Complete Blood Count (CBC/FBC)
Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · Evidence-graded review — see Methodology
Red cells, white cells, platelets and their subtypes and indices — the most frequently ordered blood test in medicine, and close to the least likely to appear in longevity marketing, precisely because there is nothing novel to sell. It screens for anaemia, for infection and inflammation, and for haematologic malignancy signals such as abnormal white cell counts, several of which are common and silent.
One of the most validated and universally guideline-endorsed basic tests in medicine: cheap, safe, and high-yield for case-finding across a wide range of conditions.
Singapore guidance
Not covered in the current review
Singapore’s national screening committee has not reviewed this test in the current volume of its report, which covers nine conditions. That is not a verdict either way.
Source: Screening Test Review Committee report 2026, Volume 1 (Academy of Medicine Singapore and Ministry of Health, February 2026). The full national list · How this is used.
What you would actually pay
- Healthier SG
- Not subsidised
- MediSave
- Not among the screenings named for outpatient claims
Source: Healthier SG Screening (HealthHub) and MediSave outpatient care (Ministry of Health). Absence from either list is not a statement that the test is discouraged — only that no subsidy or claim applies. Gross prices compared.
What it costs when it is wrong
- Basis
- No published harm criterion found
- Severity
- Not documented
Not covered in the current volume of the committee’s report, so no harm criterion was found either way.
An empty finding, not a clean bill of health: this means nothing documented was found for this test. It is not a claim that the test is safe.
Screening harm is not only a laboratory question: the committee’s own criteria advise against a test when “the screening test, or follow-up tests arising from a positive screen, are associated with significant medical risks”. Sources on overdiagnosis → · How this is graded.
FAQ
Is the Complete Blood Count (CBC/FBC) worth doing in Singapore?
Complete Blood Count (CBC/FBC) carries a strong evidence grade for screening adults without symptoms. It is most appropriate for everyone — foundational baseline test. It typically costs S$10–20 in Singapore. The usual schedule: every 1–3 years, or opportunistically with any other blood draw.
Weighing this against something else? Compare it with two other tests → · Price it inside a panel →