 2 out of 10 during bowel movements. Sphincteric spasm contributes significantly, and being prepared for this makes recovery meaningfully easier. Pain relief is provided through prescribed medications.

Resumption of activities

Patients can typically resume light activities, such as walking, within a few days to a week after the procedure. Full recovery usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the surgical technique used. Strenuous activities and heavy lifting should be avoided until advised by the surgeon.

Follow-up care

A follow-up appointment is scheduled within a few weeks to monitor the healing process and address any concerns. During this visit, the surgeon will check for complications, assess progress, and provide further guidance on activities and care.

A fibre-rich diet with adequate water intake after surgery keeps stools soft and reduces straining, which is what protects the healing wound and what keeps new haemorrhoids from forming later.

07

Risks

What can go wrong, and what to report.

Haemorrhoidectomy is generally safe, but it is an operation and it carries the risks of one. These are the ones that come up.

  • Post-operative pain, which is expected rather than unusual and is managed with prescribed medication
  • Minor bleeding during bowel movements
  • Infection at the surgical site
  • Temporary urinary retention
Most risks are manageable with proper care, but persistent symptoms should be reported promptly.

5.3%

Early incontinence, pooled across 68 randomised trials

The complication patients ask about most is control. Pooling 68 randomised trials covering 8,445 patients, difficulty controlling wind or stool was reported by 5.3 in every 100 patients in the first three months (95% confidence interval 2.7 to 8.5), falling to 2.5 in every 100 beyond three months (1.1 to 4.3). The same review found no significant difference in that risk between excisional haemorrhoidectomy and stapled haemorrhoidopexy. In the 777-patient eTHoS trial, serious adverse events were reported in 7.1 per cent of stapled cases and 9.4 per cent of traditional ones. These are also the events that turn a day case into an overnight stay, which is what moves the hospital charge in section 10.

Source: Jin JZ and colleagues, Surgery, 2025. Systematic review and meta-analysis of 139 studies.

Recurrence divides the three techniques more sharply than complications do. A 2026 meta-analysis of 17 randomised trials found stapled haemorrhoidopexy carried a higher long-term recurrence rate than conventional haemorrhoidectomy, and roughly three times the rate of prolapse coming back specifically, though its authors note the pooled evidence is not yet large enough to settle the question. A 2024 meta-analysis of 6 trials found transanal dearterialisation recurred more often than conventional excision as well. Laser haemorrhoidoplasty is the exception: 17 pooled trials found its recurrence rate not significantly different from conventional surgery, alongside less bleeding and less day-one pain.

Sources: Lauricella S and colleagues, International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2026. Jee J and colleagues, Digestive Surgery, 2024. Cheng PL and colleagues, Asian Journal of Surgery, 2024. Watson AJM and colleagues, Health Technology Assessment, 2017.

None of that decides your operation. It is context for a conversation, and the technique that suits you is settled by the grade and configuration of your haemorrhoids at examination.

08

How the bill is structured

One operation, five charges, and a different party behind each one.

Each component of the haemorrhoid surgery bill is billed by a different party. At a private hospital the total for a haemorrhoidectomy comprises the surgeon’s professional fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, operating theatre charges, facility and ward charges, medications, histology, and surgical consumables.

Surgeon's professional fee

The specialist fee for performing the operation, covering the surgeon, any assistant the surgeon brings in, and sedation the surgeon performs. MOH publishes fee benchmarks to guide reasonable private specialist charges, and asks doctors to tell you their total professional fee and how it compares with those benchmarks at financial counselling. Ask for that comparison in writing before the date is set.

Anaesthetist's fee

For sedation or general anaesthesia during the procedure. Billed independently by the anaesthetist. MOH benchmarks this separately from the surgeon's fee, at $700 to $1,000 for haemorrhoid surgery.

Hospital and facility charges

Billed by the hospital. Covers the operating theatre, the day surgery room, nursing care, and the recovery bay. Day surgery significantly reduces this component compared with an overnight stay. An overnight stay also adds the doctor's daily attendance fee, which MOH benchmarks at $210 to $420 a day before GST and which a day case never incurs.

Medications and histology

Medications prescribed during and after the procedure, plus laboratory analysis of removed tissue, which is standard practice. In MOH's own bill breakdown these sit outside the operation fee, alongside ward charges, consultations, tests and consumables.

