-
IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
Serious Many Pappys don't like OngYK..not Team player.
- Thread starter SalahParking
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
from OYK facebook:
The Sembawang GRC Grassroots Advisors had a Hari Raya gathering (chill... over Zoom lah) with Bonda Bedah and Mak Temah. Not only was it a lot of fun, we all learnt a bit more about Ramadan and Hari Raya and one another!
Here’s a sneak peak! Catch the full video at Gema Syawal 2021 #RayaSikit-Sikitlah on FB Live and don’t miss the awesome performances.
LUCKY DRAW. Follow instructions in the link below to find out how to win awesome lucky draw prizes.
Lim Wee Kiak Vikram Nair Mariam Jaafar Poh Li San
#MakeSembawangSpecial
Ong Ye Kung
12 hrs ·The Sembawang GRC Grassroots Advisors had a Hari Raya gathering (chill... over Zoom lah) with Bonda Bedah and Mak Temah. Not only was it a lot of fun, we all learnt a bit more about Ramadan and Hari Raya and one another!
Here’s a sneak peak! Catch the full video at Gema Syawal 2021 #RayaSikit-Sikitlah on FB Live and don’t miss the awesome performances.
LUCKY DRAW. Follow instructions in the link below to find out how to win awesome lucky draw prizes.
Lim Wee Kiak Vikram Nair Mariam Jaafar Poh Li San
#MakeSembawangSpecial
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
from theindependent.sg:
No evidence that B1617 variant attacks children especially: Ong Ye Kung
Singapore – A week after saying that the new B1617 Covid-19 variant “appears to affect children more,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed that “there is no evidence the new variant attacks children more than adults”.
The multi-ministry task force (MTF) on Covid-19 announced on May 16 that the B1617 double-mutant variant first detected in India had been observed to affect younger children more; hence the need for schools to take a more cautious approach.
“We know that there are many new strains of the Covid-19 virus – there are various new mutations, and some of these mutations are much more virulent, and they seem to attack younger children,” said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Mr Ong, who co-chairs the task force, said that “it is true that there has been literature showing that (the B1617 strain) is more virulent. Fundamentally, you’re looking at a very contagious virus.”
As a result, schools quickly shifted to full home-based learning with proactive testing of all students once a Covid-19-positive case is detected.
On Thursday (May 27), Mr Ong took to Facebook to answer more questions regarding the variants and Covid-19 vaccination.
About the new B1617 variant, Mr Ong said, “There is no evidence that the new variant attacks children more than adults. But the new strain appears to be more transmissible, affecting both children and adults. So far, all the children with Covid-19 have mild symptoms.”
Mr Ong noted that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works “just as well for young people aged 12-15 years old”, with the United States and Canada approving its use for this age group.
“There is also a view that since the younger group tend to have milder symptoms, the risks of vaccination for adolescents and children outweigh the benefits,” said Mr Ong.
In his post, Mr Ong also highlighted that there is currently no “killed-virus” Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in children.
He referred to concerns expressed by a group of doctors in Singapore last week about mRNA vaccines not being safe for children. They released an open letter addressed to parents considering vaccinating their children.
The group then called for a “killed-virus vaccine” to be approved for use in Singapore. After the Covid-19 expert committee addressed the doctors’ concerns, reiterating that the currently approved vaccines are safe and efficacious for children, all but one of the doctors retracted their previous statement.
“Vaccination remains important for this group as young people who are infected may be transmitting the virus to the older family members at home. So please consider that too,” said Mr Ong./TISG
No evidence that B1617 variant attacks children especially: Ong Ye Kung
Singapore – A week after saying that the new B1617 Covid-19 variant “appears to affect children more,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed that “there is no evidence the new variant attacks children more than adults”.
The multi-ministry task force (MTF) on Covid-19 announced on May 16 that the B1617 double-mutant variant first detected in India had been observed to affect younger children more; hence the need for schools to take a more cautious approach.
