Private hospitals to help in fight against dengue

SINGAPORE — As part of efforts to better care for an expected increase in demand from dengue patients, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Gleneagles Hospital (GEH) have embarked on an initiative which taps into private sector bed capacity in the care of such patients.

CGH patients warded at GEH will continue to retain their subsidy status and be cared for by the team of infectious disease specialists and nurses at GEH.

“We are piloting the initiative with GEH so that our hospital would be able to leverage on its capacity and resources should we see a surge in dengue patients, especially during the hotter months of August and September,” said Dr Lee Chien Earn, CEO of Changi General Hospital.

“This collaboration shows how the private and public sectors can come together to serve the healthcare needs of Singaporeans,” said Dr Tan See Leng, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Parkway Pantai Limited, which manages Gleneagles and three other private hospitals in Singapore.

“We are happy to be able to play our part during this time of need and will offer our resources again when necessary, in the future.”

The CGH-Gleneagles collaboration is expected to last between three to six months.

This partnership is the second between CGH and Parkway Pantai. Since last year, Parkway East Hospital has provided CGH with a 30-bed ward to be managed by the CGH team.