Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (Chinese: 邱德拨医院; Malay: Hospital Khoo Teck Puat) will be a 550-bed hospital located at Yishun in Singapore when opens in early 2010. Spanning over 3.5 hectares in the Yishun Central Area overlooking the scenic Yishun Pond. The hospital will offer state-of-the-art facilities and an extensive range of medical services and healthcare options for residents living in the north. The hospital aims to be a hassle-free hospital that is truly centred on the needs of patients.

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 displayed.

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. The hospital when ready, will be at the front line of technology. The new hospital would be different from other hospitals as it promises to put patients first and aims to minimise bureaucracy and paperwork.

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
Parts of the new facility are scheduled to open in early 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 hospital is to be fully operational by 2012.

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 will be designed to be patient-friendly. The 10-bedded "C"-class wards will be divided into two sections, each with its own toilet and shower facilities. "B2"-class wards will have five instead of the usual six beds, with a toilet and shower too. The amenities of the new hospital will also be easily accessible with clear directions. There will only be one drop-off point for the hospital and the distance from it to the emergency department will be only 20 metres, while the distance to the specialist clinics will be between 20 and 40 metres. There will also be no protruding sinks or cupboards in the wards so patients are less likely to hurt themselves.

The hospital will also incorporate environmentally friendly features. The building will use 50% 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 bill.

"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%. There will also be sunshades over the windows to protect patients from the direct glare of sunlight. The shades will also re-direct the light towards the ceiling to enhance the brightness of the wards and save on the use of energy. Large fans in public areas will be powered by solar panels on the roof.