GPs relieved as clinics see drop in patient visits amid fall in Covid-19 cases

Doctors and staff at some general practitioner (GP) clinics say they are relieved that patient numbers have been dipping in tandem with falling Covid-19 infection rates here.

Coronavirus cases in Singapore had risen steadily from mid-January this year, hitting an all-time high of more than 26,000 daily cases in February.

At the time, there were multiple reports of GPs and clinic staff saying they were overwhelmed by a surge in patients with Covid-19-related issues. However, cases began falling throughout March, and the seven-day moving average hit 3,187 cases on April 17.

Dr Kenneth Tan of Kenneth Tan Medical Clinic in Punggol said that the number of patient visits to his clinic has fallen from 812 in February to 336 from the fourth week of March until now.

The number of patients with acute respiratory infection also fell from 326 cases in February to 109 cases from the fourth week of March until now.

While the number of visits is still higher than it was in February 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, when his clinic saw 242 patient visits a month, Dr Tan said he and his staff are happy to see fewer Covid-19-related cases.

"It reflects the success of the Government in controlling the pandemic," he said.

Dr Chi Wei Ming of Sims Drive Medical Clinic said his clinic has recently seen a 20 per cent to 25 per cent drop in patients, compared with February.

"This is because we are seeing fewer acute respiratory infections due to Covid-19. My staff and I are definitely relieved as this means that life can return to some sort of normality," he said.

Dr Raymond Ong, director of Intemedical 24h Clinic in Ang Mo Kio, said the recent fall in Covid-19 cases means his staff are now under less pressure.

"There are still a lot of acute respiratory infection cases. In the past, it used to be almost 100 per cent of our patients. Now, it is more balanced, with people coming in for things like food poisoning, headaches and back pain," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Tan Teck Jack, chief executive of Northeast Medical Group, said that at some of his group's eight clinics, crowds have even dropped to below pre-Covid-19 levels.

"I believe people are now more health conscious, and awareness of hygiene has helped people fall sick less," he said.

But for Dr Seow En Hao of EH Medical Clinic, patient numbers are still high at the clinic's two outlets in Woodlands and Bukit Batok.

This is partially because of a rise in dengue cases, said Dr Seow. The clinic is now refocusing its attention on existing patients with chronic conditions, who need to return for reviews. So, it has been boosting its manpower to deal with this group of patients, he said.

Other doctors also said their clinics are now seeing more patients for chronic disease management and health screening.

Dr Tan Teck Jack said: "It has been a very disruptive two years, especially for our patients with long-term needs and chronic diseases. My staff and I are quite relieved and looking forward to life returning to normal."