From cooking classes to physio: Services you might not know exist at your local polyclinic

Sembawang Polyclinic, nestled in the Bukit Canberra integrated hub, was opened on Nov 25 and features a full range of services, including some that you might be surprised to find at your local polyclinic.

SINGAPORE – The role of primary care, provided by polyclinics and private general practitioners’ clinics, has evolved from being just the first port of call for people who are sick, to also including keeping people healthy.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told The Straits Times: “There’s now a big overlap between what is primary care and what is preventive care. And our whole idea and definition and implementation of primary care is now much broader in scope.”

Building health, on top of curing illnesses, is a task doctors cannot shoulder on their own. They need to link up with other players in the community who can provide ongoing care, support and encouragement so patients continue to lead healthier lifestyles.

Likewise, Mr Ong said: “We don’t expect polyclinics to be standalone clinical institutions any more – they have to link themselves up with the whole community.

“We are going to activate various groups to do all kinds of activities, such as encouraging people to quit smoking, eat healthy, exercise, and getting seniors to come out of their homes, to be socially connected. All these are very critical and crucial health interventions in the community.”

Check out the interactive article here.

This article was originally published on The Straits Times. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.