Heart and pathology centres, carpark to be built; steps to limit noise and dust over next 3 years

By April Chong

WITH major construction projects in the works, patients and visitors at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) campus can expect to face some dust, noise and traffic congestion.

In the pipeline are a new twin-tower Pathology Building, a 10-storey National Heart Centre and a multi-storey carpark.

To minimise noise and dust, quieter demolition equipment, netting and hoardings will be used, said Dr Wong Yue Sie, the group chief operating officer of Singapore Health Services.

Noisier work will take place only between 9am and 6pm.

If patients still find the noise unbearable, they can ask for earplugs or request a change of room, depending on availability and the condition of the patients, Dr Wong added.

Patients staying in the wards at Blocks 4 and 7 will be the most affected, as these buildings face the construction sites. Those in non-air-conditioned wards will be exposed to more dust and noise.

The SGH management plans to put up additional dust screens outside these wards.

These two blocks can house more than 900 patients, of which almost 500 beds are in non-air-conditioned open wards.

With traffic congestion expected, visitors are urged to take public transport if possible and make use of the campus shuttle bus service.

The existing Housemen Quarters, which face SGH’s Block 7, will be demolished later this month to make way for the new Pathology Building. The construction work is expected to end in 2012.

Vicker’s House, a former nurses’ hostel opposite SGH’s Block 4, will also be taken down early next year.
 
The new National Heart Centre to be built in its place will open in 2013.

The third project is a multi-storey carpark in MacAlister Road, behind the College of Medicine, which will be ready by April next year. It will provide almost 600 more carpark spaces.

The ageing population and increasing patient numbers, coupled with more new equipment and research, make it necessary to have extra space, Dr Wong said.
 
When the projects are completed, there will be better facilities and more clinics, he added.