Sure, it's got absolutely nothing to do with the unbridled importing of FTrash!
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Sep 14, 2008
EDITORIAL
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Die-die must go ER?
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- 4 or less paragraphs so show all paragraphs first before showing the media and bkstry and stuffs --><!-- story content : start -->A record number of patients - some 400,000 - thronged emergency departments of the country's six public hospitals between January and June this year. This was a 5 per cent jump over the same period last year and the highest tally since 1970. More than one in two had common complaints like fever, headache and sprains, which could be treated at a general practitioner's clinic or a polyclinic, where fees are highly subsidised. The irony in these hard-up times is that it is not as if it's cheaper seeking treatment at an emergency room (ER). Hospitals charge a flat fee of between $75 and $90. And it is not as though most patients go to ERs late at night, when most private clinics are closed. The peak hours are the most convenient slots between 10am and 2pm, and 6pm and 8pm.
<!-- story content : start -->An Alexandra Hospital spokesman explained the trend thus: 'Singaporeans want one-stop service and convenience.' They think that if they need X-rays or specialist care, they can be attended to in the hospital right away. Some treat a visit to the ER as a family outing, with grandma, kids and maid tagging along to makan angin. They just add to the big squeeze in the waiting rooms. The crunch is no laughing matter. As the population ages, ERs are seeing an increase in bone fide emergencies. Make way! Or something's got to give. <!-- story content : start -->The Health Ministry can expand ER facilities, review operations and beef up manpower, but it can do only so much. People just have to exercise common sense about the difference between a critical, sudden ailment and a common complaint. It will save them money and leave scarce resources for cases that cannot wait. GPs have to do their part. They must win patients' trust by taking their complaints seriously. Patients tend to be more anxious about their illnesses than the symptoms show, hence the unthinking rush to a hospital.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Sep 14, 2008
EDITORIAL
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Die-die must go ER?
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- 4 or less paragraphs so show all paragraphs first before showing the media and bkstry and stuffs --><!-- story content : start -->A record number of patients - some 400,000 - thronged emergency departments of the country's six public hospitals between January and June this year. This was a 5 per cent jump over the same period last year and the highest tally since 1970. More than one in two had common complaints like fever, headache and sprains, which could be treated at a general practitioner's clinic or a polyclinic, where fees are highly subsidised. The irony in these hard-up times is that it is not as if it's cheaper seeking treatment at an emergency room (ER). Hospitals charge a flat fee of between $75 and $90. And it is not as though most patients go to ERs late at night, when most private clinics are closed. The peak hours are the most convenient slots between 10am and 2pm, and 6pm and 8pm.
<!-- story content : start -->An Alexandra Hospital spokesman explained the trend thus: 'Singaporeans want one-stop service and convenience.' They think that if they need X-rays or specialist care, they can be attended to in the hospital right away. Some treat a visit to the ER as a family outing, with grandma, kids and maid tagging along to makan angin. They just add to the big squeeze in the waiting rooms. The crunch is no laughing matter. As the population ages, ERs are seeing an increase in bone fide emergencies. Make way! Or something's got to give. <!-- story content : start -->The Health Ministry can expand ER facilities, review operations and beef up manpower, but it can do only so much. People just have to exercise common sense about the difference between a critical, sudden ailment and a common complaint. It will save them money and leave scarce resources for cases that cannot wait. GPs have to do their part. They must win patients' trust by taking their complaints seriously. Patients tend to be more anxious about their illnesses than the symptoms show, hence the unthinking rush to a hospital.
