Primary Healthcare Services
Primary care is the foundation of our healthcare system. As the first line of care in the community, our primary care professionals are often the first point of contact with patients. They provide holistic and personalised care for patients of different age groups. They treat acute conditions such as upper respiratory tract infections, manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and keep the population healthy through preventive measures such as targeted health screening. They also help to coordinate patients' care with other providers and help patients who require more specialised medical attention to navigate the healthcare system.
In Singapore, primary care is provided through an island-wide network of outpatient polyclinics and clinics run by private general practitioners (GPs). There are currently 23 polyclinics and about 1,800 GP clinics.
GP Clinics
There are about 1,800 GP clinics, which meet about 80% of the total primary care demand. These range from solo practices to medium and large corporate groups. In recent years, MOH has been working more closely with GPs to ensure that Singaporeans have access to affordable and quality healthcare in the community. This is aligned with the key principles of Family Medicine and the role of the Family Physician as the life-long health partner of patients, for preventive, acute and chronic care.
To enable patients to enjoy better chronic disease management, and support GPs in providing holistic and team-based chronic care for patients in the community, MOH has developed Community Health Centres (CHCs) since 2010, which provide support services to help GPs better manage common chronic diseases. From 2013, Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) have also been developed as a new private GP model to provide medical care with support services under one roof for chronic disease management. More recently, MOH has also launched the Primary Care Networks (PCN) scheme to anchor effective chronic disease management in primary care through the organisation of like-minded GPs into a network. Please click here for more information on PCN.
Please click here for more information on healthcare schemes and subsidies (including primary care).
Polyclinics
As ‘one-stop’ healthcare centres, the 23 polyclinics are located throughout the country, and provide subsidised primary care, which includes primary medical treatment, preventive healthcare and health education.
Common primary care services include:
- Outpatient medical treatment
- Medical follow-ups after discharge from hospital
- Maternal and child health
- Immunisation
- Health screening and education
- Diagnostic and pharmaceutical services