Geriatric research institute planned for new Yishun hospital

SINGAPORE — Health Minister Gan Kim Yong today announced that The Geriatric Education and Research Institute (GERI) will be set up at the new Yishun Community Hospital to help Singapore better prepare for the challenges of an ageing population.

Speaking at the the ground-breaking ceremony of the Yishun Community Hospital, he said the institute will lead the development, co-ordination and implementation of initiatives to strengthen education and research.

It will also facilitate the development of curriculum to train healthcare professionals to understand the needs of the elderly.

Mr Gan said: “GERI will also focus on research to investigate issues such as age-related physiological and clinical changes and translate the findings to inform clinical care, treatment modalities, disease prevention, risk factors management and health promotion.

“The research findings will help to inform our health policy and clinical services strategies to improve care provision for our elderly population.”

The institute will go beyond Yishun Community Hospital and collaborate with other research agencies, geriatric departments, other community hospitals and primary care providers to conduct research in these areas, he said. CHANNEL NEWSASIA