 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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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7. I do not have enough cash to pay for the consultation?
We accept credit cards issued by VISA, Mastercard and American Express.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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