A sore throat does not belong in a resuscitation bay. Chest pain does not belong in a queue at a GP. Singapore's rule is to start at a general practitioner for mild and moderate problems, and to skip that stop when the symptom is an emergency.
The Ministry of Health's getting medical help page, updated 22 April 2025, is the list that matters. A cold can start with a pharmacist, a GP, or a polyclinic. The emergency examples are sudden or severe pain including chest pain, trouble breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, sudden confusion, sudden dizziness, numbness, weakness or a vision change, coughing or vomiting blood, and vomiting or diarrhoea that will not stop.
Where to start
| What is happening | Start here |
|---|---|
| Cold, flu, sore throat, mild fever, sprain, insect bite, mild headache, nosebleed, hives, or a mild burn | A GP clinic or a polyclinic |
| One of those problems, and your usual clinic is closed | A 24-hour clinic. Ask them to refer you if the problem is beyond what they can treat. |
| Chest pain, trouble breathing, one-sided weakness, sudden confusion, a sudden vision change, uncontrolled bleeding, coughing or vomiting blood, or vomiting or diarrhoea that will not stop | The emergency department, or 995. Do not stop at a GP on the way. |
| A participating GP has seen you and issued a GPFirst referral | The emergency department or urgent care centre named on the form. Bring the form for the $50 subsidy and priority over non-emergency cases. |
A GP clinic is the right first room for the top row: colds, flu, bruises, cuts that you can control, ordinary diarrhoea, fever, mild headaches, high blood pressure that is not a crisis, hives, insect bites, mild burns, nosebleeds, skin infection, sore eyes, strains and sprains. MOH lists those as GP problems on its seeking a doctor page.
A 24-hour clinic is the same kind of visit after midnight. It is not a small emergency department. If they cannot close a wound or read an X-ray, they should say so and send you on.
An emergency department triages. People who can walk, with a stable mild problem, wait behind the people who cannot. That wait is the cost of using A&E as a GP. The other cost is the attendance fee, which is higher than a clinic consultation before any test is added.
What GPFirst actually pays
GPFirst is the programme that makes the detour worth it. You see a participating GP. If they decide you need the hospital, they refer you to an emergency department or an urgent care centre. You are prioritised over non-emergency cases, and you get a $50 subsidy on the prevailing attendance fee.
The referral has to be the GP's. Walking into A&E and mentioning that you saw a doctor yesterday does not create the subsidy. Bring the form. Go to the place named on it. SingHealth's GPFirst FAQ lists the participating emergency departments as Changi General Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Woodlands Health, plus the Admiralty Urgent Care Centre. A referral to a hospital off that list does not carry the benefit.
Cross-region referrals are allowed. The GP is supposed to send you to the appropriate site, and you are better off going where the form says. Terms can change. Ask the clinic if you are unsure the form is a GPFirst referral before you pay for a taxi to the wrong campus.
The $50 comes off the attendance fee after a participating GP refers you. It is not a discount for arriving at A&E on your own, and it does not cover every extra test or medicine.
The attendance fee at those departments typically covers the consultation, standard X-rays, standard blood tests, and standard medicines. Specialised scans and other drugs are billed separately, whether you came through GPFirst or walked in.
How the department sorts the room
Hospitals still sort patients by how sick they are, not by who arrived first.
Priority 1 is resuscitation. Heart attack, severe bleeding, shock, a severe asthma attack. That bed is immediate.
Priority 2 is a major emergency in someone stable enough to skip resuscitation. A badly broken limb, severe abdominal pain. They are seen ahead of people who can sit in a chair.
Priority 3 is a minor problem in someone who can walk. Sprains, a small wound, mild abdominal pain, a rash, a mild headache. A GP with the right setup can treat many of these. A&E will treat them after the higher priorities.
Priority 4 is not an emergency at all. A rash you have had for months, a joint that has hurt all year, cataracts, a scar you want reviewed. That is a GP or polyclinic appointment. Tattoo removal is the example hospitals use when they want the point to be obvious.
A closed fracture that has not broken the skin can start at a GP who has X-ray, if you can get there safely. A break through a joint, a hip, or a wound that will not stop bleeding starts at the emergency department. The injury guide is the longer version. The short version is: if you are guessing, and the person cannot walk or is losing blood, stop guessing.
Fever, stroke, and the cases people mis-file
Fever in a child is usually a GP or paediatric visit. It is an emergency when the child is hard to wake, struggling to breathe, or has a seizure. The signs for a toddler are in fever in a toddler. Infants under three months with a fever should be seen promptly. Do not wait out a high fever in a newborn at home.
Stroke is not a GP appointment and not a car ride you organise slowly. Face droop, arm weakness, speech that has just gone wrong: call 995. The steps are in what to do if someone is having a stroke.
Chest pain with sweating, nausea, or pain into the arm or jaw is the same category. So is a severe allergic reaction with lip or tongue swelling, wheeze, or collapse. First aid keeps you useful while the ambulance is coming. It does not replace the ambulance. First aid fundamentals and a home plan are the preparation. The decision in the moment is still the table above.
A very high blood pressure reading, taken once, on a home monitor, is usually a same-day GP visit if you feel well. It is an emergency when it arrives with chest pain, breathlessness, a sudden headache unlike your usual ones, weakness, or confusion. The number alone is a poor reason to sit in A&E for hours, and a poor reason to ignore the symptoms around it.
Diarrhoea that still allows sips of fluid can start at a GP. Diarrhoea or vomiting that will not stop, or blood in either, is the emergency row on MOH's list. Parents do this split badly at night because both versions feel urgent. The question is whether the person can keep fluid down and stay awake, not whether the evening has been unpleasant.
FAQ
Can a pharmacist replace the GP for a cold?
For a straightforward cold or flu, MOH says a pharmacist is a reasonable first stop. Fever that is not settling, breathlessness, or pain you cannot explain still needs a doctor. The pharmacist should send you if the story is bigger than a blocked nose.
What if the GP clinic is closed and I am not sure it is an emergency?
Use a 24-hour clinic for the mild row. Use A&E or 995 for the emergency row. "Not sure" plus chest pain, confusion, or bleeding is the emergency row.
Does GPFirst work at every hospital?
No. It works at the participating emergency departments and the Admiralty Urgent Care Centre, with a referral from a participating GP. Private hospital emergency departments are outside that subsidy.
If the symptom is on the mild list, book a GP or go to a 24-hour clinic. If it is on the emergency list, go to A&E or call 995, and let the GP visit wait.
