[NEWS] Book an appointment at polyclinic is now like fighting for concert tickets

[cloudnim]

Dental appt also can give up 10mths in advance

 

[cosmothecat]

Why so many people go queue ah? Just go see family doc...

Very high subsidies

cheaper loh

 

[Evcats]

I find polyclinic actually faster than seeing a GP. Once you get an appointment time go on the time, get your consultation medication and leave. GP you go there without knowing it’s queue status and have to go through the usual registration process and wait…

of course for referral probably thats a longer wait but not urgent issues should be fine.

 

[havoc23]

next time need to book 1 mth in advance?

 

[yeokiwi]

I find polyclinic actually faster than seeing a GP. Once you get an appointment time go on the time, get your consultation medication and leave. GP you go there without knowing it’s queue status and have to go through the usual registration process and wait…

of course for referral probably thats a longer wait but not urgent issues should be fine.

Ya.. any service that is appointment based has less waiting time.

Popular clinics' queue can be ridiculously long.

Another choice will be virtual clinic for common sickness and mc.

 

[focus1974]

U not answering question. Not enough polyclinic and hospitals... and your solution is adding GP will solve problem. Wonderful. Suddenly have enough hospital beds because of this. Suddenly, polyclinics dr are higher tiered than gp. Wonderful.

Please go and ask AI can?
I dont need to ask AI , and I know the answer why they are doing this.

But you can ask AI and you will have the answer why they are doing this.
here..i am feeling kind tonight..
i do for u.

This might be the plausible reason why it's getting harder to get polyclinic appointments..hehe

Arguments for the GP-First/Healthier SG approach :

• Shifting to Preventive Care: This is a core objective of Healthier SG. By encouraging individuals to enrol with a family doctor, the aim is to foster long-term doctor-patient relationships. GPs can then proactively manage health, conduct screenings, provide vaccinations, and discuss lifestyle adjustments, thereby preventing or delaying the onset of chronic diseases. This upstream focus aims to keep people healthy longer, reducing the need for costly acute hospital care in the first place.
• Right-Siting Care and Reducing A&E Overcrowding: Public hospital Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments often face overcrowding due to non-emergency cases. The GPFirst program specifically incentivizes patients with mild to moderate conditions to visit GPs instead of A&E. This allows emergency departments to focus on truly urgent and critical cases, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services.
• Continuity and Personalisation of Care: Having a regular family doctor who knows a patient's medical history and family health background allows for more holistic and continuous care. This can lead to better management of chronic conditions and more appropriate referrals when specialist care is genuinely needed.
• Cost Savings (Long-term): While there might be initial investments in strengthening primary care, the long-term goal is indeed to contain healthcare costs. By preventing serious illnesses and managing chronic conditions effectively at the primary care level, the reliance on expensive hospital-based care and specialist services can be reduced. This helps to manage the overall burden on the public healthcare system, which faces increasing demand from an aging population.
• Improved Patient Experience: For non-emergency conditions, seeing a GP typically involves shorter waiting times and more personalized attention compared to polyclinics or hospital A&Es.
• Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: Singapore has a well-established network of private GPs. The government's plan aims to better integrate these private practitioners into the broader public healthcare ecosystem, supporting them with data sharing, care protocols, and funding.

Is it "a way to kill demand side so the supply side won't need to increase cost of public healthcare"?

While demand management and cost containment are certainly factors, framing it as "killing demand" might be an oversimplification and carries a negative connotation. The intent is not to deny care, but to redistribute and optimize care delivery to the most appropriate settings.

• Demand Management: Yes, by encouraging patients to seek care at the primary level for appropriate conditions, it manages the demand on higher-cost, more resource-intensive public hospitals and polyclinics. This "right-siting" of care prevents unnecessary utilization of expensive services.
• Cost Control for the Supply Side: By reducing the volume of non-urgent cases at hospitals, it lessens the pressure on hospital infrastructure, staffing, and resources, which are indeed significant cost drivers. The shift in funding models (e.g., capitation-based for healthcare clusters under Healthier SG) also incentivizes clusters to keep residents healthy, as they receive a pre-determined fee per resident regardless of how much care they consume.

Potential Challenges and Criticisms:

• GP Capacity and Readiness: Ensuring enough GPs are willing and equipped to handle the increased patient load and new responsibilities under Healthier SG is crucial. This includes training, administrative support, and fair compensation.
• Patient Buy-in and Awareness: While efforts are being made, changing long-standing health-seeking behaviors can be challenging. Some patients may prefer polyclinics due to perceived lower costs or easier access to multiple services, or have a habit of going straight to A&E for minor ailments.
• Managing Complex Needs at GP Level: While GPs are meant to be the first line, some patients with complex or multiple chronic conditions might require more intensive management that could strain GP resources.
• Potential for Delay in Acute Cases: While the system is designed to refer genuinely urgent cases, there's always a theoretical risk of a GP missing a more serious underlying condition, leading to delayed hospital care. However, robust referral pathways and GP training aim to mitigate this.
• Fragmented Private Sector: Singapore's primary care landscape is largely private. Integrating these diverse clinics into a cohesive system requires significant coordination and alignment of incentives.

