The changes are aimed at encouraging more people to stick to one family doctor for the treatment of their chronic illnesses, instead of going to different private general practitioners (GPs) and polyclinic doctors.

Patients with one medical condition will receive up to $240 a year under the scheme, while those with more conditions will get up to $360 a year.

These subsidies will cover between 70 and 90 per cent of treatment costs if mostly generic drugs are used, a Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday.

The subsidies are an extension of the Primary Care Partnership Scheme, which was started in 2000 to help needy Singaporeans aged 65 and above, and poor disabled people of all ages. Initially, it subsidised private GP visits for only acute illnesses such as coughs and colds.

The restrictions resulted in some patients going to GPs for their minor ailments, and to polyclinics for their chronic conditions.

'This is not only inconvenient for patients, but may also result in fragmentation of care,' the Health Ministry spokesman said.

'A GP who knows his patient's medical history will be better able to advise the patient on medications, precautions and lifestyle changes to help manage his overall health.'

A small group of patients who need many drugs may have to pay more under this scheme than at the polyclinics, she conceded, but they will enjoy the convenience of seeing GPs at night or on Sundays.

The scheme used to accept only those whose per capita household income - the total income divided by the number of people - was below $700 a month.

This will be raised to $800 next month. About 80,000 people could benefit from the plan, four times the current figure.

The Government is expected to channel an extra $10 million a year into the expanded scheme, on top of the $1.5 million it was originally spending.

A participating GP, Dr Pauline Neow, does not expect to draw more patients from the polyclinics.

But many of her patients on the scheme, who have been seeing her for their chronic illnesses and paying in full, would stand to save, she said.

'It doesn't cost me anything to sign up, and ultimately benefits the patients,' she added.

One of them, Madam Leong Sau Kiew, 75, used it about two months ago, when Dr Neow referred her to Singapore General Hospital to check on her unexplained weight loss.

She paid about $500 for a specialist consultation and a scan - about half the unsubsidised rate.

Madam Leong, who turned out to be fine, will save more next month when her treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol becomes subsidised. In all, it costs $160 monthly now.

huichieh@sph.com.sg