Woodlands Health Unveils State-of-the-Art Integrated Hospital: A Milestone in Singapore’s Healthcare Expansion
Woodlands Health, Singapore’s newest integrated acute and community hospital, marked a significant milestone as it first opened its doors on 22 December 2023, unveiling its specialist clinics, 40 community hospital beds and a therapeutic garden.
Located at 17 Woodlands Drive 17, this 7.7-hectare healthcare facility is poised to play a crucial role in addressing the nation’s pressing need for expanded healthcare services.
The hospital is easily accessible with an underpass linking from Woodlands South MRT station, and bus service 900 right at their doorstep.
The hospital will be fully operational, including the emergency department and acute wards, from May 2024 onwards.
What Does it Have?
With a vision of becoming a robust healthcare hub, Woodlands Health is designed to eventually house 1,000 acute and community beds, along with nearly 400 beds in its long-term care facility.
Furthermore, it has the flexibility to expand its capacity to accommodate up to 1,800 beds in response to future demands.
Singapore’s public hospitals have been grappling with a bed crunch, exacerbated by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several patients have reported spending close to two days waiting to be admitted to the hospital.
According to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, about 600 of hospital beds in Singapore are taken up by COVID-19 patients.
Though it only occupies about 6% to 7% of the total 10,000-bed strong system, it is still a significant workload on Singapore’s healthcare workers and system.
To alleviate this situation, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has set an ambitious target of adding 1,300 beds by the end of 2023. Woodlands Health is a crucial component of this strategy, contributing significantly to the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.
Moreover, this hospital in Singapore will be the inaugural facility where the three most intricate and crucial mission-critical IT systems will be functioning.
That being: the electronic medical record system, the pharmaceutical product and medicine dispensing system, and the billing system.
The collaborative operation and results of all three systems at this location will shape the operational approach throughout the rest of Singapore in the future.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, along with Sembawang GRC MPs Poh Li San, Lim Wee Kiak, and Marsiling-Yew Tee MP Hany Soh, were given an exclusive tour of the hospital facilities, including the medical centre, during the preview.
The medical centre, already open to patients, offers specialist outpatient services for conditions such as asthma and diabetes.
It also houses an allied health team providing essential rehabilitation services, including speech therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.
One distinctive feature of Woodlands Health is its integration of acute and community hospitals within the same building.
This innovative design ensures a seamless transition for patients from acute to step-down care, all under the supervision of the same medical professionals.
Dr Wong Kirk Chuan, the hospital’s chief operating officer, emphasised this feature during a prior briefing, noting that the transition involves patients simply moving across the corridor to continue their care in the community hospital wards.
In addition to its medical facilities, Woodlands Health boasts a medical centre with specialist clinics, radiology services, rehabilitation, and a pharmacy, all linked to the main hospital building via a bridge.
Woodlands Health currently employs around 3,000 staff, with approximately 600 transferred to the hospital with its phased opening, and the others currently nested at other hospitals such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Minister Ong said, “With the phased opening of this campus, they will be transferred here gradually. For the other hospitals nesting and hosting them, they will make preparations so that they do not have a sudden shock, a sudden loss of staff.”
You can watch a short, informative video on Woodland Health’s Facebook page!
It’s Green, too!
An adjacent highlight is Singapore’s largest therapeutic garden, the 1.5-hectare Woodlands Healing Garden, designed in consultation with the National Parks Board.
This green space is segmented into four zones and aims to provide visitors and patients with a close interaction with nature, promoting mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Since the hospital’s inception in 2015, Woodlands Health has collaborated with community care providers to create a robust ecosystem of support for the 600,000 residents in the north region.
This includes the establishment of 13 community health posts in the north-west region, facilitating easy access to health services and streamlining post-hospital recovery and chronic disease management.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, speaking at the Woodlands Health opening ceremony, highlighted the positive results of Singapore’s healthcare capacity expansion efforts.
He mentioned that the target of hiring 4,000 nurses – 3,000 for the public sector and 1,000 for the private sector – for the healthcare sector by the end of 2023, is especially crucial as they are continuously expanding facilities and healthcare capacity, and there is a need for manpower to be able to operate them.
“It also makes up for the nurses that we lost during the pandemic due to international competition,” Minister Ong added.
Nonetheless, he expressed confidence that they would be able to meet the target.
Additionally, two new polyclinics (one in Sembawang and one in Tampines North) were opened in 2023, with more than 30 polyclinics islandwide anticipated by 2030.
Minister Ong also remarked that despite the challenges of the past year, 2023 has been a notable year for the Ministry of Health, with successful initiatives such as Healthier SG and efforts to reduce sugar and sodium intake in beverages and food.
As Woodlands Health embarks on its journey, it signifies a pivotal step in Singapore’s ongoing commitment to enhancing its healthcare infrastructure and services.
(Well, let’s hope the food court is good, too)