Clementi Polyclinic to move to new site with larger space

​Clementi Polyclinic would be moving to a standalone site at Commonwealth Avenue West by 2027. The new building would be larger than its current premises and offer a wider range of medical services, including those catered to seniors. Dr Anandan Gerard Thiagarajah, head of Clementi Polyclinic, said that having its own space would also allow the polyclinic to better control the flow of patients, which is especially important in pandemic situations. SMS (MOH and MCI) Janil Puthucheary revealed the location of the revamped polyclinic on 1 Jun during a tour of the current premises. He also announced that the brand new polyclinic in Taman Jurong would be located on Corporation Drive, the site of the former West Point Hospital. 

Similar stories:

• ST Online, 1 June 2022, Clementi Polyclinic to move to Commonwealth Avenue West by 2027
  
• Lianhe Zaobao, 2 June 2022, Clementi Polyclinic to move to new site nearby in 2027金文泰综合诊疗所2027年搬往附近 达曼裕廊新综合诊疗所设在康裕医院旧址 
• TODAY Online, 1 June 2022, Clementi Polyclinic to be redeveloped at new site 650m away from current location
  
• CNA Online, 1 June 2022, Clementi Polyclinic to be redeveloped at new site 650m away from current location
  

Hot In The City

Straits Times reported that doctors have cautioned the public against heat-related health risks as Singapore would be facing weeks-long heat and drier weather that was expected to persist till September. Healthcare providers, including the National University Polyclinics (NUP), observed an increase in patients with heat-related injuries and have been seeing a rise in patients with mild conditions such as heat rashes and eczema flare-ups.

A/Prof Jason Lee from Department of Physiology, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, urged that outdoor workers, which include cleaners and construction workers, should be given more rest breaks, cooling options and shelter.

Several experts shared tips to avoid heat stress as well as common treatments for heat injury cases. These included Dr Keith Ho, Head, Urgent Care Centre, Alexandra Hospital and Senior Consultant, Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, and Dr Loh Jun Hao, Family Physician, Jurong Polyclinic, NUP.

• Straits Times Online, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks as mercury rises

• The New Paper, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks as mercury rises

• Asia News Day, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks with sweltering heat expected for rest of the month

More NUP Polyclinics to offer mental health and geriatric services

​Three more National University Polyclinics (NUP) would offer psychiatric services for mild to moderate forms of common mental health issues and would also help relieve the increasing load at hospitals. Meanwhile, the Jurong and Pioneer polyclinics would offer geriatric services probably from September, as more family physicians and nurse care managers are being trained on how to identify and manage frailty in seniors. The programme was initiated by Dr Lydia Au, head of geriatric medicine at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. The programme began in Bukit Batok Polyclinic and then Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic in 2019. Alexandra Hospital in early 2021 started a similar programme in Queenstown Polyclinic and Clementi Polyclinic. From July 2019 till March 2022, the programme had completed the assessment of 300 patients. These plans, which National University Health System briefly shared to mark the World Family Doctor Day on 19 May, were in line with the preventive healthcare strategy known as Healthier SG that the Ministry of Health announced in March.

• Straits Times Online, 26 May 2022, More NUP polyclinics to offer mental health and geriatric services

• Lianhe Zaobao, 19 May 2022, Page 10, 200 general practitioners in the West Region trained to care for the mentally ill patients, 西部全科医生受训照料精神病患

• Lianhe Zaobao, 19 May 2022, Page 10, 200 general practitioners in the West Region trained to care for the mentally ill parents, 医院助评估  家庭医生及早辨认老人病

• Asia News Day, 18 May 2022, More NUP Polyclinics to offer mental health and geriatric services

• 8world, 18 May 2022, NUHS to get more GP trained in geriatrics and mental health

国大医学组织推行灵活工作安排 让医护人员兼顾工作家庭 (NUHS implements flexible work arrangements, allowing healthcare workers to juggle career and family)

​National University Health System has been named one of The Straits Times' "Best Employers in Singapore 2022" for providing employees with flexible working arrangements that help them balance work, family and personal responsibilities, while maintaining career development opportunities.

