Prefer Seeing Your Doctor in Person but Tired of Long Queues at the Clinic? This Tech-Aided Healthcare App Makes Waiting A Thing Of The Past

Prior to the pandemic, long waits at General Practitioner (GP) clinics have already been a pain point many of us are all too familiar with. And over the CNY period last week, it was revealed that General Practitioner clinics saw a surge in the number of walk-in patients, and with that, some with acute respiratory infection. Evidently, with the strain on Singapore’s healthcare system, waits for what should be a simple trip to the clinic have become unnecessarily time consuming and risky.

What’s worse: The first half of 2021 saw some 1,500 medical workers quit, while GP clinics have seen a surge in patients by at least 50 percent. Today, with Singapore transitioning to endemic living, Singaporeans have been repeatedly urged to avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital, especially if they have not tested positive for Covid-19.

Instead, they are encouraged to visit GP clinics, causing the strain on the healthcare system to trickle down to neighbourhood clinics. Evidently, the pandemic has led to a severe manpower crunch on the nation’s healthcare system on all fronts.

How can long waits, amongst other on-the-ground problems, be solved?

Meet Ouch, a free, tech-aided all in one healthcare app dedicated to providing easy access to quality healthcare services to users in Singapore, through highly customisable appointments and queue management functions.

Going against the trend of remote consultations, Ouch understands the value patients still see in face to face consultations with doctors in times of urgency and distress.

Running a high fever or have a distressing rash you badly need checked out? The Ouch app allows consumers to easily schedule appointments in real-time. Through the app’s queue management system, patients no longer have to anxiously wait around the clinic, but will be updated live and notified once it is almost time for their appointment, significantly reducing physical waiting times and minimising any exposure risks.

With over 100 participating CHAS clinics across multiple specialties such as GPs, dental, veterinary and even Traditional Chinese Medicine clinics, users can use Ouch to compare clinic price and distance to address their immediate needs. In addition, the app allows for in-app bill payment, saving the hassle and extra time taken with over-the-counter interactions.

Through digital transformation, Ouch ultimately aims to solve practical issues by bridging the gap between clinics and patients. Currently, Ouch has over 100 clinics registered on the app, which has seen close to 10,000 downloads to date.

For more information, visit https://www.ouchinc.com/.

Images: Ouch Inc