With Singapore under the Circuit Breaker for a long period of time, you may not want to visit your doctor in person. Telemedicine is an option for you to see a practitioner while at home and is a convenient option if you have mobility issues.
This article talks about what telemedicine is, whether the doctor can prescribe prescription-only drugs, whether you can get a Medical Certificate (MC) that is valid, and more.
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is the use of communication technologies, such as video conferencing, phone calls, or even emails, to provide care to patients who are separated from doctors by physical distance [1].
Telemedicine has been around since at least 1959 and was conceptualised earlier when radios first became popular. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also did research into telemedicine to assist astronauts when they went to space.
Telemedicine is now used in areas like psychiatry [2], counselling [3], and handling chronic conditions like chronic liver disease [4] and asthma [5]. During this Covid-19 period, Doctors are trying to find ways to make telemedicine more expedient and convenient for both providers and patients to use [6].
Who is Telemedicine suitable for?
Telemedicine is useful for situations where you feel your illness prevents you from reaching a clinic but not bad enough to warrant hospitalization. It is also useful for treating chronic diseases, or diseases that have a considerable stigma attached to them, such as HIV/AIDS.
The elderly, once taught how to video conference or call someone, also stand to benefit from telemedicine [7]. Finally, telemedicine is useful when external circumstances prevent or discourage you from leaving your house, such as during our ‘Circuit Breaker’ situation in Singapore.
Telemedicine is normally cheaper than receiving direct healthcare, although how much you save depends on the type of condition you have, the kind of specialist you need to see, and the kind of medicine you need [8]. More research is needed to make definite conclusions [9].
How can Telemedicine help me? Is it safe?
You may be discouraged from going to a clinic or hospital during this period because of Covid-19. You can use Telemedical services to stay in contact with your General Practitioner (GP) or specialist to continue treatment for chronic conditions like Diabetes.
If you fall sick with some minor symptoms, you can also connect with your doctor via teleconferencing to see what the next steps are. If there are any conditions that require a physical examination, you and your doctor can work together to find a way to get you physical care as soon as possible.
In Singapore, doctors and healthcare providers must provide the same amount of care as you would get in a physical consult. They are required to state the limitations of their teleconsultation tools and abilities and must refer you for a physical consult if they cannot make a proper judgement on your condition.
All healthcare professionals providing telemedical care in Singapore must be licensed under the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) even if they are located overseas. If you are seen by unqualified personnel, the Ministry of Health (MOH) can investigate and impose penalties [10].
How do doctors figure out which patients require physical care?
The process of determining how urgent a patient requires care is termed ‘triage’. During a teleconsult, the doctor will ask specific questions to determine how urgently you need medical care [11]. The goal is to collect a detailed medical history, figure out how it may relate to your current symptoms, determine what condition you have, and what you should do next.
If you use a video call, your doctor may ask you to present any symptoms that you can see, such as reddened skin from rashes.
What can I do to get the most out of my Teleconsult?
You may be limited by the number of messages you can send to doctors or by a time limit of 15-20 minutes. Therefore, to get the most out of your teleconsult you should prepare the following information
Your current symptoms: What symptoms do you have now? Where are you experiencing problems? How long have you had the symptoms for now? How painful are they?
Your medical history: What conditions have you had in the past? What medications are you currently taking? Where else, if any, have you gone for treatment?
Questions about your diagnosis: What further tests do you need, where can you get them, and what will they tell you? How certain is your doctor about your diagnosis? Does your condition require physical medical care? How likely are you to infect others close to you? What further symptoms should you look out for?
Questions about your treatment: What treatment options are available? How can you get medication? What happens if you don’t receive treatment immediately and overtime? Are there foods or activities you must avoid while you recover? Will you be able to continue working (from home) while recovering?
Can I get an MC? Is the MC valid?
Yes, you can get a Medical Certificate from the doctor and it will be valid as if you went to a doctor in person. Your MC will be delivered to you along with your medication (see below).
Is the medicine only Over-the-Counter (OTC)? Can I be given prescription-only medicine? How will I receive it?
Yes, doctors can prescribe prescription-only medicine to you online. You can go to a pharmacy to collect the drugs yourself, but usually, the telemedical services include delivery of the drugs and your MC within a few hours. You can buy OTC medicine online.
How do I pay for Telemedicine? Does Insurance cover this form of Treatment?
Most telemedicine platforms accept cashless payment and you will be able to pay by debit or credit cards.
There are several providers of telemedicine in Singapore, including:
- HealthPass by OCBC
- MaNaDr
- Doctor World
- Doctor Anywhere
- HeartVoice
- Sata CommHealth
- WhiteCoat
These different providers sometimes collaborate with certain insurance providers to give you coverage for teleconsults. For example, WhiteCoat has paired up with AIA to give you coverage when you use WhiteCoat’s services under AIA’s insurance plans [12].
Doctor Anywhere has paired with AXA insurance to provide insurance for corporate clients [13]. Do check with your personal insurance provider to check if it covers telemedicine services.
How does each provider compare?
HealthPass (by OCBC)
OCBC's HealthPass offers video consultations with a GP or specialist, and medication can be delivered to your home. Users do not need to be an OCBC bank customer in order to access the service.
Any Singapore resident over 18 years of age can use the app, available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. HealthPass offers a flat fee of $20 for GP teleconsults or in-clinic visits, if you end up needing to go in person. There are more than 100 GPs onboard for your convenience.