“We know that there are many new strains of the Covid-19 virus – there are various new mutations, and some of these mutations are much more virulent, and they seem to attack younger children,” said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Mr Ong, who co-chairs the task force, said that “it is true that there has been literature showing that (the B1617 strain) is more virulent. Fundamentally, you’re looking at a very contagious virus.”
As a result, schools quickly shifted to full home-based learning with proactive testing of all students once a Covid-19-positive case is detected.
On Thursday (May 27), Mr Ong took to Facebook to answer more questions regarding the variants and Covid-19 vaccination.
About the new B1617 variant, Mr Ong said, “There is no evidence that the new variant attacks children more than adults. But the new strain appears to be more transmissible, affecting both children and adults. So far, all the children with Covid-19 have mild symptoms.”
Mr Ong noted that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works “just as well for young people aged 12-15 years old”, with the United States and Canada approving its use for this age group.
“There is also a view that since the younger group tend to have milder symptoms, the risks of vaccination for adolescents and children outweigh the benefits,” said Mr Ong.
In his post, Mr Ong also highlighted that there is currently no “killed-virus” Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in children.
He referred to concerns expressed by a group of doctors in Singapore last week about mRNA vaccines not being safe for children. They released an open letter addressed to parents considering vaccinating their children.
The group then called for a “killed-virus vaccine” to be approved for use in Singapore. After the Covid-19 expert committee addressed the doctors’ concerns, reiterating that the currently approved vaccines are safe and efficacious for children, all but one of the doctors retracted their previous statement.
“Vaccination remains important for this group as young people who are infected may be transmitting the virus to the older family members at home. So please consider that too,” said Mr Ong./TISG
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - Government healthcare spending is set to almost treble by 2030, but rising healthcare costs cannot be allowed to "cripple our future", said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in a speech released on Saturday (May 29).
Singapore should thus continue to shift healthcare emphasis away from acute hospitals and towards the community, with focus on a patient-centric approach, he added.
Less than two weeks into the job, Mr Ong was laying out plans for the healthcare industry at the Ministry of Health Work Plan Seminar on Tuesday. The event was held virtually.
Addressing more than 700 people working in healthcare, Mr Ong touched on "three beyonds" that were first mentioned at the ministry's Committee of Supply debate in 2016. These are "beyond healthcare to health", "beyond quality to value" and "beyond hospital to community".
He emphasised the last one and said patients will benefit from less hassle, greater accessibility to care, and lower cost.
"The centre of gravity must shift away from the acute care hospital, towards the community, with focus on appropriate care in the right setting," he said.
"That way, our already heavily loaded hospitals can then focus on patients who need specialist care, or emergency cases.
"At the same time, numerous primary healthcare providers in the community can take on larger roles."
Mr Ong added that private general practitioners (GPs) can become an integral part of "the continuum for healthcare", alongside polyclinics - already regarded as community institutions.
"A GP's care for his patient goes beyond the four walls of his private clinic," he said.
"He can be the village doctor (who) understands the patient and his family, helps them manage chronic diseases; the confidant (whom) stubborn family members listen to; and often the link to the wider healthcare network."
Pharmacists, too, can play an important role such as in educating patients on the proper use of medication to reduce hospital re-admissions, said Mr Ong, while nurses trained in diagnosing and managing common medical conditions can order tests and prescribe medicines, saving patients time and cost.
The minister also said patients in rehabilitation should "step up" and not "step down" to community hospitals and long-term care facilities.
He said multidisciplinary teams can provide "the right care at the right site" for medically stable patients in those facilities.
Mr Ong made these comments after addressing rapidly rising government spending on healthcare, which has doubled from 2010 and is projected to almost treble by the end of this decade.
Healthcare expenditure is set to hit $59.1 billion in 2030, up from $20.7 billion in 2018 and $10.5 billion in 2010.
"The exponential rise is worrying," said Mr Ong, adding that taming healthcare costs is not about denying quality healthcare, but about spending wisely and effectively and reducing wastage.
He laid out several approaches to managing rising costs under his ministry's "beyond quality to value" approach.
