You can ask a free question by heading to our Ask A Doctor page, which lets you ask any medical or dental questions to an expert team of doctors and specialists based in Singapore.
1. Why did we start a free Q&A?
It bothers us that people who do not have a doctor friend or relative are sometimes disadvantaged in navigating the Singapore healthcare system.
The Q&A was hence set up to allow anyone with a health issue to receive some friendly medical opinions.
The platform will always be free, because that's the reason it was set up -- to help people.
2. Which doctors do we invite to participate?
Human relies on word-of-mouth recommendations from doctors to identify specialists in each field. We then meet with each doctor in person.
Yes, it's time-consuming, but besides expertise, we think that it is important that the doctor is friendly and enthusiastic about raising the level of healthcare awareness in Singapore.
Doctors on board our Q&A include experts in their fields such as Dr Paul Tseng (from the pioneering team to first offer IVF technology to Singaporeans in 1988), Dr Tony Ho (the pioneer of epi-LASIK in Singapore and the region), Dr Marilyn Lee (who set up the reproductive endocrine service at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital), and many more.
3. Is the Q&A sustainable if it's free?
Frankly, we don't know.
Doctors who contribute do so to share their knowledge and experience with the public. They are never paid or reimbursed for their answers.
If you've benefited, you can show your thanks by spreading the word to others who may benefit as well.
4. How to use the medical Q&A correctly (please read!)
To prevent the Q&A from being shuttered prematurely, you can help by using it responsibly:
DO NOT take any answers for medical advice.
DO NOT treat it as a doctor consultation - it will never replace a face-to-face doctor consult and examination, for obvious reasons.
DO NOT use the Q&A in an urgent medical situation. Go and see your doctor. To ask a question:
- Register for an account, so that you'll be notified when a doctor answers.
- Do not include any personal identifiable information in your question - the Q&A is publicly visible.
- Doctors will usually reply within 24 to 48 hours. More opinions will continue to be added on, so you can check back later.
5. How to ask a good question on Human
Questions should be clearly written
The question must be clear from the question title itself; it should not depend on the question details. Question details should make clear how answers can meet their expectations.
Questions should be grammatical
Human requires correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization to be used in questions. A question should consist of complete sentence(s) and end in a question mark.
Questions should be concise.
As a general guideline, questions should be no longer than two sentences, and only one question should be asked at a time. If you want to ask more than one question, submit them separately.
Questions should comply with Human site policies
Medical questions that contain patient-specific facts are not allowed, and may be deleted or reworded to describe a general situation.
Questions may be deleted by moderators if they contravene policy. A question can be merged into another question if both ask the same thing.
Adhering to these guidelines will ensure that:
1. Your question is approved.
2. You get better answers from doctors.
3. Your question is answered more quickly -- good questions are usually answered within hours because Human moderators queue them to be answered first.
All ready to fire away? Head over to our Ask A Doctor page right now.
Unsure of what you can ask about? Human Sessions lets you ask a health question to a specific renowned specialist in Singapore. View the complete list of Human Sessions here.