We thank Dr Michelle Liang Weiting for her letter (Unfair to charge private consultation rates for a trainee doctor; Jan 24).
KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) established the Urgent O&G Centre as a 24-hour walk-in clinic that provides essential medical care for pregnant women and women with gynaecological-related conditions who require urgent medical attention.
It is staffed round-the-clock by a dedicated team comprising a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist, as well as qualified doctors (registrars) and nurses.
Registrars attending to the patients at the Urgent O&G Centre are trained and accredited in the medical care they provide and the procedures that they perform.
Our specialist and the team on duty will attend to any complicated or complex conditions when needed.
When a patient arrives at the centre, her condition is assessed and prioritised according to the urgency of her medical condition.
This means that patients with the most critical and urgent conditions, regardless of whether they are of subsidised or private status, will be attended to first and seen by the specialist doctor on duty.
Our patients are always at the heart of the care that we provide.
In Dr Liang's case, after she was initially assessed and prioritised, she was attended to within one hour by our doctor and was rendered the appropriate medical care.
As she is currently a private patient with our hospital, she was charged a flat private rate.
We assure the public that the KKH Urgent O&G Centre is dedicated to patient-centred care based on the needs and medical conditions of all patients.
Tan Thiam Chye (Associate Professor)
Head and Senior Consultant
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Urgent O&G Centre
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
