SINGAPORE — SingHealth Polyclinics will have a new enquiry hotline starting next Monday (May 12).

Members of the public who wish to go to any of the nine polyclinics under SingHealth can dial 6643 6969 to check their registration status for a consultation with a doctor beforehand.

One viewer told Channel NewsAsia that he was not allowed to see a doctor in a Queenstown Polyclinic — a SingHealth Polyclinic — despite arriving within the official registration time.

He was told that there were too many patients that day.

SingHealth said that the early closure for registration applies to all non-emergency cases.

Members of public had mixed responses. Some agreed that doctors would be too tired to put in extra hours, while others said that official cut-off timings should be followed closely.

SingHealth Polyclinics added that the early closure of registration on some days is to ensure that their doctors have sufficient time to provide adequate and safe care to all patients who have registered.

It is also aimed at minimising the risk of errors in diagnosis or medication that may result from rushed and prolonged consultation hours.

However, patients with medical emergencies, such as those with shortness of breath, high fever or chest pains, will still be attended to by the doctors immediately.

The registration for other services, such as nursing services like wound dressing and immunization, will continue.

Patients who do not require emergency attention will be advised with a list of the nearby General Practitioner (GP) clinics

Polyclinics under the National Healthcare Group also implement an early closure of registration when overcrowded.

They have a mobile phone application and telephone hotline in place for patients to make medical appointments on the same day. CHANNEL NEWSASIA