SINGAPORE - Residents of Aljunied and Hougang constituencies will get to go for health screening at carparks near their homes.

The People's Association (PA) grassroots bodies in the opposition-held wards have raised about $600,000 to buy two medium-sized Mercedes Benz buses that will be converted into mobile clinics.

To ply both wards in the next 18 months, the buses will be staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses. The service will roll out from next week.

The mobile service would "bring health education and services to the doorsteps of residents", said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong yesterday when he launched the service at the Serangoon Community Club.

It is expected to conduct full health checks for 800 seniors, give vaccinations to 2,000, and teach another 10,000 how to take care of their health, Mr Gan added.

Serangoon Citizens' Consultative Committee chairman Chan Hui Yuh said the service would be a throwback to the kampong days where mobile clinics were used to travel to villages to provide medical services.

Ms Chan, one of the grassroots leaders behind the project, is also chair of the People's Action Party (PAP) branch at Serangoon, one of five divisions in Aljunied that fell to the Workers' Party at the 2011 General Elections.

Brushing off suggestions that the health service was launched in the opposition-held wards to win over voters, Mr Gan said on the sidelines of the launch: "That was not a consideration.

"The main consideration was that this is a ground up initiative. There are many other initiatives at other wards as well."

The Straits Times understands that the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) donated about two-thirds of the $600,000 raised by the PA grassroots leaders to launch the service.