First, the costs of drugs and treatments have to be contained, he said.
A list of cost-effective drugs and treatments will have to be identified and maintained. This will then be aligned with subsidy frameworks and insurance claim limits.
There will be negotiations with suppliers to ensure prices charged match the outcomes they deliver, said Mr Ong.
Second, an element of co-payment has to be maintained in insurance schemes, to prevent cost inflation, he said.
"Once there is some skin in the game, consumers will exercise prudence in healthcare spending and doctors will exercise more discretion in recommending the appropriate treatments."
Mr Ong also said the "beyond healthcare to health" approach will continue to be pursued, with intervention going upstream to encourage healthier lifestyles.
"The Health Promotion Board and our (healthcare) clusters must integrate their efforts and do what it takes to reshape lifestyles," he said.
"After all, we are Ministry of Health, not healthcare."
Emphasis should shift from hospital to community care in taming healthcare spending: Ong Ye Kung
SINGAPORE - Government healthcare spending is set to almost treble by 2030, but rising healthcare costs cannot be allowed to "cripple our future", said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in a speech released on Saturday (May 29).
Singapore should thus continue to shift healthcare emphasis away from acute hospitals and towards the community, with focus on a patient-centric approach, he added.
Less than two weeks into the job, Mr Ong was laying out plans for the healthcare industry at the Ministry of Health Work Plan Seminar on Tuesday. The event was held virtually.
Addressing more than 700 people working in healthcare, Mr Ong touched on "three beyonds" that were first mentioned at the ministry's Committee of Supply debate in 2016. These are "beyond healthcare to health", "beyond quality to value" and "beyond hospital to community".
He emphasised the last one and said patients will benefit from less hassle, greater accessibility to care, and lower cost.
"The centre of gravity must shift away from the acute care hospital, towards the community, with focus on appropriate care in the right setting," he said.
"That way, our already heavily loaded hospitals can then focus on patients who need specialist care, or emergency cases.
"At the same time, numerous primary healthcare providers in the community can take on larger roles."
Mr Ong added that private general practitioners (GPs) can become an integral part of "the continuum for healthcare", alongside polyclinics - already regarded as community institutions.
"A GP's care for his patient goes beyond the four walls of his private clinic," he said.
"He can be the village doctor (who) understands the patient and his family, helps them manage chronic diseases; the confidant (whom) stubborn family members listen to; and often the link to the wider healthcare network."
Pharmacists, too, can play an important role such as in educating patients on the proper use of medication to reduce hospital re-admissions, said Mr Ong, while nurses trained in diagnosing and managing common medical conditions can order tests and prescribe medicines, saving patients time and cost.
The minister also said patients in rehabilitation should "step up" and not "step down" to community hospitals and long-term care facilities.
He said multidisciplinary teams can provide "the right care at the right site" for medically stable patients in those facilities.
Mr Ong made these comments after addressing rapidly rising government spending on healthcare, which has doubled from 2010 and is projected to almost treble by the end of this decade.
Healthcare expenditure is set to hit $59.1 billion in 2030, up from $20.7 billion in 2018 and $10.5 billion in 2010.
"The exponential rise is worrying," said Mr Ong, adding that taming healthcare costs is not about denying quality healthcare, but about spending wisely and effectively and reducing wastage.
He laid out several approaches to managing rising costs under his ministry's "beyond quality to value" approach.
First, the costs of drugs and treatments have to be contained, he said.
A list of cost-effective drugs and treatments will have to be identified and maintained. This will then be aligned with subsidy frameworks and insurance claim limits.
There will be negotiations with suppliers to ensure prices charged match the outcomes they deliver, said Mr Ong.
Second, an element of co-payment has to be maintained in insurance schemes, to prevent cost inflation, he said.
"Once there is some skin in the game, consumers will exercise prudence in healthcare spending and doctors will exercise more discretion in recommending the appropriate treatments."
Mr Ong also said the "beyond healthcare to health" approach will continue to be pursued, with intervention going upstream to encourage healthier lifestyles.
