SINGAPORE — More services for seniors and new mothers are in the pipeline at the new Punggol Polyclinic, which officially opened on Wednesday (May 23).

From July, the SingHealth-run polyclinic will begin a pilot programme to provide better care for expectant mothers with gestational diabetes.

The polyclinic, which has a focus on women’s and children’s health given the relatively high number of young families in the estate, will work closely with the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on the programme, said the polyclinic’s clinic director David Ng.

Punggol, which had 146,600 residents as of June last year, has the highest proportion of residents (10.9 per cent) who are below the age of five.

Gestational diabetes affects up to one in four pregnant women here and can result in stillbirth or sudden foetal death, TODAY previously reported. And while most cases of gestational diabetes typically resolve within six weeks after delivery, up to seven in 10 women with the condition will eventually develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.

Punggol Polyclinic, which is beside Oasis LRT, began operating in November last year and has seen 14,000 attendances as of last month. One in five have been women or children, said Dr Ng.

From July 30, a Community Eye Clinic will be ready to treat patients with early cataract, stable glaucoma and early diabetic retinopathy and diabetic maculopathy. The service is offered in collaboration with the Singapore National Eye Centre.

Automation features more heavily at the new polyclinic, which is Singapore’s 19th. Its Outpatient Pharmacy Automation System uses robot technology to improve medication safety and workflow efficiency. After a doctor indicates the medication needed by a patient, the system will dispense and package it accordingly.

The medication reaches the patient after a final round of verification by a pharmacist.

Clinic pharmacy manager Teo Hui Ling said automation eliminates human error and improves accuracy by up to 99.95 per cent. The system has helped to save up to 180 man-hours a month – roughly equivalent to one staff member.

The polyclinic also has lockers that allow residents to collect their medication at any time of the day.

SingHealth’s Centre of Research Excellence at the polyclinic will conduct studies on chronic disease management and primary care, with the aim of using the findings to improve services offered.

Sengkang resident Nur Zuriana Abdul Rahman, 30, takes her four-month-old son to Punggol Polyclinic for immunisation despite Sengkang Polyclinic being nearer to her home.

She prefers Punggol for its more holistic range of services and added: “The immunisation room for the kids looks cheery and colourful and it captivates… the baby.”

Besides medical and dental care, the polyclinic also offers physiotherapy and podiatry services.