 The article featured Ms Liew Ming Lee, Senior Staff Nurse, National University Polyclinics, who left nursing in 2015 but re-joined National University Polyclinics in 2019 as an admin staff. Ms Liew's calling to return to nursing came when she was posted to support at the Swab Isolation Facilities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Being a registered nurse, she felt that she should be practising and putting to use her licence and knowledge. Ms Liew's supervisors supported her decision and prepared her for the transition to return to clinical practice by sending her for relevant courses and in-house trainings. Ms Liew is currently a Care Manager at Bukit Panjang Polyclinic. She works within a medical team that attends to patients with chronic diseases.

Ms Jancy Mathews, Chief Nurse, National University Polyclinics, said that National University Polyclinics hopes that all employees will be able to reach their full potential and that they are supportive of Ms Liew to return to the clinical position.

The article also featured Ms Jamie Tan, a staff nurse with National University Hospital's Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, who pursued a career in events management after her nursing diploma, but decided to sign up as an nursing volunteer at the Tuas South Community Care Facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from her nursing lead at Community Care Facility, Ms Tan has joined National University Hospital's Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute for two years, enthusiastically involved in the care of young patients.   

What not to eat when you are down with Covid-19

Dietitian Bernice Tan from NUP gave expert advice and tips on diet and food intake in a feature write-up by ST LIFE! on self-care post and in the midst of COVID-19 infection. She recommends that patients have a healthy balanced diet to boost energy and facilitate speedy recovery. She also offers practical advice for people who want to manage their diets well, while recovering from the virus.

Ms Tan suggests that people who are struggling to eat their usual food portions can have healthy snacks two to three hours after their main meals, to make sure they are getting enough nutrients. She also offers more tips on foods to avoid.

NUH, St Luke's Hospital and Alexandra Hospital to implement next-gen EMR

​Healthcare IT News reported that National University Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital are set to move to a new electronic medical records system called the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) on 26 February. An integrated system that will harmonise processes across St. Luke’s Hospital, National University Health System and National Healthcare Group, NGEMR will enable more efficient care management and delivery, help to bring down costs and the need for repeat tests when patients switch providers. It was first set up at the JurongHealth Campus in April 2020, followed by a second round of implementations at National University Polyclinics between September and November 2020.

丑去来寅来人益健 牛奔虎跃春愈新 (Usher in the Year of the Tiger with good health)

Dr Alexander Yip, Gastroenterology Consultant at Alexandra Hospital, provided advice on what types of food are good for a healthy gut to usher in the lunar new year.

Ms Lynette Goh, Principal Dietitian at National University Polyclinics, also shared advice on how to safely handle and store leftover food from the new year feasting.

Covid-19 ‘virtual wards’ allow more patients to recover at home

Dr Stephanie Ko, Consultant, Division of Advanced Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital (NUH), said that the National University Health System (NUHS) COVID-19 Virtual Ward has helped more than 500 patients so far, saving 3,500 bed days since September 2021. The Virtual Ward has enrolled several Omicron cases and it is prepared to help with bed capacity if the COVID-19 surge hits. Dr Ko explained that treatment is similar to a COVID-19 treatment facility or hospital – with doctors and nurses doing ward rounds daily or every other day through teleconsultation and to ensure that patients measure their vital signs routinely.

Around half of the NUHS COVID-19 Virtual Ward patients were referred from one of NUHS cluster's three hospitals – NUH, Alexandra Hospital or Ng Teng Fong General Hospital –  after a period of hospital stay. The other half were referred directly from community providers such as National University Polyclinics or the Case Management Task Group at Ministry of Health, for patients who were at home and wished to continue recovery at home rather than go to a facility.

• The New Paper, 4 January 2022, Covid patients not eligible for home recovery can now do so with 'virtual wards'

• Berita Harian, 6 January 2022, ‘Wad maya’ bolehkan pesakit Covid-19 pulih di rumah di bawah pemantaunan (‘Virtual ward’ allows Covid-19 patients to recover at home under monitoring)

• GoodyFeed, 6 January 2022, Thereare now ‘Virtual Hospital Wards’ for some COVID-19 patients

向女皇镇综合诊疗所医护人员致谢 (Thank you to the medical team at Queenstown Polyclinic)

​A patient wrote in to compliment three staff members from Queenstown Polyclinic – Dr Joyce Pang, Ms Arumugam Kunavathy, and Ms Chng Ling Li – for their excellent service and patient care. The patient has also felt that the service attitude of doctors, nurses, and other staff in public hospitals and clinics has been consistently improving over the years.

