Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the average enrolment capacity for Healthier SG in each polyclinic; (b) how many polyclinics have reached their capacity and are no longer accepting Healthier SG enrolments; (c) whether the Ministry is looking to open up more places in polyclinics for residents to enrol in Healthier SG.
The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, the Healthier SG enrolment capacity of each polyclinic is different, depending on their sizes and existing workload. The average enrolment capacity is close to 30,000 per polyclinic. Of the 25 polyclinics, 19 polyclinics still have spare capacity to take in more enrolees, while six are reserving their capacities for their regular chronic patients to enrol before deciding if they could take in non-regular or new residents.
Residents are encouraged to also consider enrolling with other Healthier SG private general practitioner (GP) clinics. A key design feature of Healthier SG is to extend the benefits of fully subsidised preventative check-ins, health screening and vaccinations and chronic drug subsidies to private clinics. There is currently capacity at Healthier SG GP clinics to enrol more than 700,000 residents.
Mr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. Since the Healthier SG programme was launched in July last year, does the Ministry of Health have data showing higher demand for enrolments in polyclinics or GP clinics compared to the available spots? Some patients who have been regularly visiting their neighbourhood polyclinics have reported being unable to enrol for Healthier SG under those polyclinics as they are at full capacity. Instead, they have to enrol in a GP clinic, which they are less familiar with.
Just now, the Senior Minister of State mentioned that they are prioritising or they are setting site places for the regular patients. Can I confirm that all regular patients of polyclinics will be able to register or enrol in Healthier SG with the polyclinic that they have been regularly attending?
Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank the Member for his questions. For the first one, in terms of the relative demand, for enrolment at polyclinic versus a GP, 65% of the total that have enrolled have enrolled, with a Healthier SG GP clinic. Among the polyclinic enrollees, 81% are existing regular patients, while the remaining 19% are non-regular and new patients.
Of the regular polyclinic patients, about 26% have enrolled with a GP clinic. It ranges from about 19% to 34%. So, that gives you a sense of the behaviour amongst the enrollees and our residents across the landscape.
To Member’s second question, the short answer would be no, because he has asked an absolute question – whether all, every single regular patient can continue to enrol. So, it depends on what it is they are a regular patient for? And do they have a chronic disease that falls under the Healthier SG programme? Are they regular for a short period of time or have they been a regular patient over a longer period of time? So, if you take it in the spirit that the polyclinics would like to continue to serve those patients who have chronic diseases; which they have been following up and which Healthier SG would be able to assist them, then the answer is yes.
Ministry of Health
7 February 2024
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=oral-answer-3431
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 