"The Health Promotion Board and our (healthcare) clusters must integrate their efforts and do what it takes to reshape lifestyles," he said.
"After all, we are Ministry of Health, not healthcare."
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - The current three-cluster healthcare system here should not be further reviewed, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said, as he laid out plans for the healthcare industry at the Ministry of Health (MOH) Work Plan Seminar on Tuesday (May 25).
The last reorganisation of these clusters was announced in January 2017, with six clusters merged into three – National University Health System (NUHS), National Healthcare Group (NHG) and SingHealth.
“There are pros and cons to being big or small. Big clusters have scale and comprehensive capabilities. Small hospitals can be agile and innovative,” said Mr Ong, who took over the health portfolio on May 15.
“We should continue with the structure that we have.”
He added: “Within each cluster, we will have to find ways to make space for skunkworks and make unorthodox ideas become mainstream. Bring out the best of both worlds.”
As part of the last restructuring, three of the existing clusters in 2017 were merged with larger ones, based on location. This process was completed about a year later.
MOH had said in 2017 that the reorganisation would allow public healthcare institutions to deploy their resources and capabilities more efficiently, and also offer employees a wider and deeper range of professional development opportunities.
With the change, each of the three final clusters has offered a fuller range of services, encompassing acute hospital care, primary care and community care. Each cluster has a medical school.
For instance, NUHS currently runs the National University Hospital and six polyclinics in the west, NHG operates Tan Tock Seng Hospital and six polyclinics in the central region, while SingHealth runs Singapore General Hospital and eight polyclinics in the east.
All three clusters are expected to grow, with NHG set to operate Woodlands Health Campus, which will include an acute hospital and a community hospital, when it opens progressively from 2023.
SingHealth will run a similar integrated facility in Bedok North from around 2030.
Meanwhile, 12 new polyclinics will be added to the current 20 by 2030. These include Bukit Panjang Polyclinic, which will open by the end of this year and be run by NUHS.
Mr Ong said that rather than spending time reviewing the current cluster system, the ministry should press on with approaches it first laid out in 2016.
The approaches seek to shift the focus towards general health instead of healthcare, allow patients to receive care in the community and avoid hospital admissions, and increase care quality while ensuring value for money.
These will help to address long-term issues like rising government healthcare expenditure and heavily loaded hospitals.
Mr Ong said healthcare expenditure is set to hit $59.1 billion in 2030, up from $20.7 billion in 2018 and $10.5 billion in 2010. The 2030 figure will form about 16 per cent of the Government’s yearly Budget, up from 12 per cent currently.
The Urgent Care Centre in Admiralty sees patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. PHOTO: WOODLANDS HEALTH CAMPUS
When system engineer Loh Xiu Hui's right foot swelled up after tripping at home two months ago, she consulted her general practitioner (GP) in Sembawang, but he was unable to diagnose the injury without an X-ray.
She was referred to the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) beside Admiralty MRT station the same day.
It is one station from where the GP clinic is located. She had an X-ray done there and was diagnosed with a fractured toe.
Her foot was placed in a cast and she was put on crutches. In total, she paid about $300 in consultation fees and for the medical equipment.
Ms Loh, 24, was one of the approximately 4,000 patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions treated at the UCC since its opening last September.
The UCC at Admiralty, the only one in Singapore, is jointly operated by the Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).
Dr Lim Eng Koon, the centre's clinical director, said: "The majority of our patients' conditions belong to the mild and moderate categories.
"We generally see patients who require urgent medical attention but whose conditions are not life-threatening."
About 15 per cent of patients were referred to it by GPs, with the rest being walk-ins.
The centre complements the Ministry of Health's GPFirst programme, which encourages people with mild to moderate medical conditions to visit their GPs first, rather than going directly to the emergency departments in hospitals.
Launched in Changi General Hospital in 2014, the GPFirst programme was first introduced in the central region last year through the UCC and KTPH.
