Clinics hire staff, extend hours to help ease strain in healthcare

Doctors at some Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) are getting staff to take on additional shifts and hiring people in order to extend their operating hours and ease the strain on their colleagues in the healthcare system.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Tuesday night that from tomorrow until March 10, selected PHPCs across the island will operate up to 11pm on weekdays, from 2pm to 5pm on weekends, and on weekend nights, in an attempt to spread out patient load.

At Kenneth Tan Medical Clinic in Punggol, the weekend operating time has more than doubled to 11 hours as part of the scheme. The clinic will now operate from 2pm to 5pm on weekends, in addition to the current period of 8am to 1pm on Sundays.

"My clinic has been extremely busy. On top of our regular chronic patients and vaccinations, we have seen increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases," said Dr Kenneth Tan. He said his clinic has coped by getting staff to perform additional shifts, and asking friends of staff to help with tasks such as registering patients and doing data entry.

He added that patients have been understanding, and some of them helped out by waiting at home and going to the clinic when it was less congested.

He said: "We believe that this is just a phase in the Covid-19 pandemic, and this wave will pass soon, so it is important for all of us to do our part."

Dr Leong Choon Kit, head of Mission Medical Clinic, said extending the hours of its two PHPCs in Hougang and Upper Serangoon by opening on weekends will result in about 25 per cent more slots for patients. The clinics will now open from 8pm to 11pm on weekends.

"We are busy and tired, but two extra weeks are manageable. It is a national request, and we want to support it to help the public," he said, adding that his clinic has encouraged its staff to work the extra hours. "I am prepared to operate by myself if my staff are not able to come in."

Bigger chains are stepping up as well. A spokesman for Raffles Medical, which operates 33 PHPCs, said many of its clinics have been open till 9.30pm daily, and five which previously operated till 1pm on weekends have extended their hours to 9.30pm as well, ramping up manpower and resources to meet patients' needs.

Dr John Cheng, head of primary care at Healthway Medical Group, which operates 43 PHPCs, said the group has plans to extend the operating hours of some of its clinics, but could not say how many as details are still being worked out.

He highlighted that two main challenges need to be overcome.

First, it has to ensure that the group's healthcare workers have sufficient time off work to get adequate rest amid their heavy workload. Second, many healthcare workers are battling symptoms of illness themselves.

Dr Tan Teck Jack, chief executive of Northeast Medical Group, said seven of his group's eight clinics will be extending their hours, but details of this had yet to be finalised as at yesterday.

The chain is hiring more manpower, while existing staff are trying their best to meet current needs, said Dr Tan, adding that the group's staff and doctors have already been staying back beyond their normal hours to provide accessible care.

Asked why his group was choosing to extend its hours despite the heavy workload, he said: "Hospitals are overcongested, and it will endanger lives. Our clinics are located in the neighbourhoods - it is our duty to extend the hours to help our patients."

The latest moves come amid increased strain on Singapore's healthcare system, with a record 26,032 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

The Straits Times visited 15 clinics in Tampines, Simei and Bedok estates yesterday afternoon and observed that most clinics had a queue of around five to 10 patients.

In Tampines, Healthway Medical Centre, a PHPC, had a queue which extended beyond the waiting area of the clinic.

Madam Er Lay Ping, 45, was one of the patients awaiting her turn for registration. The administrative assistant, who had been queueing for 15 minutes, said: "I am just here to get medication for my flu and cough. If I have to take another test and it is positive, then so be it."

But as a safety measure, patients who had tested positive from self-administered antigen rapid tests (ART) were not required to queue and were attended to as soon as possible.

At Northeast Medical Group's clinic in Simei, Mr Wong Zhi Hong, 30, was waiting for his turn to take an ART. He had been exhibiting flu-like symptoms, but had a negative result on his self-administered ART. "I have heard that people often receive false negatives on ARTs. I thought it would be safer if I came down to a clinic to get a second result," he said.

When asked why he did not go to a quick test centre instead, the account executive said that it was more convenient to visit the clinic as it was nearer his home.

"I don't mind waiting and paying a bit of money. Additionally, there are certified doctors, so testing is more reliable."