 1.
What is Mobiledoctor?
 Mobiledoctor
specializes in personalized housecalls where our patients can be
treated in the comfort of their own home. Our doctors are well equipped
with the most advanced portable medical equipment and can prescribe and
dispense most medications after consultation.
^Go To
Top
2.
What is Mobilenurse?
Mobilenurse
provides qualified and professional support for the Mobiledoctors.
Mobilenurse can also be dispatched under Mobiledoctor's advisement for
regular wound care management, patient home care management as well as
training family members and other designated care givers in our home
assistance training programme to be confident and effective carers for
the patients at home. We also provide private nursing in blocks of 12
hours (advance booking required).
^Go To
Top
3.
What is Mobiletherapist?
Mobiletherapist
provides qualified professional physiotherapist, speech therapist and
occupational therapist support for Mobiledoctor in managing patients'
mobility rehabilitation in the comfort of their own home.
Mobiletherapist is able to provide post hospitalization physiotherapy
sessions as well as home modification consultation.
^Go To
Top
4.
How do I know when to call for an ambulance to go to A&E and
when I can call Mobiledoctor to make a housecall?
Many
conditions can be treated at home/hospital. Mobiledoctor can help you
make a decision depending on the medical condition. Call 625 00 625 and
we will advise.
^Go To
Top
5. How
long does the doctor take to arrive?
When
you call the hotline, your medical status will be assessed by the
medical team over the phone. The assessment by our team of doctors and
nurses is important. At MW Medical, we will prioritize according to the
medical condition and depending on the traffic conditions and your
location, we will advise an estimated arrival time, typically a minimum
of 30 minutes.
^Go To
Top
6. Does
Mobiledoctor certify cause of death at home?
Yes, Mobiledoctor can
certify cause of death provided there is a valid discharge summary from
the hospitals. Click here
to learn more about Death - Dying At Home.
^Go To
Top
7. I do
not have enough cash to pay for the consultation?
We accept credit cards
issued by VISA, Mastercard and American Express.
^Go To
Top
8.
How do I get my medicine?
Mobiledoctor
carries a range of medications which can be dispensed on-site upon
consultation. Arrangements can also be made for supply of long term
medications.
^Go To
Top
9.
How is ambulance service different from Mobiledoctor?
Mobiledoctor
comes to the patient to provide definitive treatment for the patients
at home. The ambulance service only provides transportation to and from
a medical facility for treatment. For more information about SCDF
ambulance service, click here.
^Go To
Top
10.
It is 2am now, can I still get the Mobiledoctor to come and see the
sick patient?
Yes,
we're available 24 hours islandwide and can travel to any part of
Singapore - Just call our 24 hour hotline 625 00 625 for assistance.
^Go To
Top
11.
What if I need to be reviewed by a specialist?
Mobiledoctor
is linked to a network of the best specialists in Singapore. Should you
need to be seen by a specialist, Mobiledoctor can give you a referral
for follow up treatment and review.
^Go To
Top
12.
My... has never been sick, no doctors has seen .. Can you come and
certify his death?
As
there is no known cause of death, the doctor can only come to inform
the relatives if the patient has passed away but will not be able to
issue the CCOD. After confirming the death, the police will need to
remove the body of the deceased to the mortuary for the pathologist to
sign up the cause of death. Not every body will undergo autopsy and
relatives can collect the body quite soon after the body has been
examined.
^Go To
Top
13. Do
I have to report the death immediately?
No, a
24 hour grace is given for the reporting. However, it is easier to
proceed with the various preparations with the death certificate.
^Go To
Top
14. Can I
call the doctor to certify without touching the body?
We
understand that some religion believes that the body should be left
untouched for a few hours. However, certain examination has to be done
to confirm death. Ask the doctor to arrive after these times are
settled.
^Go To
Top
Death is often a painful
separation. No amount of preparation
can prepare one for the moment of loss. MW Medical has often been
called during these moments to help 'certify' the death of their dear
ones. We understand the hapless feeling at these moments and often
offer words of advise through our hotline at 625 00 625.
As we have walked many families
through these difficult times,
we suggest the following recommendations to care givers or family
members with elder relatives.
^Go To
Top
We have
often received calls from frantic callers who want a doctor to certify
the death of their loved ones. Unfortunately, we have had to turn them
down. As medical practitioners, we need to be able to inform the
authorities what is or are the medical condition(s) that has caused
death. Medical practitioners will have difficulty in identifying the
cause of death from deceased with no recent review by doctors or no
recent admissions to hospitals. As such, we recommend that patients
receive at least a regular follow up with the doctors once in every 2
months. Please get a letter from the regular doctor to document the
diseases and tests done.
^Go To
Top
We recommend that the family
takes some time to settle their emotions
before settling the administrative bit. There are many legal and ritual
procedures to go through. Family members therefore do not have the time
to imbibe the event and accept the outcome. Some will need to express
their pain through tears. Take some time to settle the emotion of every
family member including little ones who may find the adult behaviour
out of proportion and become fearful.
^Go To
Top
This is a legal document from
the doctor to the police to identify that
a death has happened because of certain medical conditions. It can only
be done by a registered doctor. The doctor may need to answer enquiries
from the various disease registries and Ministry of Health and
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. As such, medical documents
from the various doctors and hospitals may need to be given to the
doctor certifying the death for future reference.
