Singapore General Hospital
Encyclopedia
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SGH; Chinese: 新加坡中央医院; ; ) is the largest and oldest hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, of which the foundation of its first building was laid in 1821.
The Singapore Health Services hospital occupies sprawling grounds at Outram Park
Outram, Singapore
Outram is a district in Singapore, within the Central Area, relatively near the prominent city centre and financial districts, but is nearer the border of the Central Area, and outside the Downtown Core. Outram is served by extensive public transport, including SBS Transit and a Mass Rapid Transit ...
, sharing space with four specialist medical centres, namely the Singapore National Eye Centre
Singapore National Eye Centre
The Singapore National Eye Centre commenced operations in 1990. It was founded to lead and organize specialised ophthalmological services with special emphasis on research and education. Since its inauguration, SNEC has averaged an annual workload of 14,000 major eye surgeries and 13,000 laser...
(SNEC), the National Heart Centre
National Heart Centre
The National Heart Centre Singapore is a specialist medical centre in Singapore for cardiac problems as well as a regional referral centre for cardiovascular diseases. Established in 1994 as the Singapore Heart Centre and located at 17, Third Hospital Avenue in the Singapore General Hospital, it...
(NHC), the National Cancer Centre
National Cancer Centre
The National Cancer Centre Singapore was established in 1999 as the country's national centre for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer...
(NCC) and the National Dental Centre
National Dental Centre
The National Dental Centre of Singapore is a modern facility in Singapore dedicated to delivering specialist oral healthcare services. Commencing operations on 1 March 1997, it offers the largest concentration of specialist expertise in a single facility...
(NDC).
History
The Singapore General Hospital was established in 1821, when the first General Hospital was located in the cantonmentCantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
for British troops near the Singapore River
Singapore River
The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...
. It later shifted to Pearl's Bank and then to the Kandang Kerbau district, before finally settling at Sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
Lines in Outram
Outram, Singapore
Outram is a district in Singapore, within the Central Area, relatively near the prominent city centre and financial districts, but is nearer the border of the Central Area, and outside the Downtown Core. Outram is served by extensive public transport, including SBS Transit and a Mass Rapid Transit ...
Road in 1882.
The modern history of Singapore General Hospital began on 29 March 1926, with the opening of 800 beds in the Bowyer, Stanley and Norris Blocks. Today, only the Bowyer Block with its historically distinctive clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
remains. The Bowyer Block is now home to the Singapore General Hospital Museum (SGH Museum).
In 1981, the hospital was rebuilt, with its current 8-block complex housing in-patient wards, ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
and support services, research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
laboratories and a postgraduate medical institute.
On 1 April 1989, the hospital was restructured, in an effort to modernise the organisation of the hospital, due to rapidly developing changes in healthcare services and patient expectations for better service. As a restructured hospital, the Singapore General Hospital is still 100 per cent government-owned and is a not-for-profit institution. More than 60 per cent of the beds are allocated for subsidised patients, giving them access to an internationally-established standard of affordable healthcare.
On 31 March 2000, following a major reorganisation of the public sector healthcare services initiated by the Ministry of Health, the Singapore General Hospital came under the management of Singapore Health Services or SingHealth. The SingHealth Group currently serves the eastern sector of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
through a cluster network of 4 hospitals, 5 specialist centres and 7 polyclinics.
The SGH Museum
The Singapore General Hospital Museum is a repository of artefactsArtifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
and records, where visitors can trace the long and rich history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of the Singapore General Hospital. It is also a place where one can learn about the development of medical specialties and medical education
Medical education
Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor or additional training thereafter ....
in Singapore, presented with the aid of audio-visual
Audio-visual
The term Audio-Visual may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or to equipment used to create and present such works...
and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.
The SGH Museum was officially opened by President
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
Sellapan Ramanathan on 20 May 2005. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
adopts a thematic approach in presenting the hospital's long history, where visitors get not just an insight into the significant developments of the hospital through the years, but also an understanding of the impact these incidents have on the people and the community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
.
External links
- Singapore General Hospital - official website