In a photo taken on April 30, patients wait at Jurong Polyclinic. 10 new polyclinics will open in the coming years, in locations such as Bukit Panjang, Khatib and Tampines North. Photo: Lianhe Zaobao
The services they provide will help shift healthcare beyond hospitals to community
Two new polyclinics, to be located in Kaki Bukit and Tengah, will open by 2025.
They are among 10 new polyclinics that will open in the coming years, in locations such as Bukit Panjang, Eunos, Kallang, Sembawang, Khatib, Tampines North, Serangoon and Yew Tee.
The building of Kaki Bukit Polyclinic was announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min at a community event in Bukit Batok yesterday. Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor also shared more details about Tengah Polyclinic at the same event.
Dr Lam said: “As the population ages, it’s important to anchor some of the care of patients with chronic diseases in the community.”
To be situated in Jalan Damai near Kaki Bukit MRT Station, Kaki Bukit Polyclinic, operated by SingHealth Polyclinics, will serve the needs of residents in Kaki Bukit and Bedok, said Dr Lam.
It will be co-located with a nursing home – the third polyclinic to be built with such an arrangement, after Bukit Panjang Polyclinic and the redeveloped Jurong Polyclinic.
It will also be co-located with a kidney dialysis centre that will provide subsidised dialysis to serve the population of the elderly in the area, said Dr Lam.
Other services provided by the polyclinic will include women’s and children’s health services, as well as radiological, laboratory and pharmacy services. Allied health services, including podiatry and physiotherapy will also be available at the polyclinic.
The development of Tengah Polyclinic was announced in Parliament by Dr Lam in March.
Dr Khor said the polyclinic will be part of an integrated development with public housing and a neighbourhood centre.
It will be built opposite the West Edge @ Bukit Batok housing estate in Bukit Batok Road, and will provide services including chronic disease management, childhood developmental assessment and women’s cancer screening.
Disease prevention, dietetics, psychology and diagnostic services will also be available at the polyclinic, which will be operated by National University Polyclinics.
Dr Khor said construction is expected to begin in 2021, and when it is completed, the polyclinic will serve residents of Tengah and those in new Housing Board developments around Bukit Batok West.
She added that there are many young families in these areas who will benefit from the women’s and children’s health services.
Said Dr Khor: “Primary care is the first line of care for many Singaporeans, which plays a crucial role in shifting healthcare beyond hospitals to the community... We have been expanding our polyclinic network and capacity to strengthen our primary care infrastructure in recent years.”