Supporting healthy growth from infancy to young adulthood
Children and teenagers have unique medical, emotional and developmental needs at every stage of life. At Kenneth Tan Medical Clinic, we look after babies, children and teens in the context of the families they grow up in, recognising that health is shaped by home, school, sleep, stress and relationships – not just by individual symptoms.
Our aim is to be your family’s long-term medical home, so your child can see doctors who know their story and follow their progress over time, rather than starting from scratch at every visit.
A Singapore-trained family medicine team
Care in our clinic is provided by Singapore-trained Family Physicians. The practice is led by a Consultant Family Physician with Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians (FCFP), working alongside Family Physicians who hold Ministry of Health–recognised postgraduate qualifications in Family Medicine such as Master of Medicine in Family Medicine (MMed(FM)) and Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (GDFM).
We work as a team rather than as isolated individual doctors. We share guidelines, discuss more complex or unusual cases with one another, and regularly review how we can improve. This means that whether your child sees the Consultant Family Physician or one of our other Family Physicians, care is guided by the same family medicine principles and protocols, with consultant-level input available when needed.
If you would like your child to be seen by a specific doctor for a complex or longer-term issue, you can let our staff know when booking and we will do our best to arrange this.
Why a Consultant-led family medicine clinic for your child?
In Singapore, family medicine clinics like ours often serve as the first point of contact for children’s health concerns. A Consultant Family Physician is trained to care for both children and adults, across physical, emotional and social aspects of health. This can be especially helpful for families.
Many parents appreciate having one clinic for the whole family. The same doctors who look after your child can also care for their siblings, parents and grandparents. Over time, we get to know your family’s medical history, routines, cultural practices and stresses. That context often explains why symptoms keep recurring or why certain treatment plans are difficult to follow, and it allows us to suggest solutions that are more realistic for your household.
Family medicine also places strong emphasis on continuity. We can follow your child from infancy through preschool and primary school, across PSLE and secondary school, into National Service and early working life. This avoids the sudden “cut-off” at 16–18 years that sometimes happens when care is based solely in paediatrics. Sensitive issues such as mood, relationships, sexual health, sleep and stress often emerge or evolve during adolescence and young adulthood; having an existing, trusted doctor at that point can make it much easier for your child to seek help early.
Real-life problems rarely sit neatly in a single box. Sleep, behaviour, school performance, weight and mood may be linked to each other, and also to parental health, work stress or family events. A family medicine team is trained to look at these connections rather than focusing only on one symptom or one diagnosis. We can start by addressing what is most troubling your child and your family, then build a practical care plan that fits your routines and priorities.
Importantly, seeing a Family Physician first does not mean your child will miss out on paediatric expertise when it is needed. We manage most common child health issues safely and effectively in clinic. When hospital-based tests, procedures or sub-specialty input are truly required, we will explain our concerns clearly, provide a detailed referral, and direct you to appropriate public or private services, such as children’s departments in restructured hospitals or private paediatricians, depending on your needs and preferences. We usually remain involved afterwards for ongoing follow-up, rather than handing your child over entirely.
When to bring your child or teen to us
You can bring your child or teenager to us for the common day-to-day health issues that families in Singapore face. These include fevers, coughs and colds, sore throats, ear infections, eye redness or discharge, rashes, simple injuries and “stomach flu” with vomiting or diarrhoea. We also frequently see children for asthma and recurrent wheeze, allergic rhinitis and sinus symptoms, eczema and other skin conditions, and concerns about growth, appetite, weight or sleep.
As children grow older, new questions arise. We support school-aged children and teenagers with acne and skin care, period problems and puberty concerns, stress around exams, low mood or anxiety about school, difficulties waking up or sleeping, excessive screen time or gaming, and worries about learning or attention. For many families, it is helpful to talk these issues through with a doctor who already knows the child and the family, and can help decide whether school counselling, psychological therapies or other services are needed.
We also provide routine school health reviews, pre-enrolment check-ups and fitness assessments for sports and co-curricular activities, and we can review and update your child’s vaccinations according to the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule and local requirements. If your child has had vaccines overseas, we can help make sense of their records and plan any catch-up doses if needed.
What happens during a consultation
A typical visit begins with listening to your concerns. We will ask about your child’s symptoms, general wellbeing, routines at home and school, and any previous medical history. For younger children, this often means a conversation with the parent as well as observing the child; for teenagers, we try to create space for them to speak for themselves too.
