Operating hours of Polyclinic

14 February 2011

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14 Feb 2011

Question No: 166

Question

Name of the Person: Mdm Halimah Yacob

To ask the Minister of Health whether the Ministry will consider opening some polyclinics on Sundays to cater to the needs of working people who are unable to bring their children or elderly parents to the polyclinics during weekdays and which can also help to reduce the pressure and backlogs on Mondays.

Reply

Reply From MOH

1 Primary healthcare is well provided in Singapore, with easy access, of high standard and affordable. Our Polyclinics serve 22% of all primary care attendances. The other 78% are spread out over 2,400 General Practitioner (GP) clinics across the island. Most GP clinics are within housing estates and many operate extended hours including Sundays and public holidays.

2 More than 600 GP clinics have partnered my Ministry under the Primary Care Partnership Scheme to provide subsidised care for needy patients. Tapping on this wide network of private primary care providers is more efficient than extending the polyclinics beyond their current operating hours.