Patients referred to the centre by GP clinics participating in the programme receive a $50 waiver off the total fee at the centre.
Dr Lim said the medical centre largely sees minor injuries, suspected fractures, acute respiratory infections, the common cold, stomach flu and abdominal pain - which make up about a fifth of all cases there.
He said that by treating such patients who require an intermediate level of care, the centre assists emergency departments in preserving resources for those who need them most.
Ms Loh said her waiting and consultation time totalled an hour.
"If I had been sent to the accident and emergency department instead, my condition probably would not have been considered critical, so I could have waited longer," she said.
The centre charges a basic fee of $90 for Singaporeans and $105 for permanent residents and foreigners, with additional charges subject to the services provided.
Three-cluster healthcare system should not be further reviewed: Ong Ye Kung
SINGAPORE - The current three-cluster healthcare system here should not be further reviewed, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said, as he laid out plans for the healthcare industry at the Ministry of Health (MOH) Work Plan Seminar on Tuesday (May 25).
The last reorganisation of these clusters was announced in January 2017, with six clusters merged into three – National University Health System (NUHS), National Healthcare Group (NHG) and SingHealth.
“There are pros and cons to being big or small. Big clusters have scale and comprehensive capabilities. Small hospitals can be agile and innovative,” said Mr Ong, who took over the health portfolio on May 15.
“We should continue with the structure that we have.”
He added: “Within each cluster, we will have to find ways to make space for skunkworks and make unorthodox ideas become mainstream. Bring out the best of both worlds.”
As part of the last restructuring, three of the existing clusters in 2017 were merged with larger ones, based on location. This process was completed about a year later.
MOH had said in 2017 that the reorganisation would allow public healthcare institutions to deploy their resources and capabilities more efficiently, and also offer employees a wider and deeper range of professional development opportunities.
With the change, each of the three final clusters has offered a fuller range of services, encompassing acute hospital care, primary care and community care. Each cluster has a medical school.
For instance, NUHS currently runs the National University Hospital and six polyclinics in the west, NHG operates Tan Tock Seng Hospital and six polyclinics in the central region, while SingHealth runs Singapore General Hospital and eight polyclinics in the east.
All three clusters are expected to grow, with NHG set to operate Woodlands Health Campus, which will include an acute hospital and a community hospital, when it opens progressively from 2023.
SingHealth will run a similar integrated facility in Bedok North from around 2030.
Meanwhile, 12 new polyclinics will be added to the current 20 by 2030. These include Bukit Panjang Polyclinic, which will open by the end of this year and be run by NUHS.
Mr Ong said that rather than spending time reviewing the current cluster system, the ministry should press on with approaches it first laid out in 2016.
The approaches seek to shift the focus towards general health instead of healthcare, allow patients to receive care in the community and avoid hospital admissions, and increase care quality while ensuring value for money.
These will help to address long-term issues like rising government healthcare expenditure and heavily loaded hospitals.
Mr Ong said healthcare expenditure is set to hit $59.1 billion in 2030, up from $20.7 billion in 2018 and $10.5 billion in 2010. The 2030 figure will form about 16 per cent of the Government’s yearly Budget, up from 12 per cent currently.
Urgent Care Centre sees 4,000 patients in 8 months
When system engineer Loh Xiu Hui's right foot swelled up after tripping at home two months ago, she consulted her general practitioner (GP) in Sembawang, but he was unable to diagnose the injury without an X-ray.
She was referred to the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) beside Admiralty MRT station the same day.
It is one station from where the GP clinic is located. She had an X-ray done there and was diagnosed with a fractured toe.
Her foot was placed in a cast and she was put on crutches. In total, she paid about $300 in consultation fees and for the medical equipment.
Ms Loh, 24, was one of the approximately 4,000 patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions treated at the UCC since its opening last September.
The UCC at Admiralty, the only one in Singapore, is jointly operated by the Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).
Dr Lim Eng Koon, the centre's clinical director, said: "The majority of our patients' conditions belong to the mild and moderate categories.