Get tested for hearing problems at 3 community clinics

​Three community hearing clinics have been set up in a pilot scheme by NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Hospital and Singapore General Hospital to make it more convenient for people to seek hearing services. The clinics located at Pioneer Polyclinic, Tiong Bahru Community Health Centre and SingHealth Tower leverage a new boothless method that eliminates the cost of sound-proofing rooms. The creation of the clinics also aligns with Singapore's strategy of shifting emphasis away from hospital care.

Mediacorp Channel 8 news and Lianhe Zaobao featured Dr Jenny Loo, Chief Audiologist, National University Hospital, who shared that hearing impairment can lead to cognitive decline, dementia, depression and other problems, and it should not be ignored. The boothless method uses relatively simple equipment to replace the traditional way of hearing test, and the results are the same. She added that the new clinics help to reduce waiting time for patients from about two to three months to one month for the hearing services.

Prof William Hal Martin, Professor of Otolarngology and Public Health, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said that with the enhanced cost effectiveness and portability of the new devices, hearing care can be made more accessible

Two National University Hospital patients shared their positive experience from the community hearing services at Pioneer Polyclinic.

• Lianhe Zaobao, 27 October 2021, Page 6, 听力测试与佩戴助听器服务走入邻里 社区听力诊所助年长者耳听八方 (Hearing test and hearing aid service walks into neighbourhood; Community hearing clinics helps seniors hear from all directions)
• Mediacorp 8world, 26 October 2021, 年长人士今后可在邻里接受听力测试 (Seniors can take hearing tests in the community)
• Channel 8 news, 26 October 2021, 6.30pm & 10pm, 年长人士今后可在邻里接受听力测试(Seniors can take hearing tests in the community)
• CNA, 27 October 2021, Singapore Tonight, 10pm, Boothless method brings affordable testing to those with hearing problems
• Suria news, 26 October 2021, 8pm, 3 klinik pendengaran masyarakat mudahkan warga emas dapatkan pemeriksaan pendengaran (3 community hearing clinics make it easy for seniors to get hearing checks)
• Berita Harian Online, 26 October 2021, Golongan bermasalah pendengaran boleh jalani ujian pengesanan di tiga klinik masyarakat dalam skim perintis (The hearing impaired can go for hearing tests at three community clinics under pilot programme)
• Capital 95.8FM news, 26 October 2021, 6pm, 本地医院试行新技术 无需隔音室就能进行听力检测 (Local hospitals implement new hearing test method without need for sound insulated rooms)
• Tamil Murasu, 27 October 2021, Page 2, செவி ஆற்றல் பிரச்சினை உள்ளோருக்கு சிறப்பு ஏற்பாடு (People with hearing issues can get diagnosed at three community clinics in pilot scheme)

NUHS hospitals, polyclinics to get teleconsultation service on app

With just a click of a button on the OneNUHS App, a patient can attend a video consultation with a clinician and have medications delivered to their doorstep. This is enabled using the one-stop app jointly developed by National University Health System (NUHS) and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), which provides patients with greater convenience and saves on travel and wait time.

The OneNUHS App is the first mobile app by a public healthcare cluster to provide teleconsult functionality.  Alexandra Hospital (AH) has been using the mobile video TeleConsult feature since end August 2021. To date, some 100 patients have tried out the feature. Plans are also underway to introduce the feature to National University Polyclinics (NUP) patients in February 2022, as well as National University Hospital (NUH) and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) within the next year.

The Straits Times quoted Ms Clara Sin, Chief Operating Officer, Group Service Transformation & Medical Records, NUHS, who commented that the introduction of the teleconsultation feature is especially timely, considering the COVID-19 situation. NUHS wants to ensure continuity of care for all patients and save them the trouble of travelling physically to the hospital, especially elderly patients. Lianhe Zaobao quoted Mr Peter Forbes, Group Chief Digital Officer, NUHS, who shared that NUHS is currently performing around 6,500 teleconsultations per month and hopes that by December 2021, at least 90 per cent of patients scheduled for teleconsult at AH will benefit from the app.

