Fast-track appointments given no matter if patient is of subsidised or private status: MOH
Patients at specialist outpatient clinics may experience longer wait times when seeking care from hospitals that receive a high volume of patients for that specialty, the Health Ministry said.
We refer to the letter, “Six-month wait for subsidised patients to get an appointment with specialist?” (Nov 28).
The safety and well-being of patients is the foremost priority of the public healthcare family.
At our institutions, patients with time-sensitive conditions are given priority. Fast-track appointments are given where necessary, regardless of whether the patient is of subsidised or private status.
To meet the increasing demand for specialist outpatient clinic services, the public healthcare institutions have been adding capacity through new and existing hospitals and taking other measures to manage and reduce wait times.
The annual new appointment wait time of 22 days is the median figure across all our specialist outpatient clinics.
The actual figures in different hospitals and specialties vary. Patients may thus experience longer wait times when seeking care from hospitals that receive a high volume of patients for that specialty.
When seeking referrals for specialist outpatient clinic care through general practitioners under the Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) or polyclinic doctors, patients may wish to consider asking their doctor to refer them to hospitals with shorter wait times.
When making their appointments with the hospital, patients who would like an earlier appointment could also seek help from our public healthcare staff members to switch to another hospital with shorter wait times.
In Mr Francis Cheng’s case, as the referral letter was issued by his Chas general practitioner in 2016, Changi General Hospital (CGH) had requested Mr Cheng to obtain a fresh referral after he had contacted CGH to make an appointment last month. Following his feedback, CGH has engaged him further to provide assistance.
