Ng Teng Fong General Hospital finally ready to serve patients

SINGAPORE — After a six-month delay, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) finally opened to the public at 8.30am yesterday (June 30), although retail outlets were still a work in progress and some visitors experienced difficulties in navigation.

The hospital’s staff saw a total of 238 patients yesterday, including 24 acute patients, 20 community bed patients and 44 emergency patients. Its specialist outpatient clinics also served 150 patients who came by appointments.

Some members of the public wondered why certain amenities, such as the food court and retail shops, were not operating. The food court and retail shops were boarded up, and drilling could be heard from outside the food court.

Ms Angie Ng, 54, a volunteer who gave directions near the entrance of the hospital, said: “People asked: ‘Where is the food court? Where can i find food?’. So, we told them the food court and retail outlets are not up yet.”

Visitors TODAY interviewed also felt that signage leading from Jurong East MRT station to NTFGH was clear, and found their way in easily. The hospital is connected to the MRT station and bus interchange by an elevated pedestrian network of sheltered link bridges.

However, some visitors said they had problems finding their way out of the hospital. A 56-year-old visitor who declined to be named said: “I can find my way in but I cannot find my way out.”

Some who drove to the hospital also had problems navigating.

Mrs Margaret Png, a patient in her 70s, who came by appointment, drove to Jurong East and had difficulty locating the hospital. She suggested that “signboards (at the roads) for Ng Teng Fong hospital need to be more prominent and direct for people who know next to nothing about this place”.

In response to TODAY’s queries, a hospital spokesperson said road signs are under the purview of the Land Transport Authority, but Mrs Png’s feedback has been passed to the management and it will look into her suggestions.

As for the hospital’s food court and retail outlets, the spokesperson said they will open by August.