SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF SERANGOON POLYCLINIC, 29 NOVEMBER 2025

Mr Seah Kian Peng, Speaker of Parliament and Adviser to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC

Mr Tan Tee How, Chairman of NHG Health

Associate Professor Karen Ng, CEO of NHG Polyclinics, NHG Health

Ladies and gentlemen

         Very pleased to join you this afternoon for the official opening of Serangoon Polyclinic. We started this practice some time ago where we will do the opening ceremony on the first day of opening. We used to wait for months, which misses the point I feel. Might as well roll the pineapple today to open. But it involves some risk, because on the first day, there can be glitches. So when you do a ceremony, the Minister arrives, VIP arrives yet you have some glitch, there's always a bit of uneasiness. But I think it's more meaningful for us to officially open on the first day. So I understand at 8am everything went okay. The door didn't get stuck. Everyone came on time. First patient came, a dental patient. IT system, very importantly, behaved like clockwork. Bills are printed and generated, so well done to everyone. Thank you very much.

Unique Features

2.       Serangoon Polyclinic - this is Singapore’s largest polyclinic to date. It is thoughtfully sited, opposite NEX shopping centre, located at the heart of a vibrant and growing town, with excellent accessibility – served by two MRT lines, several bus services, within walking distance to the bus interchange.

3.       Serangoon Polyclinic sits alongside a kidney dialysis centre managed by the NKF, National Kidney Foundation. It will also house an Active Ageing Centre [AAC] (Care), managed by Home Nursing Foundation – PAP Community Foundation Sparkle Care.  This means seniors and families can access multiple services in one place, across the gradient of settings, healthcare, rehabilitation, social engagement and support. By co-locating the polyclinic and AAC (Care), we enable more integrated care, connecting polyclinic patients to exercise, to social and mental wellness activities at the AAC. I'm sure a lot more work needs to be done to make that integration seamless. So let's continue to work on that.

4.       In terms of services, it is specifically designed to serve the growing senior population here – approximately one in five is already aged 65 and above in Serangoon.

5.       Serangoon Polyclinic is the first NHG polyclinic to incorporate oral frailty care into its management of elderly patients. The new dental facility opens with six dental chairs. This is quite good, six chairs from the start, to serve residents of all ages, with capacity to expand as communities grow. The care team will conduct oral frailty screening for patients who are seniors, paying greater attention to those at higher risk of continued oral deterioration and experiencing difficulties with chewing or swallowing. As you know, our seniors have weakened teeth and it’s not surprising that we find that there’s undernourishment, and I think that’s something to do with the teeth as well.

6.       Apart from oral frailty care, NHG Polyclinic also runs “STRIVE”, as Karen mentioned, and to manage the risk of physical frailty and falls. This supports seniors with complex needs holistically through polypharmacy management, medication deprescribing, and personalised guidance on fall prevention and suitable exercises.

7.       In addition, mental health services will feature more strongly here as well. The Health and Mind Service brings together a multidisciplinary team of family physicians, nurses, psychologists and medical social workers, to address conditions such as depression, anxiety and insomnia.

8.       MOH has been emphasising the importance of family medicine, and for families to have one consistent family care team. So as Karen mentioned too, to encourage this, NHG Polyclinics will introduce this new family empanelment care model at Serangoon Polyclinic where family members will be cared for by the same care team.

9.       NHG Polyclinics is also stepping up efforts to engage caregivers as active partners in improving care delivery. Engagement is often done by volunteers, under the supervision of a Patient Advisory Council. When caregivers are better prepared, both mentally as well as skills-wise, the quality of care improves. 

Strengthening Primary Care

10.     So with the opening of Serangoon Polyclinic, we are on track to have 32 polyclinics by 2030. Each new polyclinic is a significant step in further strengthening primary care, which is key to maintaining and managing population health as our country ages.

11.     Nationally, we are driving the Healthier SG campaign, with the majority of eligible residents already enrolled. We are promoting healthier lifestyles, with more physical activity, less sodium and sugar intake. 

12.     To support Healthier SG, NHG Health, one of our three public healthcare clusters in Singapore and which Serangoon Polyclinic comes under, has embarked on the 15 Million Movement. We call it 15M Movement. It aims to add 15 Million Years of Healthy Life to the 1.5 million people it looks after and that’s ten years of quality life per person.  

13.     It is an ambitious and forward-looking vision. NHG Health is working closely with Central-North Primary Care Network (PCN), partnering General Practitioners (GPs), to focus enrolment into Healthier SG and ensure that health plans are followed up diligently. 

14.     With the emphasis on primary care anchored in communities, polyclinics like this one have been improving both in terms of physical facilities and the services they provide. Today, people visit polyclinics for a wide range of reasons, including getting health screenings, managing their chronic conditions, ensuring their infants are taken good care of in their initial years, or seeking mental health and social well-being services. Today, polyclinics are not just healthcare institutions, but community nodes to advance the well-being of residents.

15.     The evolving roles of polyclinics have also consequently led to how their operations run. Polyclinics as a whole today manage over seven million visits per year, using an appointment-booking system to minimise waiting times and optimise capacity and manpower. So sometimes we hear feedback that those unfamiliar with the online appointment booking system will be disadvantaged. Some feel it is fastest fingers first - 10pm everybody goes on. My finger is a bit slower, or my clock is a bit slow, and will be disadvantaged. I want to assure everyone: the polyclinics accept walk-ins. Never quite said that in public but today I say - we do accept walk-ins. In fact, quite a high percentage of patients everyday are walk-ins. For patients who walk in after slots are taken up, especially the very young and old, they will be triaged and assessed, and if there is an urgent need, their medical needs would be met as quickly as possible. All of our polyclinics will do that.

16.     That said, our polyclinics cannot do this alone. They need support. GPs can attend to numerous conditions and for those with CHAS cards, their services also will be subsidised. GPs are also opening longer hours, including in the evenings, weekends and public holidays.  Together, polyclinics, GPs, organised in Primary Care Networks, they form a very strong complementary system, providing patients with greater flexibility to manage their medical conditions whenever the need arises.

17.     And since we are in year-end flu season – let me add a gentle reminder: do get your flu jab, especially if you are a senior or have underlying medical conditions.  We have also made it very accessible, available at polyclinics, GPs and selected retail pharmacies, including one just next door at NEX.

18.     In closing, let me thank everyone who worked tirelessly to bring Serangoon Polyclinic come to life – from the development team and the clinical teams, to our Grassroots Advisers, who have taken a deep interest in this project and ensured the facility meets the needs of the community and its residents.

19.     It is now my pleasure to declare Serangoon Polyclinic officially open. Congratulations.