Singapore Hospitals Expand Acupuncture Within Acute-Care Pathways

Singapore, 28 August 2026 – Singapore’s public hospitals are expanding the use of acupuncture alongside conventional medicine, moving selected traditional Chinese medicine treatments into acute-care, rehabilitation and supportive-care settings. Singapore General Hospital and Changi General Hospital now offer acupuncture in short-stay units connected to their emergency departments, where carefully assessed patients with lower-back pain may receive treatment after conventional medical evaluation and pain management.

The model is designed as an additional option rather than a replacement for established care. At Singapore General Hospital, doctors first assess patients to rule out serious causes and consider pregnancy, bleeding risk, infection at the treatment site and needle phobia. Suitable patients whose pain remains inadequately controlled can choose a roughly 45-minute acupuncture session in the hospital’s 23-hour Extended Diagnostic and Treatment Unit.