If you intend to see a private psychiatrist, you just need to call up the clinic and make an appointment. You may not need to produce a referral letter. The waiting time for new cases differs from clinic to clinic. Generally, it will vary from 1 day to 14 days.
If you wish to see a psychiatrist in a restructured hospital, you can check up the website of the restructured hospital to see the processes involved. If you intend to register as a private patient at the restructured hospitals, some websites stipulate that you may not need a referral letter.
If you wish to be registered as a subsidised case, then you will need to get a referral letter from the medical officer at the polyclinic. If the referral letter is written by a private practitioner, then you will be considered a private case. You can also call up the enquiry telephone line of the restructured hospitals during office hours to find out the details.
The waiting time for appointments for new cases vary from hospital to hospital and it is tough to generalise. It all depends on the number of referrals that they receive, the number of clinic sessions available and the manpower situation (e.g., whether staff are on leave).
