Residents of Aljunied and Hougang constituencies will get to go for
health screening at carparks near their homes.
The People's Association (PA) grassroots bodies in the
opposition-held wards have raised about $600,000 to buy two
medium-sized Mercedes Benz buses that will be converted into mobile
clinics.
To ply both wards in the next 18 months, the buses will be staffed
by volunteer doctors and nurses. The service will roll out from
next week.
The mobile service would "bring health education and services to
the doorsteps of residents", said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong
yesterday when he launched the service at the Serangoon Community
Club.
It is expected to conduct full health checks for 800 seniors, give
vaccinations to 2,000, and teach another 10,000 how to take care of
their health, Mr Gan added.
Serangoon Citizens' Consultative Committee chairman Chan Hui Yuh
said the service would be a throwback to the kampong days where
mobile clinics were used to travel to villages to provide medical
services.
Ms Chan, one of the grassroots leaders behind the project, is also
chair of the People's Action Party (PAP) branch at Serangoon, one
of five divisions in Aljunied that fell to the Workers' Party at
the 2011 General Elections.
Brushing off suggestions that the health service was launched in
the opposition-held wards to win over voters, Mr Gan said on the
sidelines of the launch: "That was not a consideration.
"The main consideration was that this is a ground up initiative.
There are many other initiatives at other wards as well."
The Straits Times understands that the PAP Community Foundation
(PCF) donated about two-thirds of the $600,000 raised by the PA
grassroots leaders to launch the service.