Speech by Minister of State for Health, Dr Amy Khor, at the Reopening of Geylang Polyclinic, 3 May

Prof Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth

Dr Tan Chee Beng, CEO of SingHealth Polyclinics,

Distinguished guests

Good afternoon

Introduction

I am delighted to join all of you here today at the re-opening of Geylang Polyclinic.

2. Singapore’s demographic landscape will change dramatically in the coming decades as our population grows and ages. With increasing life expectancy and more sedentary lifestyles, we face a growing burden of chronic diseases. This means that needs will shift our healthcare focus from acute care to the primary, long-term and social care sectors, and we will need to expand capacity in these areas to meet growing demand.

Singapore’s demographic landscape will change dramatically in the coming decades as our population grows and ages. With increasing life expectancy and more sedentary lifestyles, we face a growing burden of chronic diseases. This means that needs will shift our healthcare focus from acute care to the primary, long-term and social care sectors, and we will need to expand capacity in these areas to meet growing demand.

Polyclinics will play a vital role in primary care sector

3. In this light, our polyclinics will continue to play a vital role within the primary care sector, especially when it comes to serving low income patients. During the Committee of Supply debate in March 2013, Minister Gan shared that we will need to expand polyclinic capacity to meet the growing needs of our population. We will upgrade existing polyclinics to improve service delivery and build new polyclinics to serve areas where there may be gaps in coverage. Geylang polyclinic is one example of this.

Geylang Polyclinic

4. Geylang polyclinic has been serving residents for some 18 years, and today sees a significant proportion of elderly residents, with close to 30% of its patients in 2012 aged 65 and above.

5. Improvements have therefore been made to cater to the needs of elderly patients. For instance, Geylang Polyclinic will house an Ambulatory Geriatric Clinic to address elderly-related problems such as osteoporosis, dementia and reduced mobility. This will add two more consult rooms to support more patients with multiple chronic conditions, many of whom are the elderly.

6. The polyclinic has also been made more elderly-friendly. It now incorporates barrier free access throughout the premises, non-slip floors and hand-rails along corridors and common areas to prevent falls. Easy way finding is also facilitated through directional signs with large fonts and pictograms.

7. In addition to providing clinical services, polyclinics also have a key role in training the next generation of Family Physicians (FPs) as centres for Family Medicine Residency programmes. In this regard, I am pleased to note that Geylang polyclinic will be the first Singhealth polyclinic to house a dedicated Academic Family Medicine Centre for the training of doctors in Family Medicine.

8. There have been many other improvements to Geylang Polyclinic, both in terms of its infrastructure, and in terms of the services it will provide. I will leave it to the CEO of SingHealth Polyclinics, Dr Tan Chee Beng, to cover these in greater detail.

Need to involve GP sector

9. Even as we redevelop existing polyclinics and build new ones, the GP sector also plays an instrumental role in meeting the demand for primary care and in managing our population’s health. With the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), patients above 40 years of age from the low to middle income groups are able to access subsidized care in the GP sector, allowing GPs to play a greater role in the care of patients with chronic diseases.

population’s health. With the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), patients above 40 years of age from the low to middle income groups are able to access subsidized care in the GP sector, allowing GPs to play a greater role in the care of patients with chronic diseases.

10. We are also working closely with the GP sector to pilot new models of care. Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) consist of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals such as nurses and allied health professionals working alongside GPs to provide teambased care for patients with chronic diseases. Community Health Centres (CHCs) are where private GPs can refer their patients to for support services such as diabetic retinal photography, nurse counselling and physiotherapy.

11. A pilot FMC will be up in Bedok Central by the end of this year, while a CHC will open in Bedok by mid-year, in addition to the current CHC in Tampines. Along with the completed redevelopment of Geylang polyclinic, the ongoing renovation of Tampines polyclinic, and upcoming redevelopment of Bedok polyclinic, residents in the east will soon be able to enjoy these improvements in primary care services in their community.

Conclusion

12. In closing, I would like to thank Singhealth Polyclinics for your dedication and commitment towards providing quality primary care to patients, and congratulate you on the successful reopening of Geylang Polyclinic.

13. Thank you.