The two papers, which compared the number of days the various hospitals took to see a patient from the day an appointment is made, are the latest in a series which have put specialist clinics under scrutiny.

The study, done between April and June in restructured hospitals, found that it took up to 62 days to be seen by an eye specialist at Changi General Hospital (CGH).

At Alexandra Hospital (AH), it took, at most, eight days, with other hospitals coming in between the two - 40 days at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), 28 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and 18 at the National University Hospital (NUH).

The CGH had the most new subsidised patients - 23 per cent of all patients seen - while AH came in second at 20 per cent.

A CGH spokesman put the long wait at the eye clinic down to doctors having been away on training stints during the MOH study.

She said CGH was working with the SNEC to hire doctors and settle them in.

An SNEC spokesman confirmed that half the 56 opthalmologists now in training were cutting their teeth in its premises.

They will have their work cut out for them, with the number of patients seeking treatment for eye problems having shot up 39 per cent between 2002 and last year, MOH said.

Between a third and half the eye patients across the hospitals are above age 65.

The SNEC said these numbers point to a greying population, which is likely to be hit by age-related eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts.

The MOH's other paper, on orthopaedic specialist outpatient clinics, also reported a steady rise in patient numbers - 19 per cent between 2002 and last year.

The jump in the number of attendances and repeat visits was also attributed to an ageing population. Those aged 40 and above formed the bulk of subsidised patients seeking treatment for joint and bone problems, said an MOH spokesman.

Where waiting times were concerned, the longest waits for subsidised first-time patients was at TTSH - more than four months.

Faring best were AH and the KK Women's and Children's Hospital, where patients were seen in a month.

A spokesman for TTSH cited a similar reason as CGH for the long wait - a temporary drop in available doctors at the time of the study. It, too, plans to hire more doctors by year's end.

The spokesman explained that the long waiting times referred to non-urgent cases; urgent ones were 'fast-tracked'.

As with eye specialists, the MOH also has plans to pour more resources into meeting the demand for bone specialists.

It pointed out that it was crucial to cut the numbers returning to specialist clinics for follow-up checks if such care - for arthritis and back pain, for example - can be provided by family doctors or through physiotherapy.

The MOH began releasing such papers in February as part of its push for openness about service standards in public health institutions to enable health-care providers and patients to make better- informed choices.

Previous papers have homed in on urology, ear, nose and throat, gynaecology, paediatrics and cardiology specialist clinics.

Echoing the sentiments of Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, the MOH spokesman said: 'The key point is to ensure the right siting of care for such patients, as they may not need specialist care in the first place.'

skesava@sph.com.sg