Mediacorp Channel 8 also quoted Dr Ivan Chan, Director, Group Digital Office, NUHS, who said that among the 100 AH patients who have benefited from the app's TeleConsult feature, more than half were young patients; one quarter were between 50 to 64 years old and 11 per cent were 65 years and above. Dr Teng Gim Gee, Senior Consultant, Rheumatology and Head of Chronic Programme, AH added that patients suitable for teleconsultation include those with stable chronic conditions such as chronic kidney, liver or heart diseases, as well as those with hypertension, diabetes or arthritis.

• The Straits Times Online, 21 October 2021
• YouTube, 22 October 2021
• Channel NewsAsia, 22 October 2021
• Mediacorp, Channel 8, 21 October 2021
• Mediacorp, Channel 5, 21 October 2021
• Mediacorp, 8world, 21 October 2021
• Lianhe Zaobao, 21 October 2021
• Lianhe Wanbao, 22 October 2021
• Berita Mediacorp, 21 October 2021
• Mediacorp Vasantham, 21 October 2021
• Tamil Murasu, 22 October 2021
• Shin Min Daily News, 21 October 2021
• Asia Newsday, 21 October 2021

New Bukit Panjang Polyclinic has dental, women's and children's health services

Bukit Panjang Polyclinic was officially opened by the Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung on 2 Oct 2021. With the new polyclinic, Bukit Panjang residents now have easier access to healthcare, closer to home. It is co-located with Senja Care Home and Vanguard Senior Care (Senja), spanning three floors. In addition to the clinical treatment of acute conditions, chronic disease management, and women’s and children’s health services, the polyclinic also provides dental services and a suite of allied health services.

Bukit Panjang Polyclinic Officially Opens

​Bukit Panjang Polyclinic was officially opened by the Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung today. With the new polyclinic, Bukit Panjang residents now have easier access to healthcare, closer to home.

Drinking too much?

Dr Lui Yit Shiang, Senior Consultant, Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital (NUH) commented that it is important to think of addiction as a medical problem.  He shared there is scientific explanation behind "the craving, vacillating habitual behaviours, uncontrolled suffering and conflicting self-conscience to stop".

Dr Sarah Lau, Family Medicine Resident, National University Health System (NUHS) who was the lead author of the paper "Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use in General Practice", published in the Singapore Medical Journal shared that patients often do not recognise that they have a problem.  They may not know what the recommended limits for alcohol intake are, and may not realise that they are drinking excessively.

Her co-author, Dr Sky Koh, Family Physician, National University Polyclinics (NUP), added that primary care physicians would likely see a lot of patients with alcohol disorder, but such patients often go undetected because there are no clear clinical guidelines to screen for this.

• The Straits Times Online, 7 September 2021

Perubahan dasar dialu-alu, tunjukkan masyarakat kini lebih terbuka, matang bincang isu sensitif (Policy changes are welcome, shows the community is more open and mature in discussing sensitive issues)

Dr Norhisham Main, President of the Muslim Healthcare Professionals Association and Head of Division, Supportive Care & Palliative Medicine, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), said the tudung issue has been in discussion for a while and the change is welcome as many have been waiting for it. This will give individuals the flexibility and option to decide whether to wear the tudung or not.

Ms Jancy Mathews, Chief Nurse of National University Polyclinics (NUP) and a member of the Clinical Advisory Panel, shared that the move was welcome as it was something Muslim staff in the public healthcare sector had been waiting for a long time. She believes such religious markers will not differentiate the care services provided. This is as long as there are guidelines in place that set certain conditions on how the tudung should be worn.   

Ms Rohana Ismail, NUH Branch Union Secretary of the Healthcare Services Employees' Union and Nurse Manager at National University Hospital (NUH), said the revision gives employees the freedom of choice. She expressed hope that the move would open up opportunity to more people who are keen to go into healthcare sector.

• Berita Harian, 30 August 2021