AVERAGE WAITING TIMES AT POLYCLINICS FOR WALK-IN PATIENTS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 852

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 07 MAY 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Vikram Nair

MP for Sembawang GRC

Question No. 2277

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what are the average waiting times at polyclinics for walk-in patients during peak and off-peak hours, and (b) whether there are plans to redistribute patient load across off-peak hours.

 Answer

1          In 2025, for walk-in patients, the median and 95^th percentile doctor consultation waiting times were 8 minutes and 72 minutes respectively. However, MOH does not track waiting times by peak versus off-peak hours, but it is likely that 95^th percentile waiting times happened during peak hours.

2          That is why it is important for us to operate on an appointment basis as much as possible, to optimise capacity and patient waiting times, and to spread out patient arrivals across the day. That said, we always schedule fewer appointments than full capacity to accommodate walk-in patients with acute medical needs.