Forum: Patients strongly urged to make appointment before polyclinic visit
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We are sorry to hear about Mrs Patricia Goh’s recent experience at Bukit Batok Polyclinic (Long wait at polyclinic but still did not get to see doctor, March 14).
We have since contacted Mrs Goh and understand that the visit took place in January 2023. As it was Dorscon (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) Yellow then, patients who indicated that they had upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, including fever, would be directed to the red zone where they were asked to get a queue slip and wait to be called to the registration counter. This is to ensure that patients’ particulars and Covid-19 status are updated, and temperature is taken.
As Bukit Batok Polyclinic has only one registration counter in the red zone, waiting time can be long when patient load is high. We apologise to Mrs Goh and her daughter for their long wait, and if it was not clear that the queue was for registration.
Unfortunately, Mrs Goh’s daughter did not make a prior appointment and all appointment slots were taken up that day.
Upon having her temperature taken, our staff found her temperature to be under 39 deg C, which did not meet the triage criteria for urgent cases. She was thus advised to visit a nearby Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) general practitioner (GP) clinic.
To better manage patients’ waiting time at our polyclinics, we have been strongly encouraging our patients to make an appointment prior to their visit. Patients can log in to the OneNUHS or HealthHub app from 10pm the day before the required consultation date to book their preferred time slots.
In the event of urgent cases, patients who turn up at the polyclinics will be triaged according to their medical conditions and given priority queue accordingly. For non-urgent conditions, like in the case of Mrs Goh’s daughter, patients will be advised to visit neighbouring Chas GP clinics.
We thank Mrs Goh for her feedback and hope her daughter has made a full recovery.
Kwek Sing Cheer (Dr)
Head, Bukit Batok Polyclinic
