Trust in family doctor eased his patient’s fears and false alarms

She used to panic whenever her home-monitored blood pressure reading was high. The patient, in her 60s, has health conditions including hypertension.

When the reading is even slightly higher than normal, she would ask one of her two daughters to send her to the hospital’s emergency department.

But each hospital visit proved to be unnecessary, recalls Dr Mohamed Baisal, a general practitioner (GP) who has been seeing the patient at a clinic in Little India for the past three years.

He explains that a blood pressure reading alone doesn’t provide the full picture of one’s health, as it can be influenced by various health factors.

Her daughters, who are both working, didn’t know what to do. When they turned to him for help, he proposed a simple solution: The family contacts his clinic when the patient’s blood pressure remains elevated.

He can then advise the patient on whether an in-person clinic visit or hospital visit is needed.

Having that trust and familiarity, says Dr Baisal, helps patients become more receptive towards treatment plans. “Some (patients) see me as just a cold or flu doctor. They want to recover and go back to their daily life.”

“But some find that we are there to comfort them, guide them, and even offer some advice,” says the 47-year-old family doctor, who has been working at the clinic for 14 years.

This relationship is especially important when treating older adults, he adds. About 20 per cent of his patients are aged 60 and above. Their regular visits often involve managing long-term health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Journeying with patients

For Dr Baisal, who completed his medical degree at the National University of Singapore in 2004, these connections underscore the essence of family medicine: Building trust and rapport that extend beyond just treating illnesses.

This focus aligns with the broader changes in Singapore’s healthcare landscape, and is one of the reasons why Dr Baisal’s clinic joined the Healthier SG initiative last year.

Healthier SG is a national health programme that seeks to promote preventive health by focusing on personalised care.

“I saw it as an opportunity for preventive care to be placed at the heart of our healthcare system,” says Dr Baisal.

“We become a patient’s main point of contact for anything health-related,” he says, “making it easier to keep track of the things they have done, should do, and need to do at various life stages.”

Through primary care networks, Healthier SG clinics can also provide care services beyond their clinics. This enables them to tap the expertise and resources of other participating clinics, and refer patients, in areas such as nurse counselling, and diabetic foot and eye screenings.

Every clinic participating in Healthier SG belongs to one of the

10 primary care networks

Being linked to primary care networks, says Dr Baisal, allows him to coordinate and provide patients with comprehensive care.

Healthier SG initiative also promotes social prescribing – a care model where doctors like Dr Baisal not only prescribe medications or recommend medical tests, but also look at the social factors that could affect a patient’s well-being, such as social isolation.

Patients are then connected with community resources like exercise classes, hobby groups and social activities to improve their overall well-being.

“A person’s well-being is no longer defined just by one’s illnesses and illness management,” says Dr Baisal, adding that it is now a more holistic approach to help patients live and age well in the community.

Focusing on collaboration

Despite its benefits, preventive care is a long game. Not all patients are immediately convinced, especially if “they don’t see any short-term benefits, or how it makes a difference to their daily life”, Dr Baisal explains.

A common misconception among his patients: Regular check-ups are unnecessary if one is healthy. “They often (ask): ‘Why do I need to if I don’t see, or perceive any immediate health threat?’”

To address these concerns, Dr Baisal relies on trust and open conversations with patients to help them understand the importance of early detection.

Regular screenings can help uncover signs of diseases, he explains, which can be prevented or managed more effectively if discovered early. This reduces the risk of further health complications and potential long-term impact.

“There are also other things to take into account,” says Dr Baisal. For example, he shares how managing late-stage diabetes and high blood pressure may require more frequent check-ups and even invasive treatments.

These can significantly impact a patient physically and emotionally, he says, affecting their quality time with family or ability to work.

Graphic designer Dewi Singgih, 50, enrolled in Healthier SG in September 2023 to avoid being “blindsided” by unexpected health scares.

“As I get older, it’s important to know, and to act early if anything,” says the mother of two, who has been seeing a family doctor regularly to monitor and manage her high blood pressure.

“Before (enrolling), I only thought (about) visiting the clinic about my condition, or when I fall sick,” says the mother of two. “But other things may be happening with my health which would require attention.”

Dr Baisal encourages this proactive approach. He sees his role as a health partner, empowering patients to take charge of their health. By working together, doctors and patients can create tailored health plans that evolve based on the patient’s needs.

This trusting relationship helped reassure his patient, who used to feel anxious about her blood pressure readings.

He is heartened to share that she has stopped visiting the hospital unnecessarily, and has also joined Healthier SG. She now feels more confident in managing her condition, he says, knowing that she has the support of him and her daughters.

“Our patients are at the heart of what we do,” says Dr Baisal, adding that the ultimate goal for family doctors like him is to empower patients to get better and stay healthy.

This is the first of two features in partnership with the Ministry of Health