Convenient, Accessible Primary Health Care For Pasir Ris Residents

25 Apr 2001

By the end of this year, Pasir Ris residents can expect a new polyclinic, night clinic service and the Primary Care Partnership Scheme to provide convenient and accessible primary healthcare services in their town.

Pasir Ris Polyclinic

A new polyclinic under the Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) will open in Pasir Ris by Dec this year to meet the primary healthcare needs of Pasir Ris residents. Pasir Ris polyclinic will be located at the junction of Pasir Ris Dr 1 and Dr 4. It will occupy the lower three floors of the Annexe Building of Pasir Ris Central Community Club.

The new polyclinic will be a community primary healthcare centre offering a comprehensive range of facilities and services. These would include outpatient medical care, treatment and dressing as well as support services such as pharmacy, laboratory and X-ray services. In addition, the new polyclinic will offer family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, and vaccination and developmental assessment of children to meet the needs of Pasir Ris's primarily younger population.

Besides providing medical services, the polyclinic will also play an important role in promoting better health care among Pasir Ris residents through its health screening facilities, and disease management and health education programmes. Cancer screening services for women, including mammography, and opportunistic and targeted health screening for conditions such as HIV and Hepatitis B will be available. Co-location with a community club would enable the polyclinic to be more effective in bringing its health education programmes to the public.

Night Clinic

In January 2001, a pilot night clinic was launched in Jurong Polyclinic. Response to the night clinic service has been positive. Currently, the clinic sees an average of 115 patients per night. The new Pasir Ris Polyclinic will similarly offer a night clinic service. The night clinic will provide lower income Singaporeans the convenience of medical attention at night, instead of having to wait until the following day.

Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS)

In October 2000, the Ministry of Health launched the Primary Care Partnership Scheme. Private general practitioners (GPs) are contracted to provide subsidised medical services to the needy elderly aged 65 years and above. Elderly residents who pass a means test administered by the Community Development Councils (CDCs) will be subsidised and charged at rates similar to the polyclinics' scheme of charges for acute outpatient medical conditions, such as coughs and colds. The scheme was piloted at 4 estates, namely Bukit Panjang, Jalan Besar, Kreta Ayer and Simei.

The Ministry plans to extend the scheme to Pasir Ris. The scheme would offer needy elderly residents in Pasir Ris the additional convenience of seeing a GP near their home instead of travelling to the polyclinic.

Conclusion

The primary healthcare package comprising a polyclinic, night clinics service and the Primary Care Partnership Scheme would make better use of healthcare facilities and promote greater collaboration between public and private sectors to provide convenient and accessible primary health care to the Pasir Ris residents.