Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at the SKH Campus Community Health Day, 11 August 2018

Professor Christopher Cheng, CEO, Sengkang General Hospital

Ms Margaret Lee, CEO, SingHealth Community Hospitals

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

INTRODUCTION

1.    Good morning to all of you. It is heartening to see hospital staff, community partners and residents coming together today for a fun day of healthy activities.

SKH CAMPUS OPENING IN PHASES

2.    I understand that many residents and community partners have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the SKH campus, which houses both the Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) and Sengkang Community Hospital (SKCH). Indeed, after many years of preparation, about five years, our hospital colleagues are also very eager to start operations so that they can serve the community here. I am therefore pleased to announce that the Sengkang General and Community Hospitals will open their doors progressively from 18 August 2018.

3.    The Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) will start taking in emergency cases and gradually open its inpatient wards from 18 August 2018, while the Sengkang Community Hospital (SKCH) will commence its sub-acute and rehabilitative care services from 28 August 2018. Since mid-July, the SKH Medical Centre has also started seeing outpatients by appointment. 

INJECTION OF CAPACITY

4.    As our population ages, we will see increased demand for healthcare services. The government has been building more healthcare facilities across various sectors to meet this growing demand. Since 2011, we have added 1,700 acute hospital beds and 1,200 community hospital beds.

5.    When fully opened, the Sengkang General and Community Hospitals will add another 1,000 general hospital and 400 community hospital beds respectively to our national capacity and help serve the healthcare needs. The opening of the campus will make it easier for patients in the Northeast region to receive quality and affordable healthcare closer to home. Through partnerships with the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) among others, the SKH Campus will also offer residents living in the Northeast easy access to specialist services.

6.    The hospitals have also been designed to be as accessible and convenient as possible for patients and their caregivers. Efforts have also been made to streamline the consultation and payment processes. When patients arrive for their specialist appointments, they will receive a queue ticket which lists their itinerary for the day and serves as a guide to direct them where to go. At the end of their visit, patients need only pay once for the tests, medication and consultations they have received, which will save the patients and their caregivers the hassle of making multiple payments at multiple points.      

7.    In addition, we have also integrated the general and community hospitals within the same campus, to ensure that patients can experience a seamless transition of care from initial diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitative care, should they need it. Clinical teams from both sides will collaborate closely in ensuring this continuity of care, and work together with the patients to better support their transition back to home and the community.

BEYOND HEALTHCARE 2020

8.    The SKH Campus also has an important role in helping us to achieve the goals of Beyond Healthcare 2020. For example, SKH has already developed strong partnerships with GPs and community partners through programmes like the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which will allow us to shift care Beyond the Hospital and into the Community.

9.    At the same time, SKH is also helping us move Beyond Healthcare to Health by actively promoting a healthy lifestyle to the neighbouring community through events like this Community Health Day and the Millennia Kids Programme. The Millennia Programme partners primary schools in the area to teach children to adopt healthy lifestyle at an early age, and encourages them to engage their friends and family to help us shape healthier communities.

11.    Mr Royston D’Souza and his family are a good example of how these efforts can spread in the community. Mr D’Souza's daughter, Rachel, is involved in the Millennia Kids programme in her school. Mr D’Souza came across a poster for the Millennia Kids Challenge Family Sports Carnival 3 years ago, and thought it would be a great opportunity for family bonding, and a way for his children to try out new sports. The experience was so meaningful and exciting that it sparked an interest in the whole family to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Mr D’Souza and his family now regularly attend different sporting events, including the last three annual Millennia Kids Challenge Family Carnivals. We hope there will be more D’Souzas around the community to spread the healthy message.

CLOSING

12.     In closing, let me congratulate the Sengkang General and Community Hospitals on this important milestone in opening their doors to serve the growing healthcare needs of our nation, particularly the Northeast community. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the hospital management and team for their hard work. I would also like to thank the community leaders and residents for your patience throughout the construction period. Thank you for putting up with the noise, dust and inconvenience.  I look forward to seeing both hospitals and the community come together on the next stage of our journey, to develop new and innovative programmes that will bring not just healthcare, but good health, to our people in the Northeast community.

13.    I wish you an enjoyable day taking part in the activities at today’s Community Health Day. Thank you very much.