Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at the official opening of Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic

20 Sep 2011

By Gan Kim Yong
Venue: Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic

Introduction

1.    I am very glad to be here to celebrate the official opening of Choa Chu Kang polyclinic. This is especially meaningful for me, as the MP for Choa Chu Kang to witness another milestone in our community.  Choa Chu Kang polyclinic was first built in 1997.  It was closed for redevelopment from May to September 2010 to allow for upgrading and reconfiguration of the facilities to better cater to the needs of the residents in Choa Chu Kang.

2.    I am pleased to share that as we build newer and better structures, we have done so with careful consideration for the environment while creating a healing physical environment. As Prof Chee mentioned earlier, the building was awarded the BCA Green Award earlier this year and that the polyclinic was designed to give patients a sensory experience. The courtyard was given a makeover to create a lush tropical garden that enhanced the sensory experience of health and well-being for the patients at the polyclinic. The Zen feel of the premise certainly gives patients a sense of calmness and serenity and with an eco-friendly building, it benefits the environment as well.

3.    With an eye on the future, elderly friendly features have been added to meet the needs of our ageing population. Waiting areas have been expanded with designated areas for wheelchair parking.  The pharmacy also has a special dispensing counter for wheelchair-bound patients and a counseling room that is big enough for patients and their caregivers to receive counseling sessions together. The changing room and ultrasound room at the diagnostics area have been enlarged for wheelchair-bound patients to get in and out easily. The polyclinic has also adopted a visual management system by colour-coding each cluster or service area. This colour-coding system adds vibrancy to the clinic’s design and helps patients find their way around areas easily.

Snapshot of the population

4.    Just as the polyclinic and the township of Choa Chua Kang evolved over the last 10 years, the healthcare landscape of today is very different from before. Our society is aging. The proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 years and above increased to 9% in 2010 as compared to 7.2% a decade ago . The median age of the resident population has slowly crept up from 34 years in 2000 to 37 over the same period .

5.    Besides having to meet the needs of an aging population, there is a growing number of Singaporeans affected by chronic diseases. The aging population coupled with higher life expectancy and changing lifestyles could potentially lead to more Singaporeans with chronic disease.

Polyclinics are evolving

6.    A recent report by World Economic Forum (WEF) pointed out that this is not just a healthcare challenge, but an economic one as well. Singapore is not the only country facing these challenges. Countries such as Australia and UK are evolving and transforming their healthcare systems to better respond to similar challenges. MOH has been studying these systems and one commonality we find is the important role primary care plays in enabling patient-centred holistic care.

7.    Another feature we see internationally is a greater emphasis on team-based care.  One example is the Patient Centred Medical Homes in the US which are physician-led multidisciplinary practices geared towards managing patients holistically.  Another example would be the GP Superclinics in Australia and New Zealand.  It brings together GPs, nurses, allied health professionals and other health care providers in an integrated services delivery model, to provide more extensive array of primary care services in a single location compared to traditional general practices.  I understand that these changes are supported by research which showed the benefits of the multidisciplinary, team-based care model, especially in chronic disease management.

8.    I am therefore glad to note that our polyclinics are also evolving their care models in tandem with the needs of the population and gearing up to face this challenge. They have worked hard to keep up with the demands of the community.

9.    Our polyclinics have undergone major transformation in the last two decades. They have evolved to be one-stop centres providing diagnostic and treatment services complemented by support services such as laboratory and x-ray services, counselling, physiotherapy as well as providing health screenings and dental care serving the whole family from the young to old.

Caring and training its people

10.   Our polyclinics have also become training centres for future generations of Family Physicians. Choa Chu Kang polyclinic is part of the Residency Training programme where a senior Family Physician will oversee and supervise junior doctors who intend to pursue postgraduate training in Family Medicine.  We have since enhanced the structure of the postgraduate training programme for Family Medicine and while I am encouraged to know that the enrolment rate has increased by 50% from 2009 to 2011 , there is still more to be done to encourage more doctors to take up Family Medicine Residency and other post-graduate Family Medicine trainings.  Growing the pipeline of Family Physicians is important considering that the role of the Family Physician has expanded and evolved over the years with the shift in focus towards chronic care in the community.  We hope over time to produce sufficient Family Physicians for both the public and private sectors to meet the needs of the population.  At this point, I would like to acknowledge the General Practitioners (GPs) who have been actively training future generations of Family Physicians.

More to be done in primary care

11.   Our polyclinics have done much to meet the needs of the aging population and also the growing burden of chronic diseases. Our polyclinics however cannot and should not do this alone. We should leverage on the many capable and committed GPs in the community. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of GPs who have participated in the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) and Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS). These programmes have helped to make care more accessible and better for our patients. I would also like to thank the GPs who have participated in shared care programmes with our hospitals to enable patients to be appropriately managed in the community.

12.   We see GPs playing a bigger role in primary care especially in managing chronic diseases. To enable this we have made changes to our financing framework including the Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS).  The enhanced PCPS sees the age cut-off lowered to from age 65 to 40, and also increased subsidies. We hope that these enhancements would enable more chronic patients to be managed by GPs. With their proximity and close relationship to the patients whom they serve, GPs can now play a greater role in the management of their chronic conditions.

13.   Besides enhancing our financing framework, we would also need to see how we could further strengthen the partnership with the GP community in the management of chronic diseases.  The Ministry is currently developing a primary care masterplan that would better leverage on the capacity and capabilities of the GP community. We will be engaging the GP community, together with our polyclinics and wider public sector healthcare partners during the Primary Care Workplan Seminar on 8 October 2011, to seek their views on how we could better collaborate and explore ways to provide our patients with better access to quality primary care services.

Conclusion

14.   In conclusion, I would like to again thank Mr Leong Yew Meng and his team for bringing such a modern polyclinic to the residents of Choa Chu Kang.

15.   I hope their efforts would translate into better health for the residents in Choa Chu Kang and surrounding neighbourhoods, and I do look forward to this polyclinic playing a leadership role within the community and in partnership with the GPs and other community organizations to add more years of health to the people.

Thank you.