Introduction to General Practitioners, Family Medicine Clinics, and Primary Care Networks
There are about 1,700 GP clinics in Singapore, which support patients with their preventive, acute and chronic care needs. Learn more about how CHAS Clinics, Family Medicine Clinics, and the Primary Care Network support patients with their chronic disease management.
CHAS Clinics
Participating GP and dental clinics provide subsidised care for Singapore Citizens who have the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), or Merdeka Generation (MG) and Pioneer Generation (PG) cards.
Click here to read more about CHAS.
Primary Care Network
The Primary Care Network (PCN) is a network of General Practitioners (GPs), supported by nurse counsellors and care coordinators, which provides step-by-step care for patients with chronic condition(s) such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Benefits of PCN
Patients will have a personalised medical care plan to better manage their chronic condition(s). There will be closer monitoring and better care as patient’s case will be managed by a dedicated health care team comprised GPs, nurse counsellors and care coordinators. Patients also get to enjoy more convenience as they can choose to see a PCN GP near them.
Services Provided by PCN GPs
- Diabetic Foot Screening: As part of holistic chronic disease management, diabetic patients will be scheduled for periodic foot screening to identify any diabetic-related foot issues that can lead to amputations, if not well taken care of. Advice on proper foot care and footwear will also be provided.
- Diabetic Retinal Photography: The PCN coordinator will help to coordinate periodic DRP screenings for diabetic patients through service providers such as Community Health Centres (CHCs) to enable early detection of any diabetic-related eye conditions. This will ensure early intervention which will reduce the risk of complications that can lead to blindness.
- Nurse Counselling & Education: Patients can learn more about their condition(s) from the nurse counsellors, who will provide patients with personalised advice on positive lifestyle changes and empower patients to self-manage their condition(s).
Where are the PCN GPs?
You can find a list of PCN GP clinics by downloading the following attachments.
List arranged by Alphabetical Order
List arranged by Primary Care Networks:
Download the PCN Brochure:
Frequently Asked Questions (for PCNs)
Have a question about Primary Care Networks? We may have the answer here.
You can download the full FAQ here.
The PCN is a network of General Practitioners (GPs) supported by nurses and care coordinators in providing holistic and coordinated care for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This team-based care approach ensures patients with chronic conditions are better cared for in the community.
First, the patient consults a PCN GP for his or her chronic condition(s). The PCN GP assesses and diagnoses the patient’s condition and registers patient on the PCN’s Chronic Disease Registry (CDR) if applicable. Patient will be referred to see a nurse counsellor and the relevant ancillary services (such as diabetic foot or eye screenings) if required.
The care coordinator at the PCN-HQ level will then work with the respective clinic assistant to schedule the patient for the ancillary service(s) appointment. Upon completion of the ancillary service(s), the doctor will review the test results and follow up with the patient.
The patient’s progress and clinical outcomes will be tracked and monitored under the PCN CDR to ensure that they follow through with their personalised care plans and treatment. The overall aim is to help patients better manage their chronic conditions and improve their health outcomes.
There will be closer monitoring of a patient’s chronic conditions for earlier intervention by their PCN GP. Patients will also have access to nurse counsellors for individualised advice to manage their chronic condition(s), including lifestyle and dietary modifications.
Ancillary care services refer to the wide range of healthcare services provided to support the work of a primary physician. The PCN typically provides the following ancillary services for their chronic patients through partnership with the community partners.
- Diabetic Foot Screening (DFS)
- Diabetic Retinal Photography (DRP)
- Nurse Counselling & Education (NC)
Yes, the ancillary services are chargeable. Patients may contact the respective PCN GP clinics to check on the ancillary service rates and packages for the above services.
Yes. Patients may use their Health Assist Card (Blue/Orange/Green), Merdeka Generation, or Pioneer Generation Card when visiting a PCN GP to enjoy subsidised consultation fees and ancillary services as all the PCN GP clinics are CHAS accredited.
Click here for the list of PCN GP Clinics.
Yes. Patients may use their CHAS (Blue/Orange/Green), Merdeka Generation or Pioneer Generation Card when visiting a PCN GP clinic for the treatment of their chronic condition(s) as long as the condition is one of the 20 conditions listed in the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) below:
| Chronic Conditions | Chronic Conditions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diabetes Mellitus/ Pre-Diabetes | 11 | Stroke |
| 2 | Hypertension | 12 | Dementia+ |
| 3 | Lipid Disorders | 13 | Osteoarthritis |
| 4 | Asthma | 14 | Parkinson’s Disease |
| 5 | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | 15 | Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) |
| 6 | Nephritis/Nephrosis | 16 | Epilepsy |
| 7 | Schizophrenia+ | 17 | Osteoporosis |
| 8 | Major Depression+ | 18 | Psoriasis |
| 9 | Bipolar Disorder | 19 | Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) |
| 10 | Anxiety | 20 | Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHC) |
+ Only claimable at selected clinics
Patients may ask their GP about it. Click here for the list of PCN GP Clinics.
Patients may wish to speak with their PCN GP for more information pertaining to their chronic condition and access to the ancillary services.
The GP would have to assess if the patient’s chronic condition(s) needs a particular ancillary service before the care coordinator schedules them for one. To better serve all the patients, all the ancillary services are by appointment only.
Patients would need to bring the following during their visit:
- NRIC
- The following cards (if applicable):
- CHAS Card under Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS)
- Merdeka Generation (MG) Card
- Pioneer Generation (PG) Card
- Referral form from SOC/Polyclinic (if any)
For more information on PCN, email us at enquiries@aic.sg or call the AIC Hotline at 1800-650-6060.
