National University Hospital

National University Hospital
National University Health System
Geography
Location	Singapore
Organisation
Hospital type	Teaching
Affiliated university	National University of Singapore
History
Founded	1985
Links
Website	http://www.nuh.com.sg

The National University Hospital (Abbreviation: NUH; Chinese: 国立大学医院; Malay: Hospital Universiti Nasional Singapura) was established in 1985 and it serves as a tertiary hospital, clinical training centre and research centre for the medical and dental faculties of the National University of Singapore (NUS).

NUH is also a referral centre for a wide range of medical, surgical and dental specialties including Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery and Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery. A member of the National University Health System, it is the principal teaching hospitals for the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLL SoM). It is a 1,160-bed tertiary hospital serving more than 670,000 outpatients and 49,000 inpatients.

History

NUH was originally known as the Kent Ridge Hospital according to its proposal as early as 1972, with a second plan drawn in 1975 by the then-University of Singapore Development Unit, when the hospital was planned at the Kent Ridge area, which actually costs $193 million to built, with an initial projection of 752 beds and a cost of $143 million. Construction began in 1980 and the entire project was completed at the end of 1984. NUH was the first privately run, government-owned hospital under the owner and managed by Temasek Holdings.

NUH received its new staff on 15 January 1985 (on the same day itself, Kent Ridge Hospital was renamed to NUH) and opened to the public and received its first patients on 24 June 1985, with the opening of two departments namely the Department of Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. The hospital was officially opened on 17 June 1986 by Goh Chok Tong, then First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. Prior to its opening, clinical training for the students of NUS were carried out at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where the university's medical school was located until it moved to the new NUS campus at Kent Ridge in 1986.

The hospital was originally owned by Temasek Holdings, a government investment holding company. It came under the Ministry of Health's Health Corporation of Singapore (HCS) in 1987. In 1990 the government decided to hand over the governance of the hospital to the National University of Singapore (NUS). This was in tune with the government's idea of making NUH the principal medical teaching institution of Singapore. In order to avoid duplication of services, the government decided to make highly specialised units available at only two places, SGH and NUH. All other hospitals were to house general specialty departments only. Since NUH was too large a financial operation to be transferred entirely in one go, the hospital first reverted to Temasek Holdings before being transferred to NUS in phases. The hospital added in a 200-bed, seven-storey tower ward block, eight operating theatres, and intensive care units over an area of 3.2 ha at a cost of S$100 million.

NUH was conferred the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in August 2004 and the Singapore Service Class award in July 2004. It also received a triple ISO certification:

• ISO 9001 - 2000 (Quality Management System)
• ISO 14001 - 1996 (Environmental Management System)
• OHSAS 18001 - 1999 (Occupational Health & Safety Management System)

In August 2007, Minister for Health Khaw Boon Wan announced plans to build two new national centres at NUH for heart and cancer treatments, the top two medical killers. The National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) announced its plans during a press conference on 2 December 2008 to improve its care and treatment for patients. This will be done by scoping patient care and the delivery of clinical services into four systematic, holistic, and phased programmes:

• Heart failure programme: A model for disease management programme
• Congenital heart disease programme: Span-of-life care
• Acute coronary syndrome programme: timely help for heart attack patients
• Vascular medicine and therapy

In January 2008, NUH and the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry came together to form the National University Health System. This will help meet the healthcare needs as it brings about synergy that will be achieved from the integration of education, and clinical care. Plans on the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) was announced in 2009. To meet the increase and anticipated upward trend in healthcare demand, the infrastructure on the Kent Ridge campus will be developed to include extensive research and education facilities to be housed in the NUHS flagship Centre for Translational Medicine building, and two national centres for Cancer and Cardiovascular medicine at the NUH site.

In April 2014, the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) moved into the NUH Medical Centre, providing one-stop holistic and comprehensive care, management and treatment for both adult and paediatric oncology patients. Covering over 13,000 square metres and occupying levels 8, 9 and 10, the NCIS is housed alongside other outpatient medical specialisations at the NUH Medical Centre and is a one-stop centre in the prevention, management and treatment of cancer.

In January 2013, the NCIS and JurongHealth signed a Memorandum of Understanding known as the Western Cancer Action Network - WCAN to develop a plan that will lead to the provision of cancer care for people living in the western half of Singapore.

On 9 July 2014, it was announced via a joint news release between the NUH and JurongHealth that the NCIS and JurongHealth signed a 10-year Oncology Collaboration Agreement to partner up in the development of a dedicated oncology service termed as "JurongHealth-NCIS Cancer Service" at the future Ng Teng Fong General Hospital to administer better health and clinical outcomes for cancer patients housed at the Western region of Singapore from July 2015 onwards.

Location and infrastructure

Built in 1985, NUH's main building and service block are situated in a north-south orientation and conveniently linked by a service and communications "spine". The designers separated the "service tunnel" from the pedestrian levels, taking advantage of the slope. The blocks respond to the tropical climate with recessed windows, verandahs, and concrete sun shades. Shady courtyards that act as reservoirs of cool air enhance cross-ventilation in the non-air-conditioned interiors.

Kent Ridge Wing 2 was completed in 1996. It comprises an inpatient wing and also houses specialist outpatient clinics and service centres. The nine-storey tower block atop a podium provides a conducive environment for patients' recovery, amidst the greenery of the Kent Ridge.

Travelling to NUH has been made more convenient with the opening of the Kent Ridge MRT Station (Circle Line) in October 2011, right at the door step of NUH's Main Building.

Operational since July 2013, the 19-storey NUH Medical Centre is the hospital's newest outpatient facility to serve primarily subsidised patients. Located directly above the Kent Ridge MRT station and designed with patients in mind, it brings about greater accessibility and convenience especially for elderly patients. Patients can also get from one building to another, via a well-connected network of link bridges which provide seamless access and easy wayfinding.

Other institutions

National University Cancer Institute Singapore

The National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) is a national specialist centre and the only public cancer centre in Singapore treating both paediatric and adult cancers in one facility. The NCIS offers a broad spectrum of cancer care and management that ranges from public education, screening and early diagnosis, to treatment, and long-term health maintenance. These span across blood cancers and blood disorders, breast, colorectal, gynaecological, head and neck, liver, pancreatic and bilary, thoracic, urologic, upper gastrointestinal, paediatric haematological malignancies, brain and musculoskeletal cancers. The NCIS houses multi-disciplinary tumour groups including but not limited to the Division of Surgical Oncology, the Department of Haematology–Oncology and the Department of Radiation Oncology.

National University Heart Centre Singapore

The National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS), provides treatment and management of complex cardiovascular diseases with focus areas on heart failure, congenital heart disease, acute coronary syndrome, and vascular disease.

Advanced Surgery Training Centre

The Khoo Teck Puat Advanced Surgery Training Centre (ASTC) is a training venue situated within the confines of NUH.

External links

• Official website
• Major Milestones