New Chinese community clinic offers free consultations and acupuncture

A new Chinese community medical centre on Feb 12 opened in Clementi, where West Coast residents aged 60 and above, or who hold a blue or orange Chas card, can receive free consultations, acupuncture and medication.

The clinic operated by Singa Care Medical is located at West Coast Wellness Club, 728 Clementi West Street 2.

This is the third non-profit Chinese medical centre opened by centre, after branches at Little India and Rochor.

Zheng Baozhu, founder and chairman of Singa Care Medical, shared in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao that the other two clinics have a large number of patients, each treating about 100 patients daily.

"We originally planned to apply for a new clinic on the ground floor of the HDB flat, but the cost was too high. Fortunately, the West Coast Citizen's Consultative Committee worked with us to convert part of the space in wellness club into a clinic."

It costs $700,000 to $800,000 a year to run the three clinics, and they are mainly funded by donations from charities, businesses and individuals.

Other members of the public can also receive free consultations, and only pay $10 for acupuncture and $2 for a pack of medicine.

Zhang Xiuying, 85, suffers from inflammation in her feet, and used to take the bus to a clinic near Clementi MRT station for treatment.

Now there is a clinic downstairs from her home, it is more convenient for her, sharing that she will tell her friends to go there to see Chinese medicine in the future.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who is also the MP for West Coast GRC, said at the opening of the clinic that more activities will be launched to reach more elderly in the community.

He also added that greater benefits will be achieved if the resources of the government and the industry can be integrated in the process of promoting these services, saying that the centre is a starting point.