Expanding Services Offered by Neighbourhood GPs under HealthierSG to Reduce Hospital Workload

Miss Rachel Ong asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider allowing neighbourhood general practitioners (GPs) under HealthierSG to perform routine blood tests and simple procedures requested by hospitals, so as to reduce unnecessary hospital visits, time incurred for caregivers and transport costs for seniors.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: General Practitioners (GPs), including those participating in Healthier SG, already perform routine blood tests for their patients and enrollees. Healthcare clusters also work closely with GPs to enhance collaboration where possible. Today, patients can be referred from public hospitals to their partner GPs or polyclinics for follow-up closer to home.