"We generally see patients who require urgent medical attention but whose conditions are not life-threatening."
About 15 per cent of patients were referred to it by GPs, with the rest being walk-ins.
The centre complements the Ministry of Health's GPFirst programme, which encourages people with mild to moderate medical conditions to visit their GPs first, rather than going directly to the emergency departments in hospitals.
Launched in Changi General Hospital in 2014, the GPFirst programme was first introduced in the central region last year through the UCC and KTPH.
Patients referred to the centre by GP clinics participating in the programme receive a $50 waiver off the total fee at the centre.
Dr Lim said the medical centre largely sees minor injuries, suspected fractures, acute respiratory infections, the common cold, stomach flu and abdominal pain - which make up about a fifth of all cases there.
He said that by treating such patients who require an intermediate level of care, the centre assists emergency departments in preserving resources for those who need them most.
Ms Loh said her waiting and consultation time totalled an hour.
"If I had been sent to the accident and emergency department instead, my condition probably would not have been considered critical, so I could have waited longer," she said.
The centre charges a basic fee of $90 for Singaporeans and $105 for permanent residents and foreigners, with additional charges subject to the services provided.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2020
- Messages
- 9,153
- Points
- 113
fucking small island with only 2.5m sinkies need 3 corporationsfrom straitstimes.com:
Three-cluster healthcare system should not be further reviewed: Ong Ye Kung
SINGAPORE - The current three-cluster healthcare system here should not be further reviewed, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said, as he laid out plans for the healthcare industry at the Ministry of Health (MOH) Work Plan Seminar on Tuesday (May 25).
The last reorganisation of these clusters was announced in January 2017, with six clusters merged into three – National University Health System (NUHS), National Healthcare Group (NHG) and SingHealth.
“There are pros and cons to being big or small. Big clusters have scale and comprehensive capabilities. Small hospitals can be agile and innovative,” said Mr Ong, who took over the health portfolio on May 15.
“We should continue with the structure that we have.”
He added: “Within each cluster, we will have to find ways to make space for skunkworks and make unorthodox ideas become mainstream. Bring out the best of both worlds.”
As part of the last restructuring, three of the existing clusters in 2017 were merged with larger ones, based on location. This process was completed about a year later.
MOH had said in 2017 that the reorganisation would allow public healthcare institutions to deploy their resources and capabilities more efficiently, and also offer employees a wider and deeper range of professional development opportunities.
With the change, each of the three final clusters has offered a fuller range of services, encompassing acute hospital care, primary care and community care. Each cluster has a medical school.
For instance, NUHS currently runs the National University Hospital and six polyclinics in the west, NHG operates Tan Tock Seng Hospital and six polyclinics in the central region, while SingHealth runs Singapore General Hospital and eight polyclinics in the east.
All three clusters are expected to grow, with NHG set to operate Woodlands Health Campus, which will include an acute hospital and a community hospital, when it opens progressively from 2023.
SingHealth will run a similar integrated facility in Bedok North from around 2030.
Meanwhile, 12 new polyclinics will be added to the current 20 by 2030. These include Bukit Panjang Polyclinic, which will open by the end of this year and be run by NUHS.
Mr Ong said that rather than spending time reviewing the current cluster system, the ministry should press on with approaches it first laid out in 2016.
The approaches seek to shift the focus towards general health instead of healthcare, allow patients to receive care in the community and avoid hospital admissions, and increase care quality while ensuring value for money.
These will help to address long-term issues like rising government healthcare expenditure and heavily loaded hospitals.
Mr Ong said healthcare expenditure is set to hit $59.1 billion in 2030, up from $20.7 billion in 2018 and $10.5 billion in 2010. The 2030 figure will form about 16 per cent of the Government’s yearly Budget, up from 12 per cent currently.
View attachment 112391
Urgent Care Centre sees 4,000 patients in 8 months
The Urgent Care Centre in Admiralty sees patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. PHOTO: WOODLANDS HEALTH CAMPUS
When system engineer Loh Xiu Hui's right foot swelled up after tripping at home two months ago, she consulted her general practitioner (GP) in Sembawang, but he was unable to diagnose the injury without an X-ray.
