New SGH Emergency-NNI building opens, designed around patients' journeys

The Republic's oldest hospital, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), officially opened its new SGH Emergency/National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) building on Friday (Oct 31).

Established in 1821, Singapore's first general hospital started out in a wooden shed near Bras Basah and Stamford Roads. Amongst the older generation, it is commonly referred to as "See Pai Poh" because of its 1882 relocation to Sepoy Lines along Outram Road.

Fast forward to 1948, SGH established its Casualty and Outpatient Service that is today known as the Emergency Department, and the NNI later in 1999.

Explaining why the two medical disciplines are housed together at the building's opening ceremony, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung pointed out at the official opening on Friday that emergency department patients today are older and many have multiple chronic conditions.

"Emergency care requires thoughtful clinical judgement and careful assessment, with several specialties working together," he said.

SGH and NNI said in a joint news release after the opening that the vision behind the 12-storey building is a model of emergency care built entirely around the patient journey, where assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and recovery happen in one seamlessly connected space.

Singapore's first ED angiography suite

Head of SGH's Department of Emergency Medicine Dr Ivan Chua, elaborating on the journey, explained: "Patients can move easily from emergency assessment to acute medical care, neuroscience intervention, or advanced imaging as their condition requires."

He added that this allows different teams to collaborate more effectively, bringing expertise from multiple disciplines to provide coordinated responses for complex medical conditions.

According to the healthcare institution, in cases such as a stroke — where time is of the essence — a patient can be assessed, scanned, and treated for an acute stroke without leaving the building in as quickly as 82 minutes.

The new building also houses Singapore's first emergency department-based angiography suite, further enhancing stroke care, and enabling patients to undergo endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a life-saving intervention to reopen blocked blood vessels in the brain within minutes of diagnosis, without being transferred to other blocks.

Over 150 short-stay beds

And beyond the 53 critical care area cubicles and 12 resuscitation rooms, the building also houses acute medical wards with over 150 short-stay beds, neuroscience specialist outpatient clinics, and advanced imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and interventional radiology.

Meanwhile, patient comfort and experience have also been factored into the new building's design, with private treatment areas featuring walls and sliding doors that offer dignity in what can be a vulnerable moment during medical emergencies.

Then, there are also projector technology that casts calming visuals during MRI scans, to reduce anxiety in an environment that many find distressing.

While waiting, families can also receive real-time information through patient information systems, lessening uncertainty during an already difficult time.

Panic button for healthcare workers

Healthcare workers are also "looked after", with a Code Grey panic button system implemented in the new premises.

During its trial at the former emergency department, this was found to have led to a four-time reduction in response time for assistance when a staff member encounters abusive behaviours at work.

Deputy head of ambulatory services (Neuroscience clinic@SGH) Dr Tushar Divakar Gosavi said that the multi-disciplinary clinics in the new building allow neurologists to easily discuss and refer patients for assessment by therapists, with more urgent cases being seen the same time, where appointment slots permit.

Short intravenous infusions for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and migraine can now be administered at the clinic’s new infusion room, and lumbar punctures can also be performed onsite.

"This avoids the need for patients to be warded overnight, thereby freeing up beds for patients waiting in the Emergency Department to be admitted," the hospital said.

The official opening of the building marks another milestone in the 20-year SGH Campus Masterplan, following the earlier completion of SingHealth Tower and Outram Community Hospital in 2019, and the National Cancer Centre in 2023.

In the years ahead, the Elective Care Centre, the new National Dental Centre, and the Health Sciences Authority and Ministry of Health buildings will also be progressively completed.

Said the health minister: "We will continue to invest in our healthcare infrastructure and our people, so that we can all look forward to a rejuvenated health campus, and a stronger healthcare system that can provide even better care to Singaporeans."

