Hospitals.SG

Government polyclinics have implemented a system of live queue reporting and webcams to enable the public to check the status of a polyclinic. The system lets potential patients get near real-time information of the current queue length (and thus gauge waiting time) at a particular polyclinic as well as its typical peak and off-peak hours.

1 Sep 2007

Singapore's Chief Nursing Officer, the leading nursing officer, Ms Ang Beng Choo was succeeded by Ms Pauline Tan today. She will concurrently be Registrar of the Singapore Nursing Board.

MOH has announced plans to create two new national medical specialist centres - one for heart diseases and one for cancer - in addition to the existing ones for the respective specialties, the National Heart Centre (NHC) and the National Cancer Centre (NCC).

The National University Hospital (NUH) situated at Kent Ridge / NUS has been tasked to set up these two second tertiary specialist centres.

29 May 2007

A Straits Times report by Salma Khalik reported that fees have increased or are slated to increase soon in most public hospitals and some polyclinics.

Fees at specialist clinics for subsidised patients at four major public hospitals - Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), National University Hospital (NUH) and Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KKH) - have gone up to $24/25 from $20/21 previously. Fees at Alexandra Hospital (AH) and Changi General Hospital (CGH) remains the same at $20.

In line with earlier announcements, the Ministry of Health has increased Medisave withdrawal limits from 1st May 2007 for the following :

1. Inpatient limit - increase from $400 to $450 for per diem limit;
2. Day surgery limit - increase from $200 to $300;
3. Inpatient psychiatric bills (annual limit) - increase from $3,500 to $5,000.

From 1st April 2007, Singapore's Ministry of Health and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) will recognize twenty additional foreign medical schools. This brings the total number of medical school degrees recognized under the Medical Registration Act to 140.

List of the additional 20 foreign medical schools to be recognised

Canada

• Faculte de Medecine, Universite Laval
• Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Sherbrooke
• Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine
• University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine

23 Feb 2007

The Ministry of Health will be increasing the Medisave Withdrawal Limits (MWL) in four areas.

1. Inpatient daily withdrawal limit will increase from $400 to $450.
   With the increase, Medisave will, on average, cover 82%(currently 76%) of each B1 bill, and 66%(currently 57%) of each A/private-hospital ward bill.

Singapore's Minister of Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, has highlighted the need for new legislation to regulate medical devices and other new categories of health products. In his Parliamentary speech on the draft Health Products Bill given on 12 February 2007, he said that while existing laws cover pharmaceutical medicines, other health products such as cardiac pacemakers and coronary stents are largely unregulated.

Singapore has over a thousand clinics, however only a small number operate beyond the usual day and night hours. These comprise those that operate up to midnight or till 1-2am in the morning as well as those that operate round-the-clock. The following is a list of clinics that are open 24 hours daily or on extended hours (usually up to 12am midnight).

1 Jan 2007

From 1 January 2007, the Singapore Ministry of Health has extended the Medisave for Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) to cover high blood pressure, lipid disorder and stroke. This is in addition to the coverage for diabetes which began on 1 October 2006.