Numbers up with more vigilance and people returning from holidays
Despite the jump in numbers, no long queues were seen at some of the polyclinics The Straits Times visited on Thursday. -- PHOTO: MY PAPER
POLYCLINICS here have handled more than twice the number of patients walking in with flu-like symptoms this week.
ASK MOM: H1N1 and the workplace
THE Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for employees and employers. This is an edited excerpt of the FAQs.
If the employer asks an employee to stay at home to check for flu symptoms after returning from a business trip, how should the leave of absence be treated?
At the nine polyclinics under the National Healthcare Group (NHG), for example, 3,436 patients showed up on the first three days of last week.
On the first three days of this week, 5,630 did.
A spokesman for the group said the re-opening of schools, people returning from their holidays and overall increased vigilance for flu-like symptoms could be reasons for the rise.
The symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat.
Over at SingHealth, which runs the other nine polyclinics, there has been a nearly 70 per cent jump in such patients the first three days of this week - 1,719 more than the same period last week.
Dr Ruth Lim, the assistant director of SingHealth Polyclinics' clinical services, said greater awareness among patients might have contributed to the increase.
'They might have self-medicated before when they had common cold, but now they might be taking added precautions and going to the clinics,' she said.
Despite the jump in numbers, no long queues were seen at some of the polyclinics The Straits Times visited on Thursday.
Private medical group Parkway Shenton posted a 20 per cent increase in patients walking in with flu symptoms the first two days of this week.
