Last of Alexandra Hospital’s patients transferred to new facility in Jurong

SINGAPORE — Alexandra Hospital completed its move to the new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in Jurong today (June 29), with the last of its patients transferred to the new facility.

Built in 1938 as a British military hospital, Alexandra Hospital will be closed for renovation and maintenance work. It is scheduled to reopen in phases from the third quarter of this year under a new team from Sengkang Health.

The 700-bed NTFGH in Jurong East, managed by Jurong Health Services, will open today with 365 beds first and 80 of its 120 outpatient clinic rooms. Another 185 beds and 13 clinics are expected to come on stream by the end of its first year.

For the first month, NTFGH’s emergency department will receive only walk-in cases to allow operations to stabilise. It will start to receive critically-ill patients brought in by SCDF ambulances from Aug 1. In the meantime, the Ministry of Health will redirect emergency cases to other public hospitals.

Since last month, Alexandra Hospital staff began moving to NTFGH in phases. Of the 19 normal ward patients transferred yesterday, two were sent to Jurong Community Hospital while the rest were sent to NTFGH.

Dr Quek Lit Sin, head of the hospital’s emergency medicine department and co-medical commander for patient transfer to NTFGH, said: “We went through table-top exercises and conducted full-dress rehearsals to prepare and ensure patient safety during the move. All patients were assessed to be medically stable for the transfer via ambulances.”

Mr Joe Nazir, who has volunteered with Alexandra Hospital since 2006, said they helped by giving suggestions on how to improve the directional signs at NTFGH.

“It is very heartening to note that many of our feedback were implemented. I am very happy that there is finally a hospital to serve the community in the west,” he added.