Healthier SG: Pre-enrolment available for those with chronic illness

In 2022, the Healthier SG programme was announced as Singapore's new preventive care strategy where participants will enrol with a primary care doctor who will holistically manage their health.

It was initially stated to kick off in July this year, starting with those who are at least 60. But due to concerns of an overwhelming response, a pre-enrolment exercise will be introduced from May for those aged 40 and above with chronic illness.

If you are eligible for the pre-enrolment, it is highly encouraged for you to sign up and enjoy benefits such as:

1. Free initial consultation

2. Work with the doctor to come up with a health plan which will include lifestyle changes (e.g. diet, exercise regimen etc) and regular check-ups

3. Eligible

for free annual check-ups and nationally recommended vaccinations such as flu shots. Screen for the following diseases will be free:

1. Type 2 diabetes

2. Hypertension (high blood pressure)

3. Hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol)

4. Breast cancer

5. Cervical cancer

6. Colorectal cancer

To qualify for early enrolment, you must have been seeing the same GP regularly for the management of your chronic illness, and the clinic must have signed up to be in the programme.

Early chronic condition management can secure your quality of life in the future, so speak to our anchor doctors today about it when you next see them in clinic and look out for enrolment instructions via SMS from MOH.

Kovan Clinic

Address: 210 Hougang Street 21, #01-233, Singapore 530210

Landline: 6243 3036

Whatsapp (message only): 8879 9404

Potong Pasir Clinic

Address: 51 Upper Serangoon Rd, #01-29 The Poiz Centre, Singapore 347697

Landline: 6242 6384

WhatsApp (message only): 8022 3129

Teck Ghee Clinic

Address: 338 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 #01-1625 Singapore 560338

Landline: 6904 9579

WhatsApp (message only): 8061 6220

Tampines Clinic

Address: 201E Tampines Street 23 #01-96 Singapore 527201

Landline: 6223 3803

WhatsApp (message only): 8065 0191

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/those-with-chronic-illness-will-be-able-to-sign-up-earlier-for-healthier-sg

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/4-things-to-know-about-healthier-sg

Don’t Let The Flu Bug Bite!

Picture this: You're bundled up in your cosiest blanket, surrounded by tissues and cough drops, and feeling like you've been hit by a truck. Worst, your children and partner are at home with you feeling sick as well.

Being bitten by the flu bug (specifically influenza) can cause quite a bit of misery for you and your family. With reports of a spike in influenza cases over the past few months and cooler weather in Singapore, the likelihood of catching the flu is increased. Hence, it is important to take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.

In this article, we'll dive into the common types of influenza (flu) virus, its symptoms, and what you can do to treat and protect your family from the illness.

Types of influenza virus

There are four types of influenza virus, categorized as influenza A, B, C and D. Influenza A and B are the more common types due to their contagious nature, and are responsible for causing seasonal flu epidemics.

• Influenza A: It can infect humans and animals. It is the only type that can cause a pandemic, which is a global spread of disease. Bird flu and swine flu pandemics both resulted from influenza A viruses. This includes previously dangerous subtypes such as H1N1 H2N2 etc.

• Influenza B: Typically only affects humans (Named after geographical lineages, eg. Yamagata, Victoria)

While many people recover from the influenza with home remedies, it is important to note it can cause serious illness and death in people with a high risk of complications.

Symptoms Common symptoms of the flu include:

• fatigue

• nasal congestion

• a cough

• headaches

• a sore throat

• body aches

• chills

• a fever

• vomiting or diarrhea, which are more common in children

Some people experience severe symptoms, which can include:

• chest pain

• shortness of breath

• severe pain

• severe weakness

• a high fever

• seizures

• severe dizziness

• loss of consciousness

A person who experiences any severe symptoms should receive medical attention as it can lead to complications. This includes pneumonia (infection of the lungs), bronchitis (inflammation of the lungs), sinusitis (infection of the nasal passages), ear infection and meningitis (inflammation of the lining that covers the brain). Note that some groups of people are at high risk of developing complications from flu:

• Persons aged 65 years and older;

• Children who are 6 months to under 5 years old;

• Adults and children who have chronic disorders of the lungs (including asthma) or heart;

• Adults and children who suffer from chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes); people with kidney malfunction like those on dialysis; those with a blood disorder like thalassemia;

• People whose immune resistance is lowered due to medications or those whose immune system is weakened due to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection;

• Children and teenagers aged 6 months to 18 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy (they are at risk of Reye syndrome, which is a deadly disease that affects all body organs, especially the liver and brain, after influenza infection);

• Women who are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

As we are still living with COVID-19 where the symptoms are similar to flu, you can head down to clinics that offer Influenza Rapid Test kits to determine if you have either virus.

