[forum456]

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/for...see-doctor

[p1acebo]

She is probably dumb to not realise one needs to book appt online instead of walkin.

[K88 shu shu]

no appointment wait long long, nothing wrong.

[ODA TETSURO]

PAP ministers and their families got elite doctors ready standby 24/7 no such problem.

[K88 shu shu]

PAP ministers and their families got elite doctors ready standby 24/7 no such problem.

when did you ever see any minister/MPs queuing at polyclinic ?

just a phone call, the specialist will go to their house attending to them already.

[klat]

They have reserved A++ class ward waiting for them at every hospital

[limpeh394]

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/for...see-doctor

Thanks to quota numbers for student into medical all these decades.
and nao then scamble for CECA doctors becos of 10 million population

[A2Z]

Walk ins must be accepted besides booking online because online are already fully booked. I was told to book online the night before ie see doc tomorrow must go online at 10pm tonight! Once that day's slot is full via online, they do not entertain anymore walk-ins. This is TOTALLY wrong! Docs put their tools down, time to go home at 5pm! Docs hv become time watchers. Why happen to that passion of seeing EVERY single patient who need medical help that day? Why are those who need medical help are being turned away? Why our health is being compromised with all those what online booking, slots all full? So die also must book online is it?

[debono]

Thanks to quota numbers for student into medical all these decades.
and nao then scamble for CECA doctors becos of 10 million population

Now we only have 5 million+ in our population, and yet healthcare is not up to par.  What will happen if we have 10 million in our population...........?

[sgbuffett]

In my recent experience, being in the queue for nearly an hour before being told we would not get to see the doctor was frustrating.

She waited one hour. Can someone tell me what's wrong?

If she wants fast she should go Malaysia.

[starbugs]

I didn't know go polyclinic nowadays must book appointment. Anyway if not emergency, just go normal clinic. One hour of waiting is not worth the cost saving.

[Huliwang]

No appointment is like that all along. Nothing new here. The trick is to make an appointment if you dun want to wait. ...

[klat]

Aiyah, go private clinic lah. Not expensive and fast

Cannot afford? Then dont fall sick lor

[p1acebo]

She waited one hour. Can someone tell me what's wrong?

If she wants fast she should go Malaysia.

That is why I think you are not poor but only pretending to be from the lower income group.  Everybody knows that if you don't want to wait too long you need to book the appt online.  If you want to suka suka walk in, then a 3 hrs wait is not unheard of.

[p1acebo]

Aiyah, go private clinic lah. Not expensive and fast

Cannot afford? Then dont fall sick lor

Pte clinics charge at least about $54 for consultation and medicine on average nowadays.  And that's for minor ailments too.  Or at least that's what my GP charges me.  But I don't mind the amount to keng for 2 days' MC

[sgbuffett]

That is why I think you are not poor but only pretending to be from the lower income group.  Everybody knows that if you don't want to wait too long you need to book the appt online.  If you want to suka suka walk in, then a 3 hrs wait is not unheard of.

Not everytime can book one.
If you wake up and one the day get fever you just go to polyclinic directly.

If say night before you Lao sai, polyclinic close you can book for next day.

Often during the day I get sick I just go down and book at the polyclinic and wait there. It Is 10min from my house whether I use HP to book or go down there will not make a difference.

[sgxin]

Now we only have 5 million+ in our population, and yet healthcare is not up to par.  What will happen if we have 10 million in our population...........?

Spore as a developed country seems to be regressing in healthcare for the commoners imo.
Total waiting time to see doctors (polyclinic, followed by hospitals) n to have diagnostic tests (usually a different day appointment after seeing the hospital doctor) can take weeks to months.

I was shocked to see that PRCs can just walk into their hospitals to get a CT scan on the same day!
And China is still a developing country.

Eg This Beijing lady had a chest discomfort and went straight to the hospital.
And her same-day CT scan only cost a mere RMB 180! Other Chinese hospitals charge around RMB 500 before their gov subsidy.
Crowd at her hospital was also much lesser than our polyclinics and hospital.

[A2Z]

It is not a question of poor or rich. It is about why no walk ins are allowed if online bookings are fully booked. Why must a sick person be turned away? Why after admission (of course no way can get in) time's up, docs want to go home, poly needs to close up, yet those waiting in line are told to balik kampung? We contribute to what medisave here there etc for what? What has become of our polyclinics? Why name hospitals like Khoo Teck Puak, Ng Teng Fong - thought they are all philanthropists doing a job looking after the poor? Docs and the staff must be sacked for turning away walk ins sick people. Docs and staff should be fined heavily too.

[p1acebo]

It is not a question of poor or rich. It is about why no walk ins are allowed if online bookings are fully booked. Why must a sick person be turned away? Why after admission (of course no way can get in) time's up, docs want to go home, poly needs to close up, yet those waiting in line are told to balik kampung? We contribute to what medisave here there etc for what? What has become of our polyclinics? Why name hospitals like Khoo Teck Puak, Ng Teng Fong - thought they are all philanthropists doing a job looking after the poor? Docs and the staff must be sacked for turning away walk ins sick people. Docs and staff should be fined heavily too.

