Why Stop Doctors from Charging Polyclinic Rate?

iamgoondu SG

Have u ever visit a polyclinic? $8 covers only consultations. You need blood test? pay. You need urine test? pay. You need drugs? pay.

As I said they have probably done their sums prior deciding to offer consultations at $8. They know at $8, their business models would still be viable. Why do we doubt the business sense of a GP?

Would a GP simply close his business when he fails to recover his overheads? The GP could raise from $8 to $10, if still fails, raise $10 to 15 and so on..., would he give up his business so easily?

Perhaps someone can tell me how much does a GP earns in a polyclinic and in a private practice.

So does it mean that every polyclinic patient receive a $10 subsidy from government from each visit?

cornyfish2000 SG

Yeah, apparently they find that charging $8 is still viable. But i would really like to know if they are doing this by cutting corners. If they are not, then my assumption that $18 is the minimum charge for a private medical practice operating with a reasonable standard of medical care to be viable is wrong. Then we would be back to the qustion of how did SMA come up with this figure of $18?

If the GP fails to recover his overheads, he has 3 options:

Option 1: Cut corners to lower cost so as to maintain viability
Option 2: Raise the consultation charges again
Option 3: Give up his practice

Ideally, we would like the GPs who are unable to cover their overheads to raise their consultation charges again, rather than to cut corners. But do all business-minded GPs think the same way? As in every other profession, there will be some who will cut corners rather than raise the price, so that they can grab a larger slice of the market share (since they can then afford to charge cheaper than the rest). And very often in medicine, the patient will not be able to recognise that he has received a lower standard of care from this corner-cutting GP, since almost all patients know next to nothing about their medical condition and its appropriate management anyway, until it's too late. And even then, it will be difficult to prove that the delay in diagnosis and treatment was because of cost-cutting measures by the doc, and not because of other factors like the fact that different individuals have different responses to a disease.. when in fact it was.

The result? Patients will all flock to the corner-cutting GP who charges less than the 'ethical' one. So what is this 'ethical' one gonna do? He is left with 2 options:

Option A: Close shop
Option B: Cut corners too so that he can charge lower and remain competitive with his neighbouring GP

So there we are. The patient loses eventually, whichever option this 'ethical' GP chooses.

Btw to avoid confusion, a GP refers to a doctor who runs his own private practice, whereas a polyclinic doctor is one employed by MOH and shouldn't be considered a GP.

PRP SG

SMA only recommend those fee.GPs need not follow.If they want to charge lower,i think it is entirely their wish

Perhaps GPs who want to charge polyclinic rate is just a temporarilly measure (just like sales).When they have sufficient steady patients,they may charge higher rates.

Cornyfish,u do have a point.Overcutting may lead lto ower standard of services.But isn't it the duty & moral duty for docs to give proper services?Does it mean when the fee is low,doc can give substandard service?Well,even with high fee,docs can also give dishonest services!So it is really up to the docs.

cornyfish2000 SG

Yup, no doubt it is. I would like to believe that all docs are truly altruistic and mean the best for their patients even if it is at the expense of their own salary!

vito_corleone SG

remember, docs are humans like the rest of us too. they have mouths to feed, bills to pay and material wants…don’t expect something from somebody if you yourself can’t do it. you tell me, after taking like what? more than 6 years of shit in medical school and the high tuition fees charged, shouldnt they at least have the right to be rewarded a little?

iamgoondu SG

There are no guns or knifes pointing at them. They had willingly slashed the GP consultation fees to $8.

They had quoted $8 for consultation fees, they did not quote any charges for drugs, blood test, urine test or whatever..., the $8 could just be a marketing/sales strategy to bring in more patients.

