Narrowing the distance to address your healthcare needs

In healthcare, planning ahead for infrastructure is important. We don’t want you to travel too far to get the services you need, so we have brought them to your doorstep!

Since its official opening in 2019, SKH Campus, comprising Sengkang General Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital has been supporting the needs of residents in northeast Singapore. Today, SKH campus is a healing environment for the sick and partners closely with the community to empower residents to lead healthier lives.

Following that, we also opened two new polyclinics, at Eunos (2021) and Tampines North (2023), that adopt technology to improve the overall patient experience. The redeveloped Pasir Ris Polyclinic, which is approximately four times larger than the old polyclinic, was also officially opened in October 2024, offering enhanced services including dental and physiotherapy to provide patients with more comprehensive care under one roof.

With our new polyclinics, we can reimagine how we deliver care. Take our EZYBox at Eunos Polyclinic for example – with Singapore’s first vending machine for prescribed medication, patients can now self-collect, skipping queues and waiting time!

Singapore is seeing a growing number of residents and an ageing population. Our added infrastructure is crucial to ensure we can continue to serve them well.

Large-scale T-cell trial to combat the big C

The little red dot is playing a major role in combating the big C (for cancer), a growing burden globally. Led by Professor Toh Han Chong, Senior Consultant, Division of Medical Oncology and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Strategic Partnerships), National Cancer Centre Singapore, a team of researchers from Singapore have been coordinating the largest global T-cell clinical trial for solid tumours. T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that harnesses the body’s immune cells to fight cancer.

The phase three clinical trial named VANCE, recruited 330 patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer or nose cancer across 23 sites in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and the United States. A high level of expertise, coordination and precision was required as this type of complex cell therapy is still in its infancy.

Trial participants were separated into two groups: One that underwent both chemotherapy and a type of T-cell therapy called EBV-CTL, while the other received only chemotherapy. While there was no significant difference between the overall survival rates of both groups, researchers discovered after analysing a subset of the group that received both EBV-CTL and chemotherapies, that more positive treatment outcomes may be achieved by identifying biomarkers to improve how the cell therapy is developed and administered. The trial results were published in the high impact factor journal, Annals on Oncology, in September 2024. 

Championing Patient Safety & Quality Care since 2017!

We are proud to introduce two key players who have been transforming patient care at SingHealth since 2017. Meet the

• SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute for Patient Safety & Quality (IPSQ), and
• SingHealth Patient Advocacy Network (SPAN), supported by the SingHealth Group Office of Patient Experience (OPE)

IPSQ trains staff to become leaders in patient safety while building a strong patient safety and continuous improvement culture in our institutions. Their impact extends beyond our shores. IPSQ has a strategic partnership with the World Health Organization Patient Safety Unit. It hosts the Global Knowledge Sharing Platform for Patient Safety, which promotes and shares good practices, tools and resources in Southeast Asia and globally.

On the patient front, SPAN connects patients, caregivers and our care team, making care more personal and creating the best possible experience and outcomes for everyone who walks through our doors.

Through specialised areas of expertise, IPSQ and OPE enable SPAN to play a key role in staff training. SPAN-BPexTM, launched in 2022, is a unique programme co-created and delivered by SPAN advocates to healthcare professionals. Since then, over 220 newly promoted nurse managers have learnt how to communicate better with patients in mind to create a smoother, more thoughtful experience. When our nurses lead with understanding, our patients feel the difference.