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New facilities to make healthcare more accessible

SINGAPORE — To make primary care more accessible and affordable to Singaporeans, the Health Ministry yesterday announced a suite of new facilities that will ramp up capacity across various fronts.

SINGAPORE — To make primary care more accessible and affordable to Singaporeans, the Health Ministry yesterday announced a suite of new facilities that will ramp up capacity across various fronts.

A new Primary Care Centre will be built in Sembawang as a test bed for new care models and care processes, while Bukit Panjang residents will get a polyclinic in their neighbourhood.

Construction of new polyclinics in Jurong West and Punggol will also begin this year and are slated to be completed by end-2017.

Existing polyclinics will also be redeveloped to meet anticipated demand. For instance, Yishun Polyclinic will be expanded and moved to a permanent site at the junction of Yishun Central and Yishun Avenue 9 by 2018, while Marine Parade Polyclinic will add a second storey by next year. Redevelopment work at Ang Mo Kio and Bedok polyclinics are scheduled for completion in 2018.

A seventh Family Medicine Clinic (FMC) will also be opened at the upcoming Ci Yuan Community Club on Hougang Avenue 9 by the end of this year.

The FMC model provides more options for patients — especially those with chronic conditions — to go for medical follow-ups. Patient volumes are lower, bringing down waiting times, and patients get to see the same doctor across visits, unlike in polyclinics.

Minister of State (Health) Lam Pin Min said: “Together, the polyclinics, FMCs and Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) clinics provide good quality, subsidised care to Singaporeans close to their homes. Today, over nine in 10 HDB dwellers live within 15 minutes, by public transport, of a polyclinic or CHAS clinic.”

Besides investing in infrastructure, the Government is also looking to do more to retain and train doctors within the primary care sector. Funding will be given to selected candidates under the Family Physician Development Plan to undergo postgraduate training in family medicine, said Dr Lam. “This will allow us to raise the standards of family medicine training and ensure a consistent supply pipeline of capable family doctors.”

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