It's true that all of us have mouths to feed, have bills to pay, irregard you are a doctor, a lawyer, a programmer, an engineer or even a maid. However when one have FTs compete with you in the engineering and IT, one would probably only ponder why the same thing could not be happened elsewhere?

oldbreadstinks SG

from what i see in sg , regardless of the cost, there'll still be corner cutting whenever possible, regardless of whether you're working as a toliet cleaner or the ceo of some big F*** company

as for how they arrived at the minimium charge you guys should know by now the way they do it ,such things are more accurate if decided with a dice

like i said earlier , they think that higher charges\pay means better service and goods or better talent hired

but those of you who grew up here, through the education system, through army, is that really what you get?

and my bro who's still in the army , tells me that his camp pays the caterers at least 4-6 bucks for a meal
something that consist of slobs you feed pigs, with things over cooked most of the time
but honestly , $4-6 and food's better outside, with better quality and quantity
something's really familar right?
(something i couldn't really identify with since food was great in my camp)

and govt subsidies, LOL HDB's pretty subsidised too
and the service at polyclinics, you've seen it for yourself, the rude behaviour you get from the staff, the lousy docs who only know how to give antibiotics ,
i don't even visit govt doctors unless i need something like operations or any followups

lwflee SG

As said, standards can be maintained through regulations, criminal sanctions and civil liabilities. imo, this is just the profession protecting itself.

Offtopic: Seriously, army food is really pretty good overall. The problem comes with the lack of imagination in the menus, and in the fact that they dun use enough msg.

PRP SG

How docs want to charge?it is up to the individual doc.Market plays a role.Many ppl can afford to pay more than $8 to see a private GP.

chunyong SG

agree, the doctor definitely knows if he is not making enough. imagine, 1 day just 10 people, earn 180. 30 days earn 5.4K....and normally they charge u abt 25 at least, very farking seldom u ganna less than 20. so 30 days is 7.5K....dats for 10 people per day which is a figure near impossible. a normal clinic sees 20-30 people at least bah...

things will get to an equilibrium one...those with basic knowledge of econs will know what actually happens when a price floor comes into place.

PRP SG

Actually the issue is not about fees,it is about whether docs advertised in the intenet improperly.

iamgoondu SG

Yes the issue is not about fees. In Zaobao's report published on 9 Apr, MOH has encouraged market competition and has no objections for GP to charge at $8.

The issue is GP is not allowed to advertise, promote or provide discounts their services.

In Zaobao's report, it was reported that some GP even charge $1 per consultation for some companies staffs.

Again it was reported that each patient in polyclinics enjoyed a subsidy of $20. That is without subsidy one could have paid $28 per GP consultations.

So in your next visit to polyclinics, you must not accept whatever services that is below par than those by private GPs. You must tell yourself that you are paying $28 and not $8 for your visit.

oldbreadstinks SG

offtopic: no , mine was quite good, actually i really like my cookhouse cooking, but for my bro
he was having cauliflower for lunch and they over cooked it till it became cauliflower soup

robertteh SG

Doctoring accounts is called creative accounting, Doctoring information creative thinking. Doctoring the doctor's prices is : creative medicines ? Laughing

oxford mushroom SG

I remember it was a very senior government minister who said that if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. That was referring to justifying higher pay for ministers. The argument went on to say that if you don't pay them well, they can become corrupt. The same argument can go for any profession, from the street cleaner to doctors.

If a GP charges 8 dollars, he needs to have more clients in order to break even. One way is to give you half the course of antibiotics or a cheaper but less effective medication, one pill instead of two, 4 days' medication instead of a week, medicine 3 times a day instead of 6 hourly....things like that. He will tell you to come back if you don't get better....he knows you will not get better after 3-4 days. So you have to return, and he earns the the other $8 from you. The other way is to sell MC to healthy blokes who want a day's rest after partying hard on Sunday night. Just diagnose migraine for a hangover...you get the gist? $8 for one MC...you happy, he happy.

I am not a GP but I do know life is getting difficult for them. Don't forget they leave medical school nowadays with a huge debt (fees are about $18,000 a year for 5 years), and they have to serve 2 years of army and one year of housemanship with little pay. Like the rest of us, they have the same problems with car and housing mortgage, as well as a girlfriend who needs a diamond ring soon. I would not advise my children to become GPs...if you want to do medicine, do eye surgery. Better still, join the PAP and be a minister.

cornyfish2000 SG

The best is to be an eye surgeon then go on to join PAP and become a minister => Vivian Balakrishnan Mr. Green

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