Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (Chinese: 邱德拔医院; Hospital Khoo Teck Puat) is a 550-bed hospital located at Yishun in Singapore. The hospital was officially opened by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on 15 November 2010, but began seeing outpatients and day surgery patients on 28 March 2010. Spanning over 3.5 ha in the Yishun Central Area overlooking the scenic Yishun Pond. The hospital offers an extensive range of medical services and healthcare options for residents living in the north.

History


In 2001, plans were announced that a new hospital, the Jurong General Hospital, will be built and will replace the current Alexandra Hospital. The hospital was slated to be completed by 2006. However, in 2004, the plan was scrapped. Instead, the next new public hospital, Northern General Hospital will be built in the north at Yishun and be completed by March 28, 2009.

On November 28, 2006, Alexandra Hospital marked the first milestone for its new hospital with a groundbreaking ceremony at the new hospital site. The guest-of-honor was the Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan. An exhibition titled "Metamorphosis: From Old to New" was held at the same time, showcasing photographs depicting the transformation of the existing hospital building in Alexandra Road from pre- and post-independence years to the present times. 3-dimensional models and perspectives of the new hospital building were also on display.

On May 16, 2007, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, while attending the HIMSS AsiaPac 2007 conference, announced that the new general hospital in Yishun has been named Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. In acknowledgement of the S$125 million donation made by the late hotelier’s Khoo Teck Puat family towards building and funding of the hospital, instead of the previously planned name Alexandra @ Yishun.

On September 30, 2007, Health Minister Khaw, at a community event in Yishun, noted that additional land parcels set aside around the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital could be used for construction of further, more specialised health-care facilities. Beyond 2020, this might eventually create a health-care cluster similar to the diverse facilities now in the vicinity of Singapore General Hospital, providing high-quality healthcare services to the growing population in the north. Possible inclusions in the cluster are a community hospital and medical-tourist hotels.

Delays
The hospital's specialist outpatient clinics and day surgery operating theatres opens on 29 March 2010. The initial timeline was delayed by about three months because of the Indonesian sand ban and disruption to granite supplies. This forced contractors to bring in more equipment and workers to make up for the time lost.

The facility's inpatient wards and acute care and emergency department began operation on the 28th June 2010.

Key facilities

 * 550 beds
 * 19 wards consisting: 8 private wards (including one deluxe suite), 10 subsidized wards and 1 classless isolation ward
 * 2 intensive care units
 * 90 consultation rooms
 * 8 operating rooms
 * 6 day surgery operation rooms
 * 4 endoscopy suites
 * Other amenities such as family-friendly restrooms, handicapped-friendly restrooms, retail mall, food court and café

Design
The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital is designed to be patient-friendly. The 10-bedded "C"-class wards is divided into two sections, each with its own toilet and shower facilities. There is only one drop-off point for the hospital and the distance from it to the emergency department is only 20 metres, while the distance to the specialist clinics is between 20 and 40 metres. There are no protruding sinks or cupboards in the wards so patients are less likely to hurt themselves.

The hospital also incorporates environmentally friendly features. The building uses 30% less energy than other newer hospitals such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Changi General Hospital and Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital, a savings of more than S$1 million a year on utilities costs.

"Fins" along the building's walls are designed to channel the prevailing north-east winds into the building. Wind tunnel tests conducted at the National University of Singapore found that the "fins" would enhance the air flow by 20 to 30%. Sunshades over the windows protect patients from the direct glare of sunlight. The shades also re-direct light towards the ceiling to enhance the brightness of the wards and save on the use of energy. Large fans in public areas are powered by solar panels on the roof. The air-conditioning system draws supply air from its internal courtyards, where the air is cooler, hence reducing the cooling loads.