We will examine your child in a way that is as gentle and non-threatening as possible, explaining what we are doing in age-appropriate language. Many children are understandably anxious about doctors; we do our best to build familiarity over repeated visits, so that each visit becomes easier than the last.
Once we have gathered enough information, we will explain our assessment in clear, simple terms. When a condition can be managed in the clinic, we will discuss treatment options, expected recovery time and warning signs to watch for at home. When the picture is more complex or we are concerned that a deeper assessment is needed, we will talk through why, and whether the next step should be a paediatrician, hospital clinic, emergency department, psychologist, therapist or other service.
We recognise that parents often juggle work, school schedules, siblings and other responsibilities. Where possible, we try to suggest plans that are practical for your family – for example, by pairing follow-up visits with review of other health issues, or aligning a child’s appointments with those of a parent.
Right care, right place: PaedsENGAGE and GPFirst
Our clinic participates in the PaedsENGAGE programme, which partners selected Family Physicians with paediatric emergency teams in Singapore. PaedsENGAGE was developed to give families confidence that many mild-to-moderate childhood conditions can be safely managed in primary care, while ensuring that children who truly need emergency care are identified early and referred appropriately.
For non-emergency problems, you can bring your child to us first to be assessed and treated. If, after examining your child, we feel that their condition requires Children’s Emergency care, we can issue a PaedsENGAGE referral and guide you on where to go and what to expect. When families attend the Children’s Emergency with a valid PaedsENGAGE referral within the stipulated timeframe, there is currently a subsidy on the prevailing CE attendance fee, and the hospital team will send an outcome summary back to us so that we can continue follow-up care where needed.
We also participate in the GPFirst programme, which encourages people with mild-to-moderate, non-life-threatening conditions to see a GP first instead of going straight to the hospital’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) or urgent care centre. Under this programme, we assess your condition in the clinic and either treat you here or, if we judge that acute hospital care is necessary, refer you on to a participating A&E or urgent care centre with a GPFirst referral. Patients who attend with a valid GPFirst referral enjoy a subsidy on the A&E or urgent care attendance fee, subject to the programme’s terms and conditions.
Taken together, PaedsENGAGE and GPFirst mean that you can come to us first for most child and family health concerns, knowing that we are linked into Singapore’s wider hospital system and can help you navigate it when necessary. They also reinforce an important principle: emergency departments should focus on the most seriously ill, while primary care clinics like ours provide timely, accessible care for the many problems that can be safely managed in the community.
Working with paediatricians, hospitals and allied health
When your child needs hospital-based tests, imaging, procedures or paediatric sub-specialty care, we will explain our concerns clearly and help you choose a suitable service – whether that is a public children’s department, a private paediatrician, or another provider. We provide detailed referral letters so that the receiving team understands your child’s background, and we encourage families to return to us for ongoing follow-up once the acute issue has been addressed.
Within the clinic, our doctors discuss challenging or unusual cases with one another, so that you benefit from the collective experience of the team rather than only from one person’s view. We also update ourselves regularly with local and international guidelines, and adapt these to the realities of primary care in Singapore.
After a hospital admission or specialist visit, many families prefer to return to their regular Family Physician for continuity. We can help interpret hospital letters, medications and test results, integrate them into your child’s overall care plan, and continue to support your child and family in the longer term.
Emergencies and when to go straight to A&E
There are situations where it is safer to bypass the clinic and seek immediate emergency care. If your child has severe difficulty breathing, is very drowsy or unresponsive, has a seizure, has a serious injury, or if you feel that this may be a life-threatening emergency, please call 995 or proceed directly to the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department instead of coming to the clinic.
If you are unsure whether something is urgent enough for A&E, you can call the clinic during opening hours and our staff will do their best to advise you. However, if in doubt and your child looks very unwell, the safest option is to seek emergency care promptly.
What to bring and how to prepare
To make the most of your visit, it is helpful to bring your child’s health booklet and vaccination records, any letters or reports from previous doctors, therapists or school counsellors, and a list of current medications, supplements and allergies. If there are specific behaviours, movements or episodes that are worrying you, brief notes or short videos on your phone can be very useful in understanding what is happening at home or in school.
If you have particular preferences about who your child sees – for example, if you would like the Consultant Family Physician to review a complex or long-standing issue – please let our staff know when making the appointment.
Book a consultation
If you are concerned about your child’s health, development, emotions or school experience, it is usually better to check early and get a clear plan, rather than wait and worry.
You can book an appointment online or call us to speak with our staff.
We look forward to partnering with you to support your child’s growth and wellbeing, and to caring for your whole family over the long term.