Sept 5, 2005
WHAT'S EXPECTED OF THE NEW $400M YISHUN HOSPITAL
State-of-the-art, Patient-friendly, Efficient, yet soothing
Greenery, energy costs and a flexible design are key factors,
companies are told at tender briefing
By Salma Khalik
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
THE planned $400 million hospital in Yishun must be a state-of-the
art facility - and very patient-friendly.
It has to be efficient, yet soothing, so patients' 'heartbeats and
blood pressure will drop a couple of notches' when they arrive, the
nine companies vying for the hospital contract were told at a
briefing last week.
The Yishun facility, which will replace Alexandra Hospital, has to
be built around patients' needs and there has to be lots of
greenery, Alexandra Hospital CEO Liak Teng Lit told the
companies.
Mr Liak wants a 'hospital within a garden and garden within a
hospital, so the sight, scent and sound of nature is pervasive'. He
wants roof gardens and hanging gardens at the facility, whose site
at Yishun Central is bordered by a lake on one side.
Mr Liak laid down these guidelines at the compulsory briefing for
companies seeking the job of designing, building and outfitting the
hospital, which is slated to open in the last quarter of
2009.
Nine companies picked up tender documents.
The hospital will be run by staff from Alexandra Hospital, which
will close its doors when the Yishun facility is ready.
Mr Liak said the building must be both flexible and adaptable, and
incorporate the use of wireless technology, automation and
robotics.
A hospital is used for 40 to 50 years, but with rapid changes in
medical technology, as well as changes in disease patterns, the
design will need to change many times during that period, he
said.
So the hospital must be designed for quick and cheap changes to its
layout when needed. For example, it will start with 450 beds, but
this may need to be increased to 550 beds. But the additional beds
should not be tucked away in a separate corner.
One way to implement quick changes is to use raised flooring to
house cables and pipes so no hacking is needed when these have to
be re-routed.
Instead of designing individual rooms with fixed walls for clinics,
administration and wards, he suggested a vast open area that can be
partitioned for various uses.
Mr Liak said energy-saving was of prime importance. He wants the
new hospital to be 50 per cent more energy efficient than existing
hospitals.
He suggested natural ventilation where possible, with high
ceilings, window overhangs to cut down harsh sunlight, and windows
that could remain open even during rain. He also welcomed the use
of solar and wind power.
The hospital in the north was first mooted during the general
election in 2001 by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, MP for Nee
Soon East, who said residents there needed such facilities.
Since then, it has been a case of on again, off again, as health
ministers and priorities change.
Then, last month, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament
that the hospital would be ready by 2009.
He was answering queries from opposition MP Low Thia Khiang on how
he plans to ease the current congestion at Tan Tock Seng Hospital,
which closes its emergency department when its resources are
stretched.
Prof Ho told The Straits Times he was 'happy that the Northern
General Hospital (NGH) project is moving'.
