Parent entrepreneurs:
Knock, knock, the doctor’s here

SINGAPORE - Dr Adrian Tan and Dr Lim Shu Fen are both trained in family medicine, but it did not prepare them for the challenges of parenthood.

Their son, Lucas, now 18 months old, had prolonged neonatal jaundice, a common infant condition where a newborn has yellowish skin and eyes because of too much bilirubin, a yellow pigment in red blood cells.

During their frequent trips to the polyclinic, the couple, both 35, realised the logistics of going out with a new baby was complicated and time-consuming. Their son had to be breastfed and have his diaper changed, and the burden fell mainly on the mother, who was recovering from labour.

Why not get the baby's jaundice checked at home instead, Dr Tan thought.

That sparked the idea for Babysteps Medical, a house-call medical service which started in January. It specialised in jaundice checks, vaccinations and primary care for babies and children.

"The concept of Babysteps Medical is to make motherhood easier because it is already tough being a mum as it is," says Dr Tan, who previously worked in a polyclinic as part of his residency course. His wife is still with a polyclinic.

Dr Tan sees some 30 patients a week, charging about $90 for a jaundice check and about $150 for acute conditions such as fever.

He says visiting patients at home allows him to interact with them in an environment they are comfortable with, observe their living conditions and family structure, and get to know the family.

He hopes that by treating children at home,"they will be more at ease and they won't have a fear of the doctor in the future."

He adds:"I try to give that personal touch to my patients. I feel it's nice to build a relationship with my patients so I know what they are going through. I think that the feedback so far has been good because they feel that the service has been convenient."

The personal touch proved critical in one case involving a new mother. While checking on the five-day-old baby's jaundice, Dr Tan noticed that the mother seemed to be feeling low. After speaking to her husband, Dr Tan recommended that she see a psychiatrist immediately for postnatal blues or postnatal depression.

"The husband was quite grateful," he says. "It moved me a bit that I was able to help them before anything more serious happen."