Whether you are planning to settle down, work or study in Singapore, finding an experience and caring doctor can be stressful, especially if you or your loved ones have a chronic disease.
It is not easy too as healthcare in Singapore can be different from your home country. Here are some tips to help you find Dr.Right easy and quickly:
Type of Doctor :Primary Care Doctor or Specialist/Surgeon
It is important to identify what type of doctor you need. Are you looking for a primary care doctor for general health concerns or routine care, or a specialist to deal with a particular medical problem?
The primary healthcare role in Singapore is fulfilled by government polyclinics and private clinics (GPs /Family Physicians).
If you are looking for Specialists or Surgeons, you can find them at Restructured (government) Hospitals, National Speciality Centres (for example Centres for Cancer, Heart, Neuroscience, Eye and Dental), Private Hospitals & Specialist Centres and Private Medical Centres.
Government or Private Sector
It is very important to understand the difference between government (restructured) and private hospitals in terms of patient management, appointment booking, hospital admission/discharge, hospital facility, charges & fees.
Explore Your Options
Ask your family members, friends and co-workers
Think about people that you trust (family members, friends, coworkers) and ask their recommendations, some of them might know good doctors, especially those who live in Singapore for a long time.
Use online resources
Today, it is so easy to find the information in the Internet. You can check Medical Directory of Hospitals/ Specialist Medical Centres/Ministry of Health websites and choose from thousands internationally qualified doctors who are specialists in their respective fields.
Word-of-mouth
All of us know that word-of-mouth is one of the most influential source of the information as it provided by satisfied customers/patients or people who heard successful stories from their friends or family. Usually, you can gather the information from local Facebook forums, community online pages, healthcare blogs or customer’s reviews on the Internet.
Check with Doctors or Medical professionals
Very often we say that “this world is very small’, so the medical community is even smaller, everyone knows each other and usually have a trusted panel of doctors. Therefore, one of the way to ask people who work in the healthcare industry (nurses, medical staff, marketing staff at the International Patient Centres, interpreters, medical concierge companies) or doctors ( for example primary care doctors).
Insurance Panel of Doctors
If you have an insurance plan, you may need to choose from a list of doctors in their network. Some insurance plans may let you choose a doctor outside the network if you pay more of the cost.
If you don’t have health insurance, we strongly recommend to get one as medical treatment can be quite expensive here.
Evaluate your top choices
Once you make a list of possible doctors, learn about them in more details. Check their CV- working experience and background, speciality areas and skills.
The answers to the following questions may help you make the best decision.
Questions about the doctor
- Is the doctor part of a group practice? Who are the other doctors?
- Who will see you if your doctor isn’t available?
- Which hospital does the doctor use?
- If you have a medical condition, does the doctor sub-specialised in treating it?
- Doctor’s record with Singapore Medical Council
Questions about the clinic
- How long will it take to get an appointment?
- How long the waiting time?
- Does clinic accept your insurance card?
Go with your gut
In the end, choosing a doctor is a personal decision. Make informed decision and trust your instinct and your heart.
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