Longer waiting times at hospital A&E departments this week after long weekend
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High volumes of patients have resulted in long queues and waiting times.
PHOTOS: ST FILE, SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE – Several hospitals, including Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), have been seeing a high volume of patients at their emergency departments (EDs), resulting in longer waiting times.
Both hospitals announced this on Facebook on May 14 at around 1pm, urging only people with serious or life-threatening emergencies to go to their EDs. Those experiencing mild to moderate symptoms like cough, sore throat or runny nose should visit general practitioners or a polyclinic, they said.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) has also been experiencing a higher patient volume at its ED since May 13, primarily due to the recent long weekend, a spokesman said.
“While there is a small increase in Covid-19 cases, the overall rise in our ED attendances is not primarily due to Covid-19,” he said.
The authorities said on May 13 that they are monitoring the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, but there is currently no indication that the variants spreading locally are more transmissible or cause more severe symptoms, compared with previous strains.
At 5.30pm on May 14, the estimated waiting time to see a doctor at KTPH’s ED was 107 minutes, and there were 135 patients in the queue. By 6.30pm, the estimated wait time had gone down to 71 minutes, with 124 patients in the queue, according to periodic updates on the hospital’s website.
“Despite the increase in patient volume, the ED in KTPH remains fully operational and the situation is under control,” the KTPH spokesman said.
He added that the waiting time at the ED is dependent on the patient’s condition, and those with critical medical conditions will be seen by doctors immediately.
When The Straits Times visited CGH at about 5.30pm on May 14, a standing poster stood outside the accident and emergency (A&E) department, stating that the estimated waiting time could be at least five to eight hours owing to the high patient volume.
A poster at CGH stated that the estimated waiting time could be at least five to eight hours.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Mr Tong, a 29-year-old civil servant who declined to give his first name, said his mother, 52, had joined the A&E queue at 10am as she was in a lot of pain from heavy menstrual bleeding. She is on blood thinners.
It took two hours for her to get to a triage nurse, and another two hours to see a doctor, he said.
This was followed by a three-hour wait to be moved to the transit area, where the nurses told her that it would be another 36 to 48 hours before a bed would become available.
The A&E department was very crowded in the morning, Mr Tong said. “We were frustrated, but I don’t know what else can be done.”
When ST visited SKH just after 7pm, the estimated wait time to see a doctor at its A&E department was stated as 3hr 38 min.
Things appeared quieter at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on May 14.
At 5.59pm, periodic updates on its website showed that there were 12 patients awaiting consultation at its emergency department, and the average wait time for a consult was 76 minutes.
By 7.24pm, there were 15 patients awaiting consultation, but the average wait time there had gone down to 64 minutes.
On its website, the National University Hospital said that it is currently upgrading its system to show current waiting times, and provided information as an estimate for non-urgent cases. It may take up to four hours to see a doctor at the adult emergency department, and the duration of a general ward bed wait can range from four hours to even 40 hours during high demand periods, it said. ST has contacted NUH for information.
The estimated number of Covid-19 cases rose to 14,200 in the week of April 27 to May 3, up from 11,100 cases in the previous week.
It is not clear if these cases had impacted the ED admissions in any way.
The Government has said that it is boosting the number of beds in existing hospitals, building the New Eastern General Hospital Campus in Bedok North as well as nursing homes, and gradually ramping up its hospital care-at-home service, among other measures to ease the load on hospitals.
At the same time, it is actively nudging people to maintain healthier lifestyles to prevent chronic diseases, through initiatives such as the preventive healthcare strategy Healthier SG.
ST has contacted the Ministry of Health for more information.
