S'porean man allegedly turned away from Sengkang Polyclinic without being triaged, later diagnosed with corneal ulcer

A Singaporean man in his 30s was allegedly turned away from Sengkang Polyclinic without being triaged.

He was later diagnosed with a vision-threatening corneal ulcer at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).

Bob (not his real name) told Mothership that he started experiencing eye pain on Aug. 13, 2026 and went to Sengkang Polyclinic at around 9am but was stopped by staff at the registration counter before taking a queue number.

He said: "No symptom questions were asked, and no clinical staff assessed me."

He filed a written complaint with SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP).

He received an email from the healthcare institution saying, "We tried to establish the details of the interaction that took place at our triage on the day of your visit and were unable to do so."

In response to Mothership's queries, Clinic Director, SHP-Sengkang, Chang Zi Ying, said SHP is "aware of the incident and responded back to the patient via email following his feedback".

"Patients will not be denied care solely because the polyclinic has reached its appointment capacity."

Experienced eye pain and light sensitivity

Bob noted that he called the SingHealth general booking line at 8:58am asking for a same-day appointment at Sengkang.

He said, "It was the closest clinic to me, and I was struggling with severe light sensitivity."

"I was wearing sunglasses indoors."

He was told Sengkang Polyclinic's appointment slots were full, and only Punggol Polyclinic had availability.

"I declined that at the time, as I wanted to be seen somewhere closer given my condition, and decided to walk into Sengkang Polyclinic directly instead."

Treatment within 2 days critical to prevent vision loss

After arriving at Sengkang Polyclinic, Bob was allegedly stopped by a staff member at the registration counter and told that "the clinic had too many patients and to return the next day".

He then called back and accepted the Punggol Polyclinic appointment slot at 12pm.

At 12:30pm, Bob was seen by the doctor, who assessed his condition as urgent and referred him directly to SGH's Emergency Department.

Bob was subsequently diagnosed at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) with a corneal ulcer, and told that treatment within 24 to 48 hours was critical to prevent permanent vision loss.

When asked how he felt about the ordeal, Bob said: "It was frightening. I tried twice to get seen quickly, once by phone, once in person, and was turned away both times."

"I only got treated because I kept pushing for another option."

He said what concerned him was the "gap between being told to just come back the next day and actually being treated", especially noting the critical window of treatment for his condition.

Bob said his experience at Sengkang Polyclinic suggests a gap in the triage process, saying he was a visibly symptomatic patient who was turned away by non-clinical registration staff without any symptom screening.

Emails with SingHealth

In emails to Bob seen by Mothership, SHP said it "carefully reviewed" the details of his visit.

"We also attempted to contact you by telephone to discuss your feedback and share the outcome of our review, and were unable to reach you."

SHP added: "We tried to establish the details of the interaction that took place at our Triage on the day of your visit and were unable to do so."

However, Bob disputed SHP's account and said no call was received and "there was no triage interaction to begin with".

Bob also asked if CCTV footage from the registration area was reviewed in the SHP investigation.

In a subsequent email, SHP requested to speak to Bob directly through a phone call.

However, Bob said he "will not proceed to a phone discussion" and asked for the specific points that were disputed in his email to be answered in writing.

"If a call does proceed following your written response, I require it to be recorded, with a copy of the recording provided to me afterwards."

SingHealth Polyclinics' response

Responding to Mothership's queries, Chang said: "To better understand the circumstances and address his concerns, we attempted to contact him by phone, but we were unable to reach him."

Chang noted: "At SHP, patients are encouraged to make appointments before visiting our clinics."

She noted that SHP's appointment system lets patients choose their preferred consultation slots to reduce wait times and prevent overcrowding.

"Patients who arrive without an appointment will be offered the next available consultation slot, which may be later that day or, if all appointment slots have been filled, on the following day."

Chang added that in such cases, patients may be advised to seek care at a nearby Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner (GP) clinic.

"Patients presenting with urgent symptoms or medical emergencies will be attended to promptly and provided with the appropriate level of care."

Chang concluded: "Ensuring that patients who require urgent medical attention are assessed and managed in a timely manner remains our top priority."