Relief as patients cut down on hospital visits

Mr Osman Abdollah, 91, who previously underwent heart bypass surgery and has multiple health conditions, including diabetic kidney disease and hypertension, used to shuttle between different hospitals and polyclinics for his checkups.

- Joyce Teo Senior Health Correspondent and Yap Wei Qiang Correspondent

A wheelchair user, he mostly depends on his daughter to accompany him and would sometimes miss his appointments.

In October 2024, he sought help at a polyclinic due to breathlessness and was referred to Alexandra Hospital (AH) for further tests.

He consulted senior hospital clinician and principal doctor Neeta Kesu Belani. After examining him, she found that his legs were swollen and in fluid overload. She then diagnosed that the breathlessness was caused by too much fluid in his body.

To help reduce the excess fluid, she adjusted his heart medication, advised him to drink less water, and go on a low-sodium diet to limit water retention.

A followup visit was arranged so that she could monitor his progress. During that period, she also noticed that his blood sugar level was low, and she adjusted the dosage of his medication.

In 2018, AH piloted this model of consolidating the care of patients with multiple conditions under one principal doctor, instead of having the conditions managed separately by several specialists.

The hospital's medical board chairman Khoo See Meng said that because the model requires doctors who are skilled in this mode of care delivery, they started recruiting and training hospital clinicians like Dr Neeta, who later became the principal doctor for many of her patients.

Hospital clinicians are trained in broad-based care to effectively coordinate and deliver care across different settings. Complex cases will be referred to specialists.