Surgical consumables

Single-use devices required to perform the operation. The type depends on the surgical technique chosen: a circular stapler for stapled haemorrhoidopexy, a laser fibre for laser haemorrhoidoplasty, or an energy sealing device such as LigaSure for conventional haemorrhoidectomy.

Most patients are treated as day surgery cases, meaning you are admitted and discharged on the same day. That single fact moves the largest variable component of the bill, the hospital charge, by several thousand dollars.

Which operation is on the table in the first place, and whether an operation is needed at all, is set by the grade and configuration of the disease. That is covered on the haemorrhoids page.

09

Cost by procedure type

Three techniques, and the codes your bill will be built from.

Cost figures are drawn from MOH recommended fees and MOH transacted bill data, reflecting private hospital day surgery.

How to read these figuresBenchmarks, transacted bills and MediSave limits are three different kinds of number

Each row below says what kind of figure it is, because a published benchmark, a transacted bill total and a MediSave withdrawal limit are three different kinds of thing and they do not add up, cancel out or average. The TOSP code beside each technique is the code that appears on your hospital bill and on your insurance claim, so these ranges can be checked against the real document.

All MOH fee benchmarks exclude GST. The publication states this itself, for surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital benchmarks alike. They are reference ranges for reasonable private-sector fees rather than fee caps, and they are not a quotation from Dr Sulaiman.

The two transacted rows are a different kind of number again. MOH publishes them from actual bills for Singapore Citizens, and the current set covers 1 January to 31 December 2023. The typical bill is the median, so half of patients were billed less than it, and the range beneath it is the 25th to the 75th percentile, so it describes the middle half of bills and not the extremes. Both include GST. They sit above the three benchmark rows added together because the benchmarks cover the surgeon, the anaesthetist and the facility only, while a transacted bill also carries medications, tests, consumables and consultations.

Ministry of Health, fee benchmarks and bill amount information
No figure on this page is a quotation for your own case, and none of them is Dr Sulaiman’s own fee.

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty

No MOH code of its own, usually billed as SF836A

MOH publishes no code and no fee benchmark of its own for laser haemorrhoidoplasty. In practice it is coded to the excisional haemorrhoidectomy code, SF836A, which is why the published benchmarks below are the same ones conventional haemorrhoidectomy carries. The difference between the two operations shows up in the consumable, a laser fibre rather than an energy sealing device, and not in the code. Because the code is a billing decision rather than a published designation, confirm the code that will appear on your own estimate before you compare it with anything here.

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty, No MOH code of its own, usually billed as SF836A. Published MOH fee benchmarks, which exclude GST, and MOH transacted bill figures for private hospital day surgery, which include GST.
What kind of figureAmount
MOH surgeon fee benchmark, excludes GST$3,000 to $3,800
MOH anaesthetist fee benchmark, excludes GST$700 to $1,000
MOH hospital fee benchmark, day surgery, excludes GST$3,000 to $4,300
Typical transacted bill, private day surgery, includes GST$10,200
Middle half of those bills, 25th to 75th percentile$8,894 to $11,590

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy

TOSP SF837A, Table 3A

Uses a circular stapling device to reposition prolapsed haemorrhoid tissue. It sits in a higher MOH table than conventional haemorrhoidectomy, which is why both the surgeon and the hospital benchmarks are higher. It is the least painful of the three in the first weeks, and the trial evidence below is consistent that the trade for that is a higher chance of the prolapse returning later.

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy, TOSP SF837A, Table 3A. Published MOH fee benchmarks, which exclude GST, and MOH transacted bill figures for private hospital day surgery, which include GST.
What kind of figureAmount
MOH surgeon fee benchmark, excludes GST$3,400 to $4,200
MOH anaesthetist fee benchmark, excludes GST$700 to $1,000
MOH hospital fee benchmark, day surgery, excludes GST$4,300 to $5,100
Typical transacted bill, private day surgery, includes GST$10,837
Middle half of those bills, 25th to 75th percentile$10,134 to $11,556

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy

TOSP SF836A, Table 2C

The most durable of the excisional options in the published trial evidence. Compared with stapled haemorrhoidopexy it carries a lower long-term recurrence rate, and compared with transanal dearterialisation it does too. Compared with laser haemorrhoidoplasty the pooled recurrence rates are not significantly different, so it is not the most durable option available in every direction. Where an energy sealing device such as LigaSure is used in place of conventional diathermy, the Cochrane review of twelve randomised trials found less pain on the first day after surgery and a return to work about five days earlier.