^Go To
Top
This is a legal document issued
by the police from their police post to
the relatives. Any person (above 21 years of age) can report the death.
The person reporting must bring along their Identity Card, the CCOD and
the deceased's Identity Card. The family must decide whether the
deceased is to be cremated or buried and where the process is done.
Once the death certificate is
given, please make a few copies as there will be requirement.
^Go To
Top
Press Interview Questions &
Answer
Q:
Why did MW Medical venture into home care? Mentioned was the intention
to provide mobile medical care to the aging population in Singapore, so
could Dr Madeleine Chew share more on why she looked at this group of
people?
A: MW Medical was started to
give patients their right to choose
where to get their therapy. Home care was considered primitive and
purely supportive during MW Medical earlier years. We started this care
to
bring about comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to home care
management, so that choosing to be treated at home is not associated
with suboptimal medical care.
Many patients actually dragged themselves out of their home to seek
treatment as they do not have any choice. MW Medical hopes to make
our services personalized, complete and convenient.
Elderly was our initial core group of patients. Most of our old folks
prefer to
spend their time at home where they are most familiar. Many elderly
feel
that their dignity preserved if they get treatment at home. As they are
less
mobile, they also find it cumbersome to leave their home to seek
medical
help. Many elderly patients feel abandoned in hospitals and may lapse
into depression. Treating elderly at home also encourages compliance
with treatment as the healthcare personnel are familiar with the home
surrounding and can modify treatment to suit the patient better.
MW Medical and our services also bring a lot of comfort to the children
of
our elderly patients. The children can continue to work while we tend
to
their parents. This minimizes the need for the children to take time
off for
hospital visit
Q:
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan previously spoke about healthcare in the
community - how does MW Medical's hospital at home concept fit into
this direction of community care?
A: The Health Minister's ‘healthcare in the
community’ is an excellent
approach, returning healthcare models to the old practice of doctors
visiting patients at home. MW Medical merely took this to a higher
level -
"Atavism in Healthcare with a twist". MW Medical added technology in
both clinical and administrative areas to complete the healthcare
model.
Many people seem to agree with this approach and our patient pool has
expanded to include younger working population who wants prompt
treatment without the hassle leaving their homes.
From a healthcare model perspective, resources spent on developing
hospital facilities can be shifted to provide comprehensive medical
care
to patients at home. Hospital facilities are still needed for certain
medical
conditions but the number of admissions can be minimized.
MW Medical posted quite a few thank you letters from patients or their
family member(s).
Q: Is the reason for treating
the elderly was also because of the aging population?
A: MW Medical's "Hospital at Home" service
definitely addresses the
medical needs of our rapidly aging population. We are able to directly
address mobility issues since treatment is conducted in the comfort of
their
homes, and provide customised treatment based on a better
understanding of the home environment.
Q: What kind of illnesses do
you mainly see?
A: Most common illnesses seen are multiple
chronic diseases like
diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, cerebrovascular
accident, as well as oncology cases. Our patients usually have quality
of
life allowing them to spend more time with their love ones.
Q: How you reach out to foreign
patients?
A: MW Medical Pte Ltd launched the service –
Global Personal
Physician in January 2008. Patients with major diseases come from other
countries to seek treatment in Singapore. We assist these patients by
identifying the doctor with the right subspecialty and manage their
other
medical conditions. The numbers are encouraging as our focus is on
individual patient’s medical condition rather than hospitals. As such,
referring centres do not have to worry as we identify the right doctor
for
the right patient, minimizing unnecessary time and cost going through
various centres.
On the other hand, mobiledoctorTM has served
many foreign expatriates
as well as tourists who are already Singapore. Most foreigners read
about
us from our website at http://www.mwmedical.com.sg/,
or our blog at
http://mwmedical.blogspot.com/
which was setup to educate our
patients on health topics. Some of the foreigners come to us by word of
mouth.
Q: What services do tourists
mostly seek and what other services are available for them?
A: Most tourists seek for medical attention
because of Travellers’
Diarrhoea, fever. They usually seek treatment in Singapore as they are
moving to the next destination. However, we have picked up a few
cases of Dengue, Pneumonia and fractures. Some of these tourists have
chosen to stay in the hotel to be with their travelling companions. We
usually have a network of specialists from the different hospitals to
treat
them on outpatient basis while we support the care.
We also provide services to top up their regular medications and
provide
nursing care by our mobilenurse
if required. A few patients have also
used our mobiletherapists
services.
Q: Why do patients make use of
your services instead of going to a hospital or specialists clinic
directly?
A: Most patients want an initial assessment to
know if there is a need to
go to a hospital or clinic. They are either in pain or feel
uncomfortable
enough not to travel to ask for our services. Elderly patients are
happier to
be treated at home as they have fears of hospitals. The convenience
and comprehensive care we bring to our patients make our service
unique. We travel as a team and we travel with mobile equipment to
make our patient’s choice to be treated at home viable.
Many of our patients still have specialist clinic follow up but their
visits are
for specific problems while we take care of the general medical
conditions.
We have also found that many elderly patients who are our long term
patients have minimized their admission rates into the hospitals. This
is not
only cost saving to the relatives, it also allows our old folk to lead
a more
fulfilling life at home.
Many General Practitioners also refer cases to us when their patients
need
homecare urgently. Once the acute medical problems are settled, the
patients go back to their own General Practitioner.
^Go To
Top
|
