SINGAPORE – General practitioner (GP) clinics and private medical providers that perform swab tests have been seeing a surge in patients, with record-high Covid-19 community cases in recent days.

The patients include those who have tested positive for the virus on their self-administered antigen rapid tests (ART), patients with fever or mild acute respiratory infection symptoms, and those who have received health risk warnings or alerts by the Health Ministry (MOH) for being at risk of infection.

For a month now, Crossroads Family Clinic in Tampines has had an increase in patients by at least 50 per cent, said the clinic’s director and family physician, Dr Quah Soon Wee.

He added that the surge in positive cases detected by the clinic started a week ago, consistent with the rise in the local community cases.

Healthway Medical Group’s GP clinics are seeing a steady increase in the number of patients who have received health risk warnings or alerts, said its head of primary care, Dr John Cheng.

At Northeast Medical Group’s clinics, patients with fever or upper respiratory-related infections have risen by 20 per cent over the past two weeks, said its chief executive, Dr Tan Teck Jack.

The surge in patients comes as the number of local cases hit more than 1,000 daily on Saturday and Sunday before dropping slightly to 910 cases on Monday (Sept 20). Since Sept 9, when 450 local cases were recorded, the numbers have been rising sharply.

MOH had earlier urged patients with mild acute respiratory infection symptoms to avoid seeking treatment at hospitals and instead go to Swab and Send Home clinics instead.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Sunday that hospitals’ emergency departments and general wards are coming under pressure.

To cope with the increase in patients and prevent crowding in the clinics, doctors are urging patients who need to be swabbed to call the clinics in advance.

“My advice is this: If your family member is confirmed to have Covid and you are showing symptoms, or your ART is positive, it is the responsible thing to give the clinic a call in advance so that the clinic can advise on the best time to head down, when there are fewer or no patients,” said Dr Quah.

To prevent any spread within the clinics, patients who tested positive in their self-administered ART are prioritised first, said the GPs.

At Northeast Medical’s branches, some regular patients such as those with chronic diseases do not need to stay long during this period, as they just need to top up their medications with their doctor’s approval, said Dr Tan.

As is the infection control protocol for a while now, all clinics have to triage and separate patients who need a swab test from other patients.

Despite being busier than usual in recent weeks, the doctors and staff are taking it in their stride.

Parkway Shenton’s medical director Edwin Chng said: “We work extra hard and sometimes beyond the clinics’ operating hours and into the staff’s lunch hours. As we run walk-in GP clinics, we cannot turn patients away.”

Dr Lee Joon Loong, medical director of Paddington Medical Clinic in Bedok, said: “It has been challenging. Even after clinic operating hours, patients have still been calling the clinic and we still attend to them.”

GPs have also have to manage the anxieties of patients who tested positive in their ART and went to the clinics to get their confirmatory polymerase chain reaction swab tests.

And by this week, seven in 10 Covid-19 patients would be recovering at home.

From last Saturday (Sept 18), the home recovery scheme was expanded to those aged between 12 and 69, who are fully vaccinated and do not have severe comorbidities or illnesses, among other requirements.

Dr Tan said: “We check if (patients) meet the criteria for home recovery before they are given sufficient medication, brief them on the process, and notify MOH. An external agency will visit the patient to serve a notice to stay home, and hand over some health monitoring devices.”

Most of the patients who tested positive are worried about accidentally putting their loved ones and close contacts at risk, said the GPs.

Dr Lee said: “Our medical team knows and understands the anxieties of being tested ART positive, and that is why even if the clinic is closed, we still try to answer calls from all patients… We have been having more inquiries and clarifications from patients on what to do.”

Dr Quah added: “Most are concerned about the repercussions to their family members… I will emphasise the need to strictly self-isolate in their own room with attached toilet, and not mingle with family members.”

Last modified: September 21, 2021