Health Screening

Health screening that leads to a real plan, not just a report

Health screening is most useful when it is targeted, evidence-based and followed by clear action. At Kenneth Tan Medical Clinic, we recommend screening not as a once-off “checkbox” exercise, but as part of a long-term relationship with a Family Physician who knows your health history, risk factors and priorities.

Our clinic participates in Healthier SG and offers Healthier SG Screening (formerly known as Screen for Life), so eligible patients can receive nationally recommended screening tests and follow-up at subsidised rates in a familiar GP setting.

We also follow the Screening Test Review Committee (STRC) recommendations under the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, which categorise screening tests based on up-to-date scientific evidence.

This means your screening is guided by what is known to be useful and cost-effective, not by marketing or fear.

Why screen with a Family Physician instead of a screening centre?

Commercial screening centres and corporate packages often emphasise long test lists and “add-ons”. In contrast, a family medicine clinic:

• Knows your personal and family history, medications and existing conditions.
• Can help you decide which tests matter most for you now, and which can safely be skipped.
• Is the same place you return to for follow-up, diagnosis and long-term management if something abnormal is found.
• Can integrate screening with your Healthier SG health plan, vaccinations and chronic disease care, rather than leaving you to figure out the next steps on your own.

We do offer screening “packages” to simplify the starting point, but we see them as templates. The key difference in our clinic is that we routinely adjust the package to fit you, not the other way round.

Evidence-based, personalised screening

When we recommend tests, we draw on:

• National guidelines and care protocols, including Healthier SG Screening recommendations by age and gender for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and selected cancers.
• The Screening Test Review Committee (STRC) framework on which tests are strongly supported by evidence for population screening, which are more selective, and which are not recommended as routine screening.
• Your individual situation – age, sex, family history, ethnicity, lifestyle, existing conditions, previous test results and personal concerns.

In practice, this means:

• We will recommend core, high-value tests that almost everyone should consider at certain ages (for example blood pressure, diabetes and lipid screening, and age-appropriate cancer screening).
• We may suggest additional tests if your risk profile justifies them (for example earlier or more frequent screening due to strong family history).
• We may advise against some tests – especially “advanced” or very specialised tests that are not proven to improve outcomes in people like you, or that are more likely to cause anxiety, incidental findings and unnecessary procedures.

Our aim is to use your time and resources wisely, and to reduce both under-screening and over-screening.

Emerging tests: cautious, considered use

New screening tests and technologies are constantly being marketed – from novel blood markers to imaging and genetic tests. Some are promising, some are not, and many are still being evaluated.

We stay updated on emerging tests and medical literature, and are happy to discuss them with you. However, we will:

• Explain honestly what is known and not yet known about a test.
• Consider whether the test result would change your management in a meaningful way.
• Take into account potential downsides, such as false positives, overdiagnosis and follow-up procedures.

In many cases, it is better to optimise proven measures – such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose control, weight, sleep, activity and smoking – before investing in expensive tests that may not improve outcomes.

Our screening packages – and how we individualise them

To make it easier to get started, we offer structured screening packages that cover common needs at different life stages. These typically include:

• A core set of blood tests (for example glucose, cholesterol profile and kidney function).
• Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements (such as weight and BMI).
• A clinical examination and review of personal and family history.
• Age- and sex-appropriate cancer screening recommendations (e.g. cervical, breast or colorectal screening where indicated).

During your consultation, we will go through the package and customise it:

• Adding tests when your risk profile suggests a clear benefit.
• Removing tests that do not apply to you or have already been done recently elsewhere.
• Discussing which parts of your screening can be covered under Healthier SG Screening subsidies and other national schemes, where relevant.

This way, you do not pay for long lists of tests that add little value, and we can focus on what will actually help you.

What happens during a screening visit?

A typical health screening at our clinic includes:

1. Pre-screening discussion
   We clarify your goals (“What are you worried about?” “What would you like to know?”), review your medical and family history, current medications and lifestyle, and check when you last had any tests done.

2. Physical examination and measurements
   This may include blood pressure, heart and lungs, weight, BMI, waist circumference and other targeted examinations based on your risk factors and concerns.

3. Tests
   We perform or arrange the agreed blood tests and other investigations (for example ECG, urine tests, or referral for cancer screening such as FIT, Pap smear or mammogram when suitable).

4. Post-screening review
   When results are back, we schedule a follow-up consultation – in person or via an agreed mode – to explain your results, discuss what they mean, and decide on next steps together.

Screening is only as useful as what we do after the tests. The review visit is where we translate numbers into a practical plan.

From numbers to a long-term health plan

Screening is not just about “normal” or “abnormal”. It is an opportunity to:

• Identify early signs of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and intervene before complications develop.
• Review lifestyle areas – diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, smoking and alcohol – and identify one or two realistic changes that would make the biggest difference.
• Update vaccinations, discuss mental wellbeing and address overlooked issues such as snoring, joint pains or headaches that screening centres might not explore.

Because we are a family medicine clinic enrolled in Healthier SG, we can weave your screening results into a broader personal health plan, and follow you up over time rather than leaving you with a one-off report.

Who should consider screening?

Most adults benefit from some form of regular screening, but what and how often depends on:

• Your age and sex
• Your personal and family history (for example heart disease, stroke or cancer in close relatives)
• Existing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or kidney disease
• Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical activity and sleep
• Reproductive, occupational and other specific risks

If you are unsure what you need, we can start with a simple consultation to map out your risk profile and design a screening plan that makes sense for you.

Book a health screening consultation

If you would like to take stock of your health, update your screening, or review an existing screening report from elsewhere, we would be happy to help.

You can book an appointment online or call us to speak with our staff.
Please bring along any recent blood test results, imaging reports or screening records you already have, so that we can build on them and avoid repeating tests unnecessarily.