Over 1,000 GP Clinics Open During CNY Period; Website Available to Check Opening Hours

With Chinese New Year (29 January 2025) just around the corner, many shops, restaurants, and businesses will close for the festive season.

If you’ve been feeling stressed and overworked, trying to prepare for the celebrations while juggling other responsibilities and have a tendency to fall ill during the Chinese New Year holidays, don’t rush to the A&E straight away.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that more general practitioner (GP) clinics will remain open throughout the Chinese New Year period.

So, if you require medical assistance over the next few days, rest assured that help will be around your corner.

Over 1,000 GP Clinics Open During CNY Period; Website Available to Check Opening Hours

A total of 1,115 general practitioner (GP) clinics will be open at various times from 28 January to 30 January 2025.

The Ministry of Health announced on Monday (27 January 2025) that individuals who need medical care during the festive period can search for a list of nearby clinics and their operating hours on the GPGoWhere website by entering their address or postal code.

The MOH also advised the public to make an appointment or call the clinic before visiting.

A Health Appointment System (HAS) has been introduced to simplify and streamline the process of booking healthcare services.

With HAS, you can book same-day appointments for various medical services in just a few minutes. According to the website, the entire process takes less than three minutes, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

So, there should not be any complaints about it being difficult to book an appointment.

Simply enter your postal code to find the nearest clinic, choose a convenient time slot, and avoid the usual queues and waiting times.

What to Do if You’re Sick?

For minor conditions, people are encouraged to seek treatment at a GP or a 24-hour clinic.

For urgent but non-life-threatening issues, such as minor cuts, persistent vomiting, or suspected sprains that may require an X-ray, three urgent care centres (UCCs) will be available:

• Alexandra Hospital UCC: Open 24 hours
• UCC @ Admiralty: Open from 8am to 11pm
• NUH Children’s UCC @ Bukit Panjang: Open from 9am to 11pm

The Ministry of Health added that members of the public should go to accident and emergency departments at hospitals only for serious or life-threatening emergencies, such as chest pain, breathlessness, or uncontrollable bleeding.

Additionally, the MOH advised that individuals who are not experiencing life-threatening emergencies should refrain from calling 995.

This is to ensure that emergency medical services can respond promptly to those with critical conditions.