If you suspect accidental poisoning at home in Punggol, get medical help straight away, even if your child seems well. Call 995 if they are unconscious, fitting or struggling to breathe. Otherwise go to a doctor or Children’s Emergency now, and take the product container with you. Do not make them vomit.
Children are quick and curious, and it takes only a moment. Set any guilt aside for now; what matters is the next few minutes.
This page is part of eduKate Punggol’s When You Need Help in Punggol, our practical guides for life’s occasions, big and small. It covers what to do in the first minutes after accidental poisoning, what not to do, what to tell the doctor, swallowed batteries and magnets, and how to make your flat safer.
Quick answer
- Call 995 if the person is unconscious, fitting or struggling to breathe. If they have stopped breathing, HealthHub says to start CPR.
- Otherwise, go now. Seek medical attention immediately, even if they seem fine. KKH warns that some poisons take hours to show effects.
- Do not make them vomit, and do not give milk, food, home remedies or antidotes unless a doctor tells you to.
- Bring the product in its container, and note what was taken and when.
- Where: KKH or NUH Children’s Emergency for children. Sengkang General Hospital is the nearest A&E, but may transfer under-16s to KKH.
- Poison hotline: we could not find a current official public poison-information line in Singapore. Use 995, A&E or a doctor.
Accidental Poisoning: What to Do First
These steps come from HealthHub and from KKH Children’s Emergency’s advice on SingHealth’s website.
- Check breathing and response. If the person is unconscious, call 995 for an ambulance. If they have stopped breathing, HealthHub says to perform CPR. Call 995 too for a fit or difficulty breathing.
- Do not make them vomit. HealthHub says do not give milk or induce vomiting unless advised by the doctor. KKH adds: do not give any home remedy or antidote, or try to gag the child with your fingers.
- Do not feed them anything. HealthHub’s home safety page is clear on this.
- Note the details. What was swallowed, roughly when, and the child’s age and weight. HealthHub says the doctor will need these.
- Bring the container. KKH says to bring the poison in its container to the doctor.
- Go now, even if they look fine. KKH says not to watch a child at home, because some poisons take hours to show effects. On the way, watch for vomiting, tremors, sweating, stomach pain, burns around the lips and mouth, or loss of consciousness.
Where to Go and Who to Call
We could not find a current official public poison-information hotline in Singapore. MOH’s 2011 poisoning guidelines mention only a drug and poison information centre pilot that ran from 2004 to 2008. So the official routes are 995, an emergency department or a doctor.
| Who | Where and contact | Hours | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCDF ambulance | 995 | 24 hours | Unconscious, not breathing, fitting or struggling to breathe. |
| KKH Children’s Emergency | Basement 1, Children’s Tower, KKH, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229899. KKH 24-hour enquiries 6225 5554. | 24 hours (KKH describes it as a 24-hour children’s emergency service) | Children who have swallowed something harmful. KKH lists accidental ingestions and poisoning among the cases it sees. |
| NUH Children’s Emergency | NUH Main Building, Zone F, Level 1, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074. Tel 6772 5000. | 24 hours | Children who have swallowed something harmful. |
| Sengkang General Hospital Emergency Department | 110 Sengkang East Way, Singapore 544886. Tel 6930 5000 (24-hour general line). Sengkang MRT (NE16) Exit D, about 400m. | 24 hours | The nearest A&E. It sees all ages, but under-16s may be transferred to KKH after being stabilised. |
| Which hospital to choose | See our nearest hospitals guide | — | Comparing SKH, KKH and CGH. |
| 24-hour and late-night GP clinics in Punggol | See our late-night GP guide | Varies by clinic | Seeing a doctor quickly if you are not going straight to hospital. Bring the container. |
Checked October 2026 — confirm on the official page before you go: KKH Children’s Emergency and SKH Emergency Medicine.
Which Situation Fits You
Your child swallowed medicine or vitamins
Medicines, including vitamins, are first on HealthHub’s list of common household poisons. Gather every packet that might be involved, including any belonging to grandparents or siblings, and take them all with you.
A cleaning product or chemical
If it was swallowed, seek emergency care straight away. For a chemical on the skin, HealthHub’s advice for chemical burns is to flush the area with running water and go to the emergency department. For a splash in the eye, call 995 or see a doctor straight away, and bring the product container with you.