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy, TOSP SF836A, Table 2C. Published MOH fee benchmarks, which exclude GST, and MOH transacted bill figures for private hospital day surgery, which include GST.
What kind of figureAmount
MOH surgeon fee benchmark, excludes GST$3,000 to $3,800
MOH anaesthetist fee benchmark, excludes GST$700 to $1,000
MOH hospital fee benchmark, day surgery, excludes GST$3,000 to $4,300
Typical transacted bill, private day surgery, includes GST$10,200
Middle half of those bills, 25th to 75th percentile$8,894 to $11,590

Before MediSave and MediShield Life payouts. Actual out-of-pocket costs may be lower depending on Integrated Shield Plan coverage. Transacted figures are MOH's published medians for private hospitals, based on actual bills for Singapore Citizens between 1 January and 31 December 2023.

Two figures that sit outside the tablesAn overnight stay, and the code for transanal dearterialisation

Where an overnight stay is needed rather than day surgery, the hospital fee benchmark rises to $4,800 to $7,500 under SF836A and $6,300 to $7,500 under SF837A. That is the largest single swing available on this bill, which is why the day-case question is worth asking at consultation.

MOH also publishes a surgeon fee benchmark for transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialisation, TOSP SF721A, at $2,200 to $3,400, with the same $700 to $1,000 anaesthetist range. Whether any given technique is appropriate for you is a clinical decision made at consultation and not a decision made from a table.

Sources: MOH hospital fee benchmarks, as of 15 June 2023, for the overnight ranges. MOH surgeon and anaesthetist fee benchmarks, as of 1 January 2025, for SF721A. Both exclude GST.

The same operation, six private hospitals

Typical transacted bill, by hospital

Mount Alvernia
$7,618
Raffles
$8,282
Mount Elizabeth
$9,171
Gleneagles
$9,868
Farrer Park
$10,368
Mount Novena
$11,430

That is a $3,812 spread on one operation, and it is the reason a single national figure is a starting point rather than an answer. Where your operation is done is a question worth asking at consultation.

Source: MOH transacted bill data, SF836A, private hospital day surgery, 1 January to 31 December 2023. Includes GST. (source: Ministry of Health, Singapore, fee benchmarks and bill amount information, opens in a new tab)

The complications that turn a day case into an overnight stay are the same ones that move the hospital charge into the higher band above, and the published figures for them are set out in section 08, what can go wrong.

10

Surgical consumables

The consumable follows the technique, and the technique follows the disease.

Surgical consumables are single-use devices required to perform the operation. Their cost is passed on to the patient as part of the hospital bill, which is why two operations sharing the same TOSP code can still produce different totals.

Circular stapler

Used in stapled haemorrhoidopexy, to excise a ring of tissue above the haemorrhoids and reposition what remains.

Laser fibre

Used in laser haemorrhoidoplasty. It is single-use and is not reused between patients, which is why it appears on the bill as a consumable rather than as equipment.

Energy sealing devices such as LigaSure

Used in conventional haemorrhoidectomy, to seal vessels as the tissue is divided.

Not all techniques are suitable for all patients, and the choice of surgical approach is a clinical decision based on the grade and configuration of your haemorrhoids rather than on cost.
11

MediSave and insurance

What is claimable, and who to ask before you commit.

All three procedures are performed as day surgery, and all three are MediSave-claimable. What that leaves you to pay depends on your own plan, which is a conversation worth having before the date is set rather than after.

MediSave and Integrated Shield

Surgical haemorrhoid procedures are MediSave-claimable and may be covered under Integrated Shield Plans. Confirm your specific coverage with your insurer before the procedure.

The MOH table codes

Laser haemorrhoidoplasty and conventional haemorrhoidectomy are both billed under MOH table code TOSP SF836A. Stapled haemorrhoidopexy is billed under TOSP SF837A. These are the codes an insurer or an employer's scheme will ask for when you check your cover.

