Circuit breaker rules for allied health professionals relaxed 10 days after being allowed as essential services
SINGAPORE — Slightly more than one week after the Ministry of Health (MOH) allowed private outpatient allied health services to be carried out during the circuit breaker, it has further relaxed the rules for these services, which include physiotherapy, podiatry and speech therapy.
In a MOH circular to allied health service providers dated May 6 that was seen by TODAY, the ministry outlined the following changes:
Centres or clinics can now operate three days a week, based on their existing operating hours. Currently, they could operate only from 9am to 5pm on one day a week, either on a Monday or Wednesday.
Removing the cap of only being able to see a maximum of six patients or clients on the single day of operation.
However, the practitioners are still only allowed to meet one patient or client at a time, with each session lasting one hour at the most. They must also stick to one place of practice only.
The new rules take effect from Friday (May 8) and last till June 1 — the last day of the circuit breaker measures which have seen schools and workplaces close with the exception of those deemed as essential services by the authorities.
MOH’s announcement came after some allied health professionals had lamented the challenges they faced in deciding which patients to prioritise when they could only see a maximum of six a week.
In its circular, MOH said it adjusted the requirements allied health professionals must adhere to “in view of the current situation and in line with the multi-ministry task force’s move to ease some of the circuit breaker measures progressively”.
It reiterated that practitioners should use teleconsulting to address clinical needs as far as possible and to prioritise face-to-face consultations for those patients whose condition would see “significant or rapid deterioration” if treatment or therapy is not provided.
TODAY has sent queries to MOH on the latest requirements, which mark the third time rules surrounding the operations of allied health services have changed since the circuit breaker started on April 7.
That was when they were first declared to be non-essential services and thus not allowed.
On April 27, MOH reclassified these services as essential and allowed them to resume reduced operations from April 29 to May 17, with the rules on operating for eight hours one day a week and six patients each day.
It said then that with the extension of the circuit breaker period until June 1, there will be more patients who would require such allied health treatment.
Some allied health professionals TODAY spoke to welcome the latest easing of measures by MOH.
Ms Lee Sin Yi, who is the president of the Singapore Physiotherapy Association, said that this change will benefit many patients who have not been able to receive treatment since the start of the circuit breaker.
Some of these patients would need to see physiotherapists more than once a week, which is insufficient even under the earlier relaxed rules.
With physiotherapy clinics now able to open three times a week, Ms Lee said it provides some flexibility for practitioners who need to make judgment calls on who are the patients they need to see face-to-face.
But the sudden changes did bring about some inconveniences for Mr Wesley Chee, director and chief physiotherapist at the Physio and Sole Clinic group.
After being allowed to open on April 29, his clinic had planned to have patients come back once in two weeks due to the restrictions, instead of their usual weekly sessions.
The latest change means that his clinic has to start calling patients again and make new arrangements.
However, Mr Chee said: “I rather have this kind of inconvenience to planning rather than see our patients suffer”.
“We welcome the change, even though it’s a bit later than what we have hoped, but it’s the right decision nonetheless.”
Dr Michael Lai, the principal podiatrist at East Coast Podiatry, said it has been challenging to stick to its treatment plans for some patients with more serious conditions given the different changes in the last few weeks.
He explained that the majority of his patients are diabetic, who often have foot ulcers that require urgent treatment.
“We have to keep revising what we tell our staff and patients. Patients who require essential services are medically high-risk by nature. Any inconsistencies and delays in treatment plans, they could be adversely impacted,” he said.
When asked whether the latest changes would help, Dr Lai said: “I will take what I can get.”
While his clinic would be able to see more patients that require essential care now, he explained that it would still be tough to prioritise patients as the number of people requiring podiatry services is far more than the number of podiatrists in Singapore.
“It’s not about allowing us to open one day or three days. It’s still rationing essential care. They should allow podiatrists to provide all essential service.”
For speech therapist Eugenia Tan, while the easing of rules would be helpful for her clients, she said she is in the midst of looking at how to prioritise the next group of patients who are suitable for face-to-face consultations, beyond the first batch.
“We don’t want to take advantage of the easing of circuit breaker measures. It’s all in the spirit of how we continue with safe distancing as well,” said the founder of Communikidz Therapy.
Allied health practitioners said they will still maintain safe distancing measures that have been in place even before the circuit breaker started, such as staggering time slots of patients so that they won’t meet each other, requiring their staff and practitioners to wear masks at all times, and also disinfecting the room after each consultation.
