Sky High Rental at GP Clinic

32.8k a month! Wow, that is a lot more than the take home pay of most Singaporeans. No, I am not referring to the pay rise of Singaporeans. This is the monthly rent paid by a GP group to HDB in Ponggol. I often wonder how a GP clinic can bring in so much money a month. On top of this high rental, the clinic still needs to earn money to pay their staff, the doctors, the utilities, drugs, holding costs, wastage, practice insurance, etc. These days, when I pass by any GP clinic in the heartlands, I often see empty waiting area. Even though many of these clinics advertise cheap consult and as low as $10 for a short consultation, which is the price I cut my hair, they don't seem to bring in any people. Even with the revamped Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS) supposedly designed to attract the public to the private GPs, there is no notable change. Are Singaporeans so healthy that they do not need to see a doctor? Are the private GPs so expensive that the public cannot afford? Are our public institutions offering free or next to free quality healthcare that the private GP clinics are empty? So, how is a brand new GP clinic survive in a new town with rent as high as $32.8k a month when the private GP market is depressed? I am puzzled.