A third of the over 30 veterinary specialists in Singapore can be found at Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital. First established by Dr Patrick Maguire and his wife Rina as a mobile surgical consultancy in 2017, it later became the first specialist-owned and -operated referral hospital in the country, and remains one of only a few recognised veterinary hospitals here today. The fully licensed 24-hour facility admits and manages emergency, critical, and referral cases.
However, Maguire’s biggest challenges can be attributed to two factors. Firstly, structural limitations within the local veterinary landscape, in particular the absence of a veterinary school. Recruiting people with very specific skill sets can be difficult without a local training pipeline, so many roles cannot be filled locally.
Secondly, public perception and the difficulty of explaining the cost-value relationship in specialist medicine. Maguire notes that there are no subsidies or government support for veterinary care or specialist procedures in Singapore, all of which require highly trained staff, advanced equipment, and infrastructure that meet rigorous safety standards. The result is eyewatering veterinary care bills.
“This may have pet owners comparing prices between clinics without necessarily realising that the expertise, equipment, perioperative monitoring, and expected outcomes can differ substantially.”
Dr Patrick Macguire on superficial price comparisons
To navigate these issues, Beecroft invests in developing in-house specialist training and is the first veterinary facility on the island to establish structured residency programmes.
Last year, it partnered with Income Insurance to launch Singapore’s first cashless value-added service for pet surgeries. Essentially, policyholders no longer have to pay the full surgical bill up front. When surgery has been pre-approved, pet owners only have to pay for what their insurance doesn’t cover at the time of discharge.
Another benefit is certainty. With pre-approval, owners know in advance whether the relevant condition qualifies and what their out-of-pocket cost will be. This transparency will allow them to make decisions much more confidently.
Because Beecroft aims to keep healthcare as accessible as possible while maintaining the standards expected of a referral-level centre, there will always be some tension between high-quality care and affordability, Maguire adds.
“As it stands, when we anaesthetise a patient, for example, we routinely use multimodal techniques, such as ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, epidurals, arterial lines, intraoperative ventilatory support, and fluoroscopic guidance, all within a positive-pressure operating theatre. These measures meaningfully improve safety and outcomes, but they come with costs.”
That said, the specialist veterinary surgeon does not believe that cutting-edge veterinary medicine and pet owners’ emotional needs are at odds. If anything, they run in parallel, he says, as advanced, evidence-based care often provides significant emotional reassurance for families.
Currently, Beecroft’s community impact focuses on education, collaboration, and supporting animal welfare groups. Apart from lectures, workshops, and seminars, it regularly offers case advice to referring veterinarians, even when the cases are not formally referred. “Contributing to the wider veterinary ecosystem is an important part of our role,” Maguire says.
In the coming years, he plans to continue to develop Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital and to deepen collaboration with the broader veterinary community. This will entail everything from strengthening its clinical services and expanding training opportunities to working more closely with general practitioners.
It’s all in the hope that veterinary medicine in Singapore maintains meaningful growth. “Building strong, cooperative relationships across practices remains central to how we see the profession progressing.”
Photography Mun Kong
Art direction Ed Harland
Hair Michael Chiew/Hairform Salon using Goldwell and KMS Hair
Makeup Sarah Tan using Chanel Beauty
Photography assistant Melvin Leong
