SingHealth’s Marine Parade Polyclinic reopens with new features

5/18/2016 10:53:00 AM | Tomorrow's Medicine

The article is contributed/written by

Marine Parade Polyclinic, managed by SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP), officially reopens today. Emeritus Senior Minister and Adviser, Marine Parade GRC GROs, Mr Goh Chok Tong was Guest-of Honour at the opening ceremony, Minister of State for Health, Dr Lam Pin Min, also attended the ceremony.

Click here to watch the official re-opening video.

Here are some of the polyclinic’s new features and initiatives for patients and residents:

The new building is double the size of the original, opened 39 years ago. To cater to Singapore’s ageing population, age-friendly features, such as low ramps, handrails and large visual guides have been added. With the expansion, Marine Parade Polyclinic has also introduced X-Ray services, more service rooms, counters and waiting areas to better serve patients.

A new medication self-collection service called Prescription in a Locker Box (PILBOX) is now available for the polyclinic’s chronic patients. With PILBOX, patients and caregivers can self-collect prescription refills through a secure locker box at their convenience, 24-hours a day, without needing to queue up at the pharmacy.

To date, 62 patients have signed up to use PILBOX. The service will be extended to other polyclinics managed by SHP in the near future.

Marine Parade Polyclinic has started a patient ambassador volunteer programme called Helping Hands. Eight volunteers have assisting patients, especially the elderly and those without caregivers, guiding them to service areas and helping them use technology-based services.

To provide person-centric care plans and manage patients more holistically, SHP piloted a Case Management Programme (Case MX) in February last year at five polyclinics, including Marine Parade Polyclinic.

Under this initiative, a team of care managers, doctors, nurses and community social workers attend to the needs of chronic patients beyond medical care. This includes their home environment, financial situation, lifestyle choices and diet.

As part of the programme, community social workers from partner volunteer welfare organisations visit patients at home and share the patients’ needs and lifestyle habits with the SHP medical team. The team then develops a customised care plan, which compliance will be monitored during subsequent home visits.