新加坡共和国历史最悠久的医院——新加坡中央医院（SGH）于星期五（10 月 31 日）正式启用其新的 SGH 急诊/国家神经科学研究所（NNI）大楼。

新加坡第一家综合医院成立于1821年，最初设在勿拉士峇沙路和斯坦福路附近的一个木棚里。由于它在1882年迁至欧南路的西博伊线，老一辈人通常称其为“西派宝”。

时间快进到 1948 年，新加坡中央医院 (SGH) 建立了急诊科和门诊部，也就是今天的急诊科，并在 1999 年建立了国家神经疾病研究所 (NNI)。

在周五的正式开幕仪式上，卫生部长王乙康解释了为什么这两个医学学科要设在一起。他指出，如今急诊科的病人年龄偏大，而且许多人患有多种慢性疾病。

他说：“急诊护理需要深思熟虑的临床判断和仔细的评估，以及多个专科的共同协作。”

新加坡中央医院 (SGH) 和新加坡国家医院 (NNI) 在开幕式后联合发布的新闻稿中表示，这座 12 层大楼背后的愿景是打造一个完全围绕患者就医过程而建立的急诊护理模式，在这个模式下，评估、诊断、干预和康复都在一个无缝连接的空间内进行。

新加坡首个急诊血管造影室

新加坡中央医院急诊医学科主任蔡伊万医生详细阐述了这一流程，他解释说：“患者可以根据自身病情需要，轻松地从急诊评估转为急性医疗护理、神经科学干预或高级影像检查。”

他还补充说，这使得不同的团队能够更有效地合作，汇集多个学科的专业知识，为复杂的医疗状况提供协调一致的应对措施。

据该医疗机构称，在诸如中风等分秒必争的情况下，患者无需离开大楼，即可在短短 82 分钟内完成急性中风的评估、扫描和治疗。

新大楼还设有新加坡首个急诊科血管造影室，进一步提升了中风治疗水平，使患者能够在确诊后几分钟内接受血管内血栓切除术 (EVT)，这是一种挽救生命的介入治疗，可以重新打开大脑中阻塞的血管，而无需转移到其他楼宇。

超过150张短期住宿床位

除了 53 个重症监护病房和 12 个复苏室外，该建筑还设有拥有 150 多张短期住院床位的急性医疗病房、神经科学专科门诊部以及先进的影像设备，包括磁共振成像 (MRI) 和介入放射学。

与此同时，新建筑的设计也考虑到了患者的舒适度和体验，私人治疗区设有墙壁和滑动门，在医疗紧急情况下，患者在可能脆弱的时刻能够得到尊重。

此外，还有投影技术可以在核磁共振扫描期间投射舒缓的视觉效果，以减轻许多人认为令人痛苦的环境中的焦虑情绪。

在等待期间，家属还可以通过患者信息系统获取实时信息，从而减轻在原本就艰难的时期所面临的不确定性。

医护人员紧急按钮

医护人员也得到了“照顾”，新场所实施了“灰色代码”紧急按钮系统。

在之前的急诊科进行的试验中，发现当工作人员在工作中遇到辱骂行为时，这种方法可以将援助响应时间缩短四倍。

新加坡中央医院神经科学诊所门诊服务副主任图沙尔·迪瓦卡尔·戈萨维医生表示，新大楼内的多学科诊室使神经科医生能够轻松地与患者讨论病情，并将患者转诊给治疗师进行评估，在预约时间允许的情况下，更紧急的病例也可以同时得到诊治。

现在，诊所的新输液室可以进行短时静脉输液治疗阿尔茨海默病和偏头痛，也可以在现场进行腰椎穿刺。

医院方面表示：“这样可以避免病人需要在医院过夜，从而腾出床位，供急诊科等待入院的病人使用。”

该建筑的正式开放标志着新加坡中央医院20年园区总体规划的又一个里程碑，此前新加坡保健集团大厦和欧南社区医院已于2019年竣工，国家癌症中心也于2023年竣工。

未来几年，择期医疗中心、新的国家牙科中心以及卫生科学局和卫生部大楼也将逐步建成。

卫生部长表示：“我们将继续投资于我们的医疗基础设施和人民，以便我们都能期待一个焕然一新的医疗园区和一个更强大的医疗系统，从而为新加坡人提供更好的医疗服务。”