Conclusion:

The Singapore government's plan to push patients towards GPs first is a strategic healthcare reform (Healthier SG being the overarching initiative). It's a proactive approach to ensure the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the healthcare system. While it does aim to manage demand on public hospitals and contain costs, its primary focus is on promoting preventive care, improving continuity of care, and ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate care in the most suitable setting, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for the population.

 

[chaiscool]

Well, Singaporeans have no problem getting concert tickets. Why would they have problem with polyclinics appointments if they believed they are similar?

Plenty of ppl can't get tickets for concerts though. Just cuz some get doesn't mean everyone can get.

 

[lalalalalala]

Boh pian, because everyone wants to get referral letter. Without it, go specialist direct prepare to burn hole in pocket…

yeah, quite sian, and i know if i go private they will sell me 1000 other cream and recurring treatment sessions or followups

 

[orlengtao]

the killing process is like this.

poly refer to hospital to see specialist. this needs to wait 3-4mths typically. that's only SEEING.

if u need any scan, need to make appt for like 1-2mths wait.

then yet another wait for the next appt to SEE the specialist AGAIN for reviewing of scan results.

when younger i dont know. Until i seen it personally from relatives and friends. Hopefully the younger people will buy private insurance, if not wait for scan gg. Got many examples i can quote...

Private can scan within the week, public hosptial at least 2months.

 

[lalalalalala]

U not answering question. Not enough polyclinic and hospitals... and your solution is adding GP will solve problem. Wonderful. Suddenly have enough hospital beds because of this. Suddenly, polyclinics dr are higher tiered than gp. Wonderful.

he actually makes sense. gp as 1st line will help alot because they can handle more load. i don't have the stats but i'm sure that gp clinics including telemed see more patients than polyclinic themselves.

the fact is many sinkies go to doctors to get mc.

the other portion who go to hospital want to stay overnight so can claim insurance, which again is unneeded load to the system. diarrohea put on drip insist to stay overnight or else cannot claim hospitalization insurance, then want A ward and all that nonsense. these are the kind of nimby inconsiderate people that are clogging the system

but sinkies are like that, selfish and won't think of others

i also advocate legislating IN LAW that mc only needed for 2 day or more sickness with strong encouragement to allow up to 3 day call in sick. u will suddenly see the hospital very empty

 

[drkcynic]

Ridiculous one polyclinic. You no appointment you half dying they also will not see you.

Really cannot fall sick if you are poor.

 

[CantStopWhining]

Well, at least concert tickets maybe you can still get it through scalpers. Polyclinics slots aren't even available for resale.

Polyclinics slots require you to know that you're unwell enough for tomorrow to book the day before. If you're really that unwell, not even sure how will you be able to be awake and ready to book that slot though. Unlike those that can foresee being sick the day before, I typically only know I need the doctor in the morning. By then, I check a few polyclinics nearby and most of the time, no slots one. Got slot is like miracle.

They should allow some walk-ins for polyclinics before a certain cut off timing.

 

[lowveld]

They voted for who? Ahahahhahahwowowowbahahahaha

 

[Linguist]

Why so many people go queue ah? Just go see family doc...

"Cheaper" medicine and payment cuz of the govt subsidies...

If govt implement similar subsidies available at private clinic sure poly queue will drop or become lesser... kym?

Well, at least concert tickets maybe you can still get it through scalpers. Polyclinics slots aren't even available for resale.

Polyclinics slots require you to know that you're unwell enough for tomorrow to book the day before. If you're really that unwell, not even sure how will you be able to be awake and ready to book that slot though. Unlike those that can foresee being sick the day before, I typically only know I need the doctor in the morning. By then, I check a few polyclinics nearby and most of the time, no slots one. Got slot is like miracle.

They should allow some walk-ins for polyclinics before a certain cut off timing.

Huh? Now no more walk in meh?

 

[CantStopWhining]

"Cheaper" medicine and payment cuz of the govt subsidies...

If govt implement similar subsidies available at private clinic sure poly queue will drop or become lesser... kym?

Huh? Now no more walk in meh?

I believe can still walk-in, I never try before going down without any appointment. But I believe it's subjected to availablity.

What I mean is set aside actual available slots through the day for walk ins only.

 

[BBClone]

65% chose to book concert tickets to see Pinoy doctors, I don’t want to hear any more complaints

 

[Linguist]

I believe can still walk-in, I never try before going down without any appointment. But I believe it's subjected to availablity.

What I mean is set aside actual available slots through the day for walk ins only.

If it was the same as years ago. Still can walk-in as long as before noon or 11am...

Even if got book appointment will also ends up wait very long... won't get to see doctor at the appointment timing or even within 30 mins most of the time

 

[WarMage87]

Ya.. any service that is appointment based has less waiting time.

Popular clinics' queue can be ridiculously long.

Another choice will be virtual clinic for common sickness and mc.

This is the correct answer.

 

[CantStopWhining]

If it was the same as years ago. Still can walk-in as long as before noon or 11am...

Even if got book appointment will also ends up wait very long... won't get to see doctor at the appointment timing or even within 30 mins most of the time

i think you're right about the walk in before noon or 11am.
but i've heard that the walk-in slots are so limited, you basically have to start camping at 7am at the door to at least secure a slot. even so, like what you say, need to wait very long.

 

[pushtopen]

Well, Singaporeans have no problem getting concert tickets. Why would they have problem with polyclinics appointments if they believed they are similar?

do you think about what you wish to say in your head before it passes through your mouth/system?