She was referred to the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) beside Admiralty MRT station the same day.
It is one station from where the GP clinic is located. She had an X-ray done there and was diagnosed with a fractured toe.
Her foot was placed in a cast and she was put on crutches. In total, she paid about $300 in consultation fees and for the medical equipment.
Ms Loh, 24, was one of the approximately 4,000 patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions treated at the UCC since its opening last September.
The UCC at Admiralty, the only one in Singapore, is jointly operated by the Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).
Dr Lim Eng Koon, the centre's clinical director, said: "The majority of our patients' conditions belong to the mild and moderate categories.
"We generally see patients who require urgent medical attention but whose conditions are not life-threatening."
About 15 per cent of patients were referred to it by GPs, with the rest being walk-ins.
The centre complements the Ministry of Health's GPFirst programme, which encourages people with mild to moderate medical conditions to visit their GPs first, rather than going directly to the emergency departments in hospitals.
Launched in Changi General Hospital in 2014, the GPFirst programme was first introduced in the central region last year through the UCC and KTPH.
Patients referred to the centre by GP clinics participating in the programme receive a $50 waiver off the total fee at the centre.
Dr Lim said the medical centre largely sees minor injuries, suspected fractures, acute respiratory infections, the common cold, stomach flu and abdominal pain - which make up about a fifth of all cases there.
He said that by treating such patients who require an intermediate level of care, the centre assists emergency departments in preserving resources for those who need them most.
Ms Loh said her waiting and consultation time totalled an hour.
"If I had been sent to the accident and emergency department instead, my condition probably would not have been considered critical, so I could have waited longer," she said.
The centre charges a basic fee of $90 for Singaporeans and $105 for permanent residents and foreigners, with additional charges subject to the services provided.
View attachment 112392
creating excess duplication from highly paid senior management to many unnecessary departments. end up health care costs increass for ordinary peasants
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2011
- Messages
- 23,788
- Points
- 113
Don't you want competition according to pap it drives down costs and creates efficiencies.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
Don't you want competition according to pap it drives down costs and creates efficiencies.
If there is no competition, I worry.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 89,158
- Points
- 113
from OYK facebook:
Love, rationality and the march of time are powerful forces that drive up escalating healthcare costs all over the world.
We are not spared. At MOH Work Plan Seminar held virtually this week, I sketched our focus.
For the short term, overcome COVID-19.
For the longer term – make sure our healthcare system remains affordable to all. We need to spend wisely, effectively, reduce wastage and not let rising healthcare costs cripple us.
Much good work has already started. Some of the areas that we must continue to press on:
1) Contain the cost of drugs and treatments
2) Rein in cost inflation fuelled by healthcare insurance
3) Deliver affordable and quality healthcare – more patient-centric
4) Shift centre of gravity from acute care in hospitals to community care
I will be speaking to many of our experts in the coming weeks and months, to get their views, ideas and insights.
For more details of my speech, please visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/…/ministry-of-health-work-plan-semin…
Ong Ye Kung
13 hrs·Love, rationality and the march of time are powerful forces that drive up escalating healthcare costs all over the world.
We are not spared. At MOH Work Plan Seminar held virtually this week, I sketched our focus.
For the short term, overcome COVID-19.
For the longer term – make sure our healthcare system remains affordable to all. We need to spend wisely, effectively, reduce wastage and not let rising healthcare costs cripple us.
Much good work has already started. Some of the areas that we must continue to press on:
1) Contain the cost of drugs and treatments
2) Rein in cost inflation fuelled by healthcare insurance
3) Deliver affordable and quality healthcare – more patient-centric
4) Shift centre of gravity from acute care in hospitals to community care
I will be speaking to many of our experts in the coming weeks and months, to get their views, ideas and insights.
For more details of my speech, please visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/…/ministry-of-health-work-plan-semin…
Similar threads