To see a specialist doctor on HealthPass, a flat fee of $100 applies for teleconsults or in-clinic visits. The medical specialities in their list include paediatrics and oncology, to name a few.
MaNaDr
MaNaDr allows you to consult with a doctor through video or voice-only for medical and aesthetic advice. You can pick your service provider and type the name of the doctor you want to consult with. Even if your chosen provider is not available, there will be other doctors at work, resulting in a 24/7 service on an on-demand basis.
This allows you to consult at night if you work or prefer odd hours. The data you provide is safe; it has been awarded the Data Protection Trustmark (DPTM) certification by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Personal Data Protection commission (PDPC) of Singapore.
Doctor World
Doctor World allows you to video-consult with a doctor via their app and have your medication delivered to your doorstep in under 3 hours. Their teleconsultation service is available 24/7, even on public holidays. You can access your consultation report that includes your diagnosis, prescription and bill, all in one place.
In addition to electronic MCs, Doctor World can also provide electronic referral letters as required. If you prefer to see a doctor in person, their unique eQueue feature on Doctor World allows you to check clinic wait times and get a queue number for your visit even before reaching the clinic, so you can be seen as soon as possible.
Doctor World charges a consultation fee of $18nett (inclusive of medication delivery).
Doctor Anywhere
In addition to allowing you to consult online and receive medication in under 3 hours, Doctor Anywhere allows you to speak to aesthetic doctors and ‘newborn consultants’ in addition to general practitioners (GP). Aesthetic doctors let you ask for advice regarding ageing or scar issues, among other conditions.
You can consult with a newborn consultant for advice on taking care of newborns, feeding, and weaning. They can also advise on what equipment you need.
Doctor Anywhere costs $15-$20, depending on which service you pick, with medications and products charged separately.
HeartVoice
As a Joint Venture between OMRON Healthcare and iAPPS Pte Ltd., HeartVoice offers telemedicine service, featuring General Practitioners, Aesthetic Physicians and Allied Health Professionals. Bringing convenience one step closer to you, HeartVoice lets you schedule a consultation via website and WhatsApp chatbot.
Along with video consultations, HeartVoice offers remote patient monitoring via free app to record and monitor your health vitals. Users can opt for a Remote Health Program to better manage their ongoing chronic conditions, by syncing their health vitals to their preferred doctor’s dashboard and receiving regular updates.
Backed by more than 40 clinics islandwide, a consultation costs from $18 and above, depending on the telemedicine provider.
Sata CommHealth
Sata CommHealth has a number of health centres scattered throughout Singapore, including
- Ang Mo Kio
- Bedok
- Boon Lay
- Jurong
- Potong Pasir
- Tanjong Pagar
- Tampines
- Woodlands
They also include mobile x-ray, mammography, and doctor on wheels services.
They have recently included teleconsultations into their arsenal, allowing you to teleconsult with Sata CommHealth doctors through whatsapp. Because they have physical clinics and mobile services, you can follow up with Sata CommHealth directly and manage both acute and chronic conditions.
Sata CommHealth teleconsults cost $19.50 for a single consult, with MC and medication fees charged separately.
WhiteCoat
WhiteCoat keeps children in mind, allowing you to choose if your child is the one who is sick and needs the doctor. You can then pick a doctor or have one assigned to you for your consultation. You can discuss laboratory test results with the doctor, get sexual health advice, and get referred to a specialist.
If you have certain chronic conditions and their secondary diseases, like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, you can get a prescription from the doctors.
WhiteCoat charges:
- $25.00 on Mon-Sat, 8:00 am to 7:59 pm (Office hours)
- $50.00 on Mon-Sat, 8:00 pm to 12:00 am (After hours)
- $50.00 on Sun & Public Holidays, 8:00 am to 12:00 am (After hours)
How is Human related to Telemedicine?
Human is an aggregator where common medical questions and services needed by patients can be found. Human provides a platform for people like you to ask questions and get answers from real doctors and specialists, either directly or through the written articles. We also allow you to book appointments with your chosen doctor or specialist.
You can get quotes for a specific condition or browse a wide range of treatments to find an answer for your medical questions. At the time of writing, Human does not have the ability to let you teleconsult with our doctors directly.
When is Telemedicine not suitable?
When you have sudden (acute) and strong symptoms such as chest pain, severe breathlessness, or severe headaches. These symptoms may signal the start of a medical emergency such as a heart attack or stroke. In these cases, call for an ambulance right away and receive treatment in an equipped medical facility.
Hospitals have taken the utmost care in keeping patients safe and have measures in place to minimise your risks of contracting Covid-19 [14]. It is still the safest place to receive care for medical emergencies.
You may require physical tests to further ascertain your condition, in which case you will need to visit your director physically to undergo the tests. Finally, you may also have a bad internet connection. While this problem is less common in Singapore, a bad internet connection may make your teleconsult experience less fruitful.
Conclusion
As you have read, telemedicine is a good option during this time of Covid-19. While there are only a few companies that provide this service, The telemedical market may grow bigger as time passes, especially after Circuit Breaker.
This will lead to more options for you as a patient. Nonetheless, there are tangible benefits to using this service now, especially if you cannot visit a doctor physically for whatever reason, so don’t be afraid to try this new method of healthcare!