Neighbourhood Health Service (NHS) 2022: Reconnecting Lower SES Residents into the Healthcare System
Published: 19 Oct 2022
Despite being at a higher risk of having chronic diseases such as hypertension, depression, cognitive impairment and more, residents from low socioeconomic (SES) communities are four times less likely than the average Singaporean to go for regular health screenings. Hence, there is an urgent need for an active community-based intervention that breaks down barriers to healthcare for these residents.
To tackle this issue, the Neighborhood Health Service (NHS) which first started in 2007 takes a comprehensive, holistic health service right to the doorsteps of the elderly and lower SES residents. In their 16th year, NHS conducted their free comprehensive health screenings at Kampong Glam on the 16th of October 2022, from 8.30am to 3.00pm.
NHS provided 13 screening modalities which ensure that residents receive a holistic screening for their physical, mental, and emotional health. Residents were given mental health assessments for both depression and dementia, as well as other basic and advanced health screening services, such as fall risk assessments, dental, hearing and eye screenings. Over 130 residents were screened during the event.
Screenings were conducted by a strong team of Medicine and Nursing students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Duke-NUS. This year, NHS has also partnered with Health Promotion Board (HPB), SingHealth, Singapore National Eye Centre, and National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS).
NHS has grown substantially and has since extended its service to residents in Eunos Crescent, MacPherson, Bukit Merah, Marine Terrace, Kampong Glam and Queenstown. To date, 6793 blocks have been screened, and NHS has successfully reconnected over 70% of residents to the healthcare system.
