A SPACE crunch in public hospitals has resulted in office space being turned into treatment areas.

The situation at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is especially bad. Chief executive Lim Suet Wun will move out of his office this year so that it can be turned into clinic space.

Administrative staff will also move to temporary offices in containers to be set up on a site earmarked for the new Communicable Diseases Centre, a project which has been put on hold.

The 1,500 sq m of office space freed up will make room for a clinic suite with at least a dozen consultation rooms and some support services.

The hospital is also adding 47 beds this year on top of last year's 97 additional beds. It now has 1,333 beds.

'We do expect the bed situation in 2009 to become tighter,' said Dr Lim.

The hospital will continue to look at freeing up office space, and may also borrow ward space from the nearby Ren Ci Community Hospital.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) did this once before, when Changi General Hospital took over a floor from St Andrew's Community Hospital next door last November. CGH moved its C-class geriatric ward with 33 beds there.

Now, the ministry is considering a similar arrangement between TTSH and Ren Ci Community Hospital, whose new premises are nearing completion in Moulmein.

The new premises near Tan Tock Seng Hospital could provide a temporary solution to TTSH's space squeeze for about a year or two, The Straits Times understands.

Read the full report in today's edition of The Straits Times.