A button battery, magnet or water beads
KKH says to seek medical attention if you suspect your child has swallowed a button battery, magnets, water beads, a coin or something sharp. If your child looks visibly unwell or has trouble breathing, call an ambulance and follow the operator’s instructions. KKH explains why: button batteries can cause perforations in the stomach, food pipe and nose, magnets can trap and damage the intestines, and water beads can block them.
An older parent took the wrong medicine
For an adult, call 995 if they are unconscious, fitting or struggling to breathe. Otherwise, see a doctor straight away and bring every medicine box they use. HealthHub warns against “doctor-hopping”, which can lead to duplicate medicines.
It happened at someone else’s home
HealthHub advises watching children closely when visiting relatives’ homes, where medicines may be kept differently from yours. If something happens there, follow the same steps and ask the host to find the container.
Costs and Product Rules
- Sengkang General Hospital A&E: S$171 attendance fee from 1 October 2025. MediSave cannot be used for the emergency bill.
- KKH Children’s Emergency: the attendance fee is not stated on the KKH pages we checked, so ask KKH.
- Toy rules: the Consumer Product Safety Office, under Enterprise Singapore, says magnetic ball toys and water beads are not allowed to be marketed as toys for children under 14. A KKH-published news report of 31 July 2023 said more than 1,000 non-compliant listings had been removed that year.
KKH’s emergency department saw these cases rise between 2019 and 2021: magnet injuries from 26 to 38, button-battery incidents from 10 to 25, and water bead cases from 1 to 7. Small objects are a real risk, so keep them out of reach like medicines.
Neighbour’s Tips for a Safer Home
These come from HealthHub’s guide to keeping a home free from poisoning hazards.
- Up high or locked away. Keep medicines and chemicals on a high shelf or in a locked box.
- Keep the original bottle. Store products in their original, labelled containers.
- Use childproof caps on medicine bottles.
- Medicine is not sweets. Never call it that to coax a child.
- Clear out expired medicines rather than letting them pile up.
- Watch the pest baits. Rat and cockroach baits and insecticides belong out of reach.
- Mind the button cells. Button-cell batteries are on HealthHub’s list of household poisons, so keep spares out of reach too.
- Keep a first-aid kit and emergency numbers by the phone. Add 995 and your nearest children’s emergency department to everyone’s contacts.
If It’s Urgent or Gets Worse
Call 995 for anyone who is unconscious, fitting or struggling to breathe. If they stop breathing, start CPR. MOH lists seizures, breathlessness and loss of consciousness among 995 emergencies. For everyone else, see a doctor straight away and take the product container with you.
Since 1 June 2025, MOH has been transferring 995 calls that are not life-threatening to the NurseFirst helpline (6262 6262) between 8am and 11pm, so say clearly what was taken and how the person is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a poison hotline in Singapore?
We could not find a current official public one. Call 995 in an emergency; otherwise go to a doctor or Children’s Emergency with the container.
Should I make my child vomit?
No. HealthHub says not to induce vomiting unless a doctor advises it, and MOH’s 2011 clinical guidelines say it is not recommended locally.
Should I give milk or water?
No. HealthHub says not to give milk unless the doctor advises it, and not to feed the child anything.
My child seems fine. Do I still need to go?
Yes. KKH says not to observe at home, because some poisons take hours to show effects.
What should I bring to the hospital?
The product in its container, a note of when it happened, and your child’s age and weight.
Can I use activated charcoal at home?
No. MOH’s 2011 poisoning guidelines say activated charcoal should not be used at home as first aid.
More Help on eduKate Punggol
- Nearest hospitals to Punggol: SKH, KKH and CGH, and when to go.
- 24-hour and late-night GP clinics in Punggol
- Home safety for childminding: a Punggol parent guide.
- Pharmacies in Punggol
- Paediatric clinics in Punggol
- Official: HealthHub: emergency care for children · HealthHub: home safety hazards · SingHealth: injuries in children
A Safer Home, One Shelf at a Time
Once everyone is home and well, take ten minutes to walk round the flat at your child’s eye level. Move one shelf, lock one cupboard, save one number. Small changes add up.
And if your family is also looking for calm, small-group English, Mathematics or Science, eduKate Punggol teaches classes of three in Punggol. Come find out more: Book a consultation · Chat on WhatsApp
eduKate Punggol
Small-group English, Mathematics and Science
Primary and Secondary
By appointment · +65 8823 1234
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Checked October 2026. Addresses, opening hours, fees and rules change, so please confirm with the official source before you go.
