The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways in which the University operates, including how services are provided to students and staff. One of these services include teleconsultation, introduced by the University Health Centre (UHC), to continue serving the community when face-to-face consultation proved to be a challenge.
Teleconsultation was first adopted in March 2020 for stable chronic conditions, but progressively covered a wider range of medical ailments in the following months, especially when the “circuit breaker” measures came into effect. With UHC doctors leveraging video capabilities to support teleconsultations, appointments are pre-scheduled and patient waiting time reduced. Following the teleconsultation session, medication can be directly dispatched to patients.
Madeline Heng, Pharmacist at UHC shared that teleconsultation appointments take place via video calls and patients receive their medication through local courier services for a delivery fee of $10. “Patients can also self-collect the medication from the UHC dispensary,” added Madeline who oversees the scheduling of all patient appointments.
Dr Shaun Ho, Director at the Organisational Excellence Transformation Unit highlighted the convenience and effectiveness of the services he received through a teleconsultation session. “It saved me commuting as well as waiting time,” he said.
Dr Lee Chian Chau, Deputy Director at UHC commended his fellow colleagues for readily embracing teleconsultation as a new way of serving the University community. Nonetheless, Dr Lee added that there will still be cases where face-to-face consultations and physical examinations are necessary. “For more complex medical conditions, patients are required to make a trip to the clinic for an in-depth diagnosis,” said Dr Lee.
NUS staff and students who wish to schedule a teleconsultation appointment may email UHC at uhcpharmacy@nus.edu.sg.
Dedicated UHC doctors and staff (top row, from left): Dr Tan Ee Ling, Dr Lim Jun Hong, Dr Lee Chian Chau; (bottom row, from left) Dr Basil Wu, Dr Tong Wee Peng, Madeline Heng