Easier access to more healthcare services

Residents in Bukit Panjang will now have easier access to healthcare services, with the opening of a new polyclinic yesterday.

Bukit Panjang Polyclinic, which spans 5,847 sq m across three storeys, is expected to see around 600 patients a day. It is located in an integrated building, which also houses a nursing home and a senior care centre.

The polyclinic currently has more than 100 doctors, nurses and other staff, and it is still hiring, said Dr Tan Kim Kiat, the head of the polyclinic.

The next nearest polyclinic is Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic, which is less than 2km away.

The official opening was attended by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung as well as Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa.

Aside from clinical treatment of acute conditions and chronic disease management, Bukit Panjang Polyclinic will also provide dental care and women's and children's health services, as well as allied health services such as physiotherapy and psychology.

Equipment deployed at the polyclinic include a wheelchair tilter and intra-oral X-ray imaging in the dental treatment room. Patients in wheelchairs therefore do not need to be transferred from their wheelchairs to a separate dental chair to receive treatment.

Bukit Panjang Polyclinic also has an area to handle patients with infectious diseases. The decision to have such an area was made before the Covid-19 outbreak, and it was built based on the experience of dealing with the severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome, said Dr Tan.

The two consultation rooms in this area are negative pressure rooms, which curb contamination and potential transmission of infectious diseases to other areas of the hospital.

As part of a pilot programme at National University Polyclinics, which is the operator of Bukit Panjang Polyclinic, nurses will also provide support for new mothers. National University Polyclinics is a member of the National University Health System, which is one of the three public healthcare clusters in Singapore.

Bukit Panjang Polyclinic has a dedicated lactation support room with soft lighting to create a more relaxed ambience for mothers during consultation sessions.

Nurses will educate new mothers on breastfeeding and help them manage common issues such as getting their babies to latch.

Said Dr Tan: "Bukit Panjang Polyclinic is designed with the patient in mind, with facilities and services to help our patients improve their health and well-being."

With the opening of Bukit Panjang Polyclinic and Kallang Polyclinic yesterday, there are now 22 polyclinics in Singapore. Another one in Eunos is slated to open in December.