Treatment and Self-care You can receive a prescription for medication by visiting your doctor. One such medication used to treat flu symptoms is Oseltamivir (one of the more common brand names being Tamiflu). Oseltamivir is an anti-viral drug It works by attacking the flu virus to keep it from multiplying in your body and hence reduce the symptoms of flu.

Studies show that it helps to reduce your symptom duration by 2 days if taken within the first 48 hours. Typical influenza symptoms last for 5-7 days. It takes time and rest to recover from flu as well, so self-care is important. Stay hydrated and avoid strenuous physical activities.

Protection Receiving an influenza vaccination every year is the best method of prevention. Not only does it prevent flu, it can also help to reduce the risk of severe illness/complications/hospitalizations in babies, children and adults. It can be administered as early as 6 months of age onwards. If you experience flu symptoms or wish to receive vaccination, head down to any Intemedical clinics: Kovan Clinic

Address: 210 Hougang Street 21, #01-233, Singapore 530210

Landline: 6243 3036

Whatsapp (message only): 8879 9404

Potong Pasir Clinic

Address: 51 Upper Serangoon Rd, #01-29 The Poiz Centre, Singapore 347697

Landline: 6242 6384

WhatsApp (message only): 8022 3129

Teck Ghee Clinic

Address: 338 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 #01-1625 Singapore 560338

Landline: 6904 9579

WhatsApp (message only): 8061 6220

Tampines Clinic

Address: 201E Tampines Street 23 #01-96 Singapore 527201

Landline: 6223 3803

WhatsApp (message only): 8065 0191

All clinics are open from 8 am to 12 pm.

Sources:

https://www.healthhub.sg/a-z/diseases-and-conditions/103/topics_influenza

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327397#comparison

https://www.wionews.com/india-news/h3n2-influenza-outbreak-in-india-cases-spike-in-multiple-states-singapore-on-alert-too-570479

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/nanyang-primary-school-55-cases-53-students-home-based-learning-hbl-fever-cough-sore-throat-flu-3243186

Queue System at our clinics

Our aim at Intemedical is to be able to provide optimal patient care for all, while taking into consideration the varied needs and occasionally high volume of patients.

Here is how our clinic manages the queue.

1. Queue priority for urgent life threatening cases Our medical staff and clinic assistants have been trained to identify and triage the appropriate cases that need immediate care. The following are some examples with queue priority but are not limited to: Acute shortness of breath, audible wheezing, stridor Acute onset chest pain Fainting spells Severe vomiting/ vomiting of blood/ blood in stools Severe allergic reaction with swelling, difficulty breathing Fits/Seizures If you have signs of a life threatening condition (eg. Severe injuries, no heart beat or breathing), please call an ambulance immediately
   

2. Walk in patients -Patients are generally attended to based on time of physical registration -However, urgent walk in cases may be prioritised (see point 1) -In the event of long waiting times, patients may be advised to wait somewhere else and return nearer to their turn. Clinic assistants may facilitate this by giving the patient a call when it is approaching their turn. - last time for registration is 15 minutes before clinic closes (11.45pm) - registration may close earlier during high volume periods as we aim for our doctors and staff to finish by 12 midnight (we open early again the next day at 8!)
   

3. Appointments made on our website - Appointments can only be booked in advance (at least 4 hours) and are reserved for non urgent cases (including non urgent medical consultations, LPA signing, pre departure swab tests etc.) - We will do our best to see patients within 30 minutes of their appointment time but we seek your understanding in the event of high patient volumes on a particular day
   

4. Mode of communication The fastest way to reach us is via Whatsapp at our various clinics (from 8am - 10pm)
   

Kovan Clinic

Address: 210 Hougang Street 21, #01-233, Singapore 530210

Landline: 6243 3036

Whatsapp (message only): 8879 9404

Potong Pasir Clinic

Address: 51 Upper Serangoon Rd, #01-29 The Poiz Centre, Singapore 347697

Landline: 6242 6384

WhatsApp (message only): 8022 3129

Teck Ghee Clinic

Address: 338 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 #01-1625 Singapore 560338

Landline: 6904 9579

WhatsApp (message only): 8061 6220

Tampines Clinic

Address: 201E Tampines Street 23 #01-96 Singapore 527201

Landline: 6223 3803

WhatsApp (message only): 8065 0191

Stay safe and healthy!