SGH campus to get 20-year makeover under redevelopment masterplan

SINGAPORE's largest healthcare hub, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) campus, will undergo major redevelopment spanning 20 years, to meet the growing needs of the population.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared the masterplan for the redevelopment of the 43-hectare campus on Friday, saying it would be dedicated to patient care, research and education.

The campus is currently home to SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, SGH, the five national specialty centres for cancer, dental, eye, heart and neuroscience, as well as SingHealth Polyclinic (Outram). Together, these healthcare institutions serve about 33 per cent of the nation's healthcare needs.

Under the masterplan, the campus will expand current capacity by intensifying land use. When completed, 60 per cent of the campus will comprise patient care and other healthcare-related facilities, while the remaining 40 per cent is to be designated for research and education.

Redevelopment will take place in two phases over a period of 20 years.

SingHealth's flagship hospital, SGH, will be moved closer to the main public transport nodes, right along the cross junction of Outram Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.

Under phase 1, which will take place over 10 years, SGH's Accident and Emergency (A&E) block, the new 550-bed Outram Community Hospital, SGH Elective Care Centre, National Dental Centre Singapore and the new National Cancer Centre Singapore will be relocated or developed first.

The main SGH Complex will be developed in phase 2 of the master plan, after phase 1 is completed.

Under the master plan, provision has also been made for a new research park to further biomedical research and collaborations with industry partners.

Ivy Ng, group chief executive of SingHealth, said: "Developed in careful consultation with the Ministry of Health, the master plan caters to both current and anticipated healthcare needs. While we need more capacity because patient numbers have been rising steadily, the master plan is not just about adding capacity. In conceptualising, it was necessary to look beyond and plan ahead to formulate models of care that are designed around the needs of our patients while ensuring patient safety, accessibility and affordability."