Neighbourhood Health Service 2014
Published: 10 Oct 2014
The Neighbourhood Health Service (NHS) is a local community service project initiated by medical and nursing students of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine that aims to educate and integrate the elderly who have fallen out of the healthcare system back into it through health screenings and detailed follow-ups.
Since 2008, the NHS team has been conducting door-to-door basic health screenings for residents living in one-room or two-room rental flats to identify those who are at risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cancer. It is hoped that residents benefit from the screenings through early detection and initiation of intervention. Following the screening, the team also conducts a three-monthly medical, financial and social review (home visits or phone calls) with the residents and works closely with grassroots and social partners to ensure residents seek early medical attention and that social and financial issues are addressed.
In its eighth year now, the NHS has grown substantially in its efforts to help the poor and the aged. This year, a total of 395 student volunteers were involved, with the screenings benefitting 739 residents from Taman Jurong, Eunos Crescent and Marine Terrace. This was the first year the NHS knocked on doors of residents in Marine Terrace. Through the partnership with NUS Faculty of Dentistry and Social Work, oral health and social components were also incorporated into the screenings. In addition, mammogram services and eye screenings have also been improved on. There was also a greater emphasis on volunteer training to empower the student volunteers.
Moving forward, the NHS will continue its efforts in areas where residents need help, with the hope that it will inspire other organisations and act as a replicable model for similar healthcare initiatives.
