Singapore - Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital expands to meet ageing population needs

SINGAPORE: One of Singapore's oldest hospitals is making a significant move to become Singapore's largest nursing home operator.

The Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital will increase in-patient capacity from its current 400 beds to 600.

From the early days of caring for the poor and needy in the Cantonese community, the 101-year-old hospital now serves thousands of elderly patients of all races in intermediate and long-term care.

The hospital was founded in 1910 by a group of leading Cantonese immigrants from Guangdong. On 11 March 1973, the hospital's constitution was amended to admit in-patients from all ethnic groups.

By 2030, one in five Singaporeans will be 65 and older - so it's time to focus on geriatric services.

The hospital plans to add 200 beds to prepare for this spike in demand. It has about 360 in-patients. Its Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre alone sees more than 3,500 patients a month.

"With this expansion, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital will be the largest single site nursing home operator in Singapore. Besides this expanded in-patient facility, senior residents living in the surrounding estates can also look forward to a 'one-stop' centre providing a holistic and comprehensive suite of care services for the elderly, such as outpatient services, day rehabilitation, as well as traditional Chinese medicine," said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who spoke in Mandarin.

The Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital has now transformed itself into a geriatric facility to serve the nation's rapidly ageing population.

The new 14-storey facility will be built at its current premises while four buildings will be conserved, including the front facade building.

Patrick Lee, chairman of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, said: We have a building that faces Serangoon Road which is a landmark that people recognise because when they talk to the taxi-driver, they will say I want to go to Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital on Serangoon Road, and they take it as a landmark."

Construction of the building, which is likely to be ready by 2015, will cost about S$70 million.

- CNA /ls


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