KKH is where I would usually bring my kids to when they fall sick. There are other choices like NUH but I prefer to bring them to KKH as it is afterall a hospital that specialises in taking care of kids.
For those who have not been to KKH Children’s A&E, this is the following process:
- Covid check (outside)
- Triage (get ticket)
- Registration
- See Doctor/Other services
- Collect medicine at pharmacy
Covid check
This is newly implemented since covid started. You will have to do a declaration outside the A&E area and your kid will need to do an ART test if they exhibit any symptoms of covid. Please also note that at the time of writing, the 1 child to 1 parent/caregiver ratio is being implemented. There is a security at the entrance of the A&E area and if you need a change of caregiver, there is a short grace period for you to go into the A&E area and take over care of your kid.
Triage
There are about 4-5 triage stations where the nurse will do a quick assessment of your kid and whether they need more urgent care. If your kid is having a fever, this is also where they will feed him/her paracetamol depending on whether your kid has taken the medicine already.
Registration
Here you register and make payment. They will ensure your address and phone number if correct in case they need to call you later if your turn has arrived and you are not there.
See Doctor/Other services
This is where the wait begins. There is a huge waiting room here. When it is your turn to see the doctor, your number may be updated on the display screens in this waiting room, or the doctor may call you. I have once had the doctor/nurse call my phone (which you give at the registration) if you are not in the waiting room. Depending on the symptom or illness, the doctor may order further procedures at this point of time.
Collect medicine
After the whole checkup, you can collect the medicine at the pharmacy outside the A&E area. The wait here is generally relatively short. You may need to make payment here depending on what type of medicine you receive.
Typically the wait time can be pretty long, sometimes up to 4-5 hours or more. The longer wait times are usually at night as clinics are mostly closed by then. I would recommend you to bring jackets, power banks and stuff to make sure you can endure the wait. Overall the years, there is an increase in the number of vending machines just outside the A&E area next to the pharmacy. You can get instant cooked food like sandwiches from these machines. There are also a lot of drinks machines. If it is not too late, there are also shops in the main hospital area which you can visit while waiting, e.g. Coffee Bean, Mr Bean, bread shop and a food court etc.
I am sure all parents are worried about their kids’ condition when they visit KKH. We have all been through this as parents. Take care and hope your kid recovers soon.
photo: image above taken from Wikipedia
3 months long carnival @ Downtown East!