It is a question of no more capacity.  There is just a certain number of patients that can be seen in a given day, given the limited resources of doctors and etc.  We surely won't want our patients' health and wellbeing to be compromised just to squeeze in a few more latecomers, should we?

[debono]

Aiyah, go private clinic lah. Not expensive and fast

Cannot afford? Then dont fall sick lor

Aiyah, if only a fever then go to private clinic, will cost only $20 odd dollars.............................

[Oasis]

Now we only have 5 million+ in our population, and yet healthcare is not up to par.  What will happen if we have 10 million in our population...........?

Good  question
There is a need to train more local doctor, increase medical student intake and
Import more SEA doctor.
Build more polyclinics and hospitals.
When you are unable to get medical treatment at polyclinic you are normally advised by counter staff visit neighborhood clinic for treatment.

[Clyde]

I was a walk-in patient the other day. Waited more than 3 hrs. Doctor asked me to go back one week later. Went to make an on-line booking there, but not a single slot was available. The earliest was like 3 weeks later. The staff told me to walk in instead.

It is better to go to polyclinic as our health records will be logged into the MOH database. It makes the hospital easier to retrieve our health history and the long term medication that one takes. Also, polyclinic ECG cost only $25++ after subsidy compare to $200++ for private clinic.

[debono]

Good  question
There is a need to train more local doctor, increase medical student intake and
Import more SEA doctor.
Build more polyclinics and hospitals.
When you are unable to get medical treatment at polyclinic you are normally advised by counter staff visit neighborhood clinic for treatment.

Our gov. is reluctant to take in more medical students in our uni., therefore there is a usual shortage of doctors......We do "import" doctors from ASEAN countries, but the standard is compromised..........................

[Clyde]

Aiyah, if only a fever then go to private clinic, will cost only $20 odd dollars.............................

Which clinic charges so low? The other day spouse was asked to pay $50++ even with blue CHAS card. No antibiotic were given.

[Oasis]

Our gov. is reluctant to take in more medical students in our uni., therefore there is a usual shortage of doctors......We do "import" doctors from ASEAN countries, but the standard is compromised..........................

Is this issue ever brought up in parliament by opposition party?

[Huliwang]

Aiyah, if only a fever then go to private clinic, will cost only $20 odd dollars.............................

I used to go to Healthway clinic until about two ago where I switched to Polyclinic because they closed it down and advised me to move to another one further away.

From my personal experience, I find that Polyclinic is far more efficient that those Healthway clinics and much faster if you make online appointment. Those private clinics waiting time is much longer if you are not the first in the queue which means you must go very early and queue, whereas Polyclinic with appointment at most is 30 minutes wait from your appointed time. Also I find the doctors at Poly are younger and generally more thorough in their checkups. Also the facilities are far better than those clinics with labs and various scanning machines. Polyclinic provides good, cheap and efficient health care service if you know how to use it to your advantage.   

[p1acebo]

I once went to NUH A & E to check for whiplash (a blur taxi driver bang my backside). Waited about 1.5hrs and a young chiobu female doctor saw me. Really very good looking but downright borchup and robotic. Anyway ask me look up, down, left, right. Any vomiting? Any giddyness? Ok, 3 days MC. Then I went and go claim the taxi driver gao gao

Wow if they are churning so many chiobus as doctors I regret no being doktor

[Huliwang]

I once went to NUH A & E to check for whiplash (a blur taxi driver bang my backside).  Waited about 1.5hrs and a young chiobu female doctor saw me.  Really very good looking but downright borchup and robotic. Anyway ask me look up, down, left, right.  Any vomiting?  Any giddyness?  Ok, 3 days MC.  Then I went and go claim the taxi driver gao gao

Wow if they are churning so many chiobus as doctors I regret no being doktor

[Clyde]

I used to go to Healthway clinic until about two ago where I switched to Polyclinic because they closed it down and advised me to move to another one further away.

From my personal experience, I find that Polyclinic is far more efficient that those Healthway clinics and much faster if you make online appointment. Those private clinics waiting time is much longer if you are not the first in the queue which means you must go very early and queue, whereas Polyclinic with appointment at most is 30 minutes wait from your appointed time. Also I find the doctors at Poly are younger and generally more thorough in their checkups. Also the facilities are far better than those clinics with labs and various scanning machines. Polyclinic provides good, cheap and efficient health care service if you know how to use it to your advantage.   

This is true. The machines they use are fairly new unlike those in private clinic. The doctors' rooms are big and clean. The labs and ECG rooms are spacious and clean. National Dental centre and polyclinic dental department also the same and the charges there are really really low.

[forum456]

Our gov. is reluctant to take in more medical students in our uni., therefore there is a usual shortage of doctors......We do "import" doctors from ASEAN countries, but the standard is compromised..........................

not true.
last time, before polyclinics started the appointment system, i could walk in 5 min before the cut off time (4pm) and still consulted the doctor.
after polyclinics started the appointment system, it becomes difficult to get the time slot.

why last time, polyclinics were more efficient than now ?
there was no such complaint last time.