SINGAPORE — Southeast Asia’s largest Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is now operational. Sited at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the facility has a capacity of 32 beds, and is equipped with advanced features and technology. It is the main referral centre for newborn babies suffering from complex and high-risk medical conditions, managing some 400 to 450 admissions a year, including full-term, as well as pre-term babies.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong launched the facility today (July 6).

Over the past two decades, the prematurity rate in Singapore has increased from 7.2 per cent to 9.5 per cent, despite lower birth rates.

Mr Gan said this was probably brought about by evolving social and medical trends, such as an increase in maternal age, more couples opting for assisted reproduction, and capabilities to provide earlier intervention for complicated pregnancies.

The expansion in capacity will enable the hospital to care for more babies requiring intensive support and care.

He said: “In addition to enhancing capacity and medical capability, we also made improvements to our healthcare financing system to provide parents with greater peace of mind over their children’s healthcare costs.

“This is especially so as the cost of care for premature babies and those with congenital conditions can be quite significant.”

Earlier this year the health ministry announced the extension of MediShield coverage to congenital and neonatal conditions from March 1, to provide all children with early insurance protection from birth.

Singapore’s neonatal mortality rate has fallen from 1.5 per 1,000 resident live births in 2000 to 1.1 in 2012. According to the World Health Organisation, this makes the country one of the countries with the lowest neonatal mortality rates. CHANNEL NEWSASIA