Corporate insurance and extended panels

The clinic works with corporate insurance schemes and Integrated Shield Plans, including extended panels, for Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners. Please speak to our friendly clinic staff about using your insurance plans.

An itemised breakdown of the surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital components is set out on the dedicated haemorrhoid surgery cost page. Ask the clinic team for the figures that apply to your own case and your own plan.

If the question that brought you here was really about bleeding rather than surgery, the colonoscopy page explains the test that rules out anything more serious, and the haemorrhoids page covers the non-surgical options first.

12

Common questions

The questions that come up before surgery.

Can haemorrhoids be treated without surgery?

Yes, treatments like rubber band ligation can shrink haemorrhoids or cut off their blood supply. These options are suitable for Grade 1 and Grade 2 cases and may be combined with dietary and lifestyle changes to manage symptoms. When these fail, laser haemorrhoidoplasty fills the gap before surgical options.

How painful is the recovery after piles surgery?

Post-haemorrhoidectomy pain is real. Most patients experience pain around 4 to 5 out of 10 in the first week, settling to 2 to 3 out of 10 by week two. After that, discomfort is mainly 1 to 2 out of 10 during bowel movements. Sphincteric spasm contributes significantly and catches most patients off guard. For conventional haemorrhoidectomy, expect yellowish mucoid discharge for two to three weeks. This is normal. Being prepared makes a meaningful difference.

What should I eat after the operation?

Post-surgery, a fibre-rich diet combined with adequate water intake is crucial to ensure soft stools and reduce strain. This helps minimise complications during recovery and prevent future haemorrhoid issues.

Can haemorrhoids come back after surgery?

New haemorrhoids can develop if factors like straining or constipation are not addressed. Conventional haemorrhoidectomy has a lower long-term recurrence rate than stapled haemorrhoidopexy, though against laser haemorrhoidoplasty the pooled rates are not significantly different. Adopting a healthy diet, staying active, and avoiding prolonged sitting can help reduce the risk of recurrence.

How much does haemorrhoid surgery cost in Singapore?

For a day surgery haemorrhoidectomy at a private hospital, the typical total bill ranges from approximately $8,894 to $11,590 for conventional haemorrhoidectomy and $10,134 to $11,556 for stapled haemorrhoidopexy. This includes all components: surgeon and anaesthetist fees, operating theatre charges, facility fees, medications, histology, and surgical consumables. Those are transacted bill figures for the private sector rather than a quotation, and your own figure comes from the written estimate you are given before the procedure.

Is the MOH benchmark what Dr Sulaiman charges?

No. MOH fee benchmarks are reference ranges published for the private sector to guide what a reasonable fee looks like. They are not a fee cap, they are not a quotation from any individual surgeon, and they exclude GST. Dr Sulaiman has no published personal price for this operation. The figure that applies to you is the one on your own written fee estimate.

How do I get a written estimate before I commit?

Ask for one at consultation. The clinic will provide a full written breakdown of the expected fees before you commit to anything, and the formal Letter of Undertaking follows once a date is set. Nothing on this page is a quotation for your own case.

Can I use MediSave for haemorrhoid surgery?

Yes. Haemorrhoidectomy is a medically necessary procedure and MediSave can be used to offset surgical and hospitalisation fees, subject to MOH withdrawal limits.

Does MediShield Life cover haemorrhoid surgery?

MediShield Life provides basic coverage for haemorrhoidectomy. At a private hospital, this coverage alone is limited. An Integrated Shield Plan with a private hospital rider substantially improves your coverage.

Will my Integrated Shield Plan cover it?

Most Integrated Shield Plans cover haemorrhoidectomy as a medically necessary procedure. Coverage depends on your specific plan tier, deductible, co-insurance terms, and whether pre-authorisation is required.

What is a Letter of Undertaking?

A Letter of Undertaking is a formal pre-procedure cost estimate prepared by your surgical team. It itemises all anticipated fees. Submit this to your insurer before the procedure to confirm coverage and avoid unexpected gaps in your claim.

13

Book a consultation

Are your symptoms affecting your quality of life?

Consult Dr Sulaiman for an assessment and a personalised treatment plan. Same-day and same-week appointments are available across five clinic locations, and self-referrals are welcome.