Ng Teng Fong General Hospital to open in July

SINGAPORE - JurongHealth Services (JurongHealth) will start operating from the new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) at Jurong East by July this year, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and JurongHealth in a joint statement to the press today.

Alexandra Hospital (AH) will then be closed for maintenance and renovation works. JurongHealth will be taking the necessary steps in order to minimise disruption for patients and ensure continuity of care.

JurongHealth will still continue operating its Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC) services at Alexandra Hospital (AH) until its transition to NTFGH. It said current patients receiving care at the AH SOCs will be contacted so as to arrange their follow-up appointments at NTFGH when it opens.

Patients who prefer to have their appointments closer to home can also choose to be referred to other hospitals. They can call the JurongHealth general enquiry line at 6472 2000 for assistance.

When the date of JurongHealth's move to NTFGH gets nearer, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances that currently send patients in need of immediate medical attention to AH will be diverted to nearby public hospitals. They will most likely be sent either to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) or the National University Hospital (NUH).

More details on the arrangement and effective date for the transfer of services will be announced at a later date.

AH aims to reopen in phases by the third quarter of 2015 with a new operations team from Sengkang Health (SK). More updates on the reopning will also be announced later on.

The Health Ministry said they will be studying how the AH site can be developed for long-term healthcare needs.

In a statement to the press, Mr Foo Hee Jug, CEO of JurongHealth said: CEO of JurongHealth, Mr Foo Hee Jug, said, "Our experience serving patients at Alexandra Hospital has allowed JurongHealth to build a strong foundation for the future. We want to thank our patients for the opportunity to care for them. We look forward to continue to serve the community at our new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. We will do our best to ensure a seamless transition. We seek your patience and understanding should there be any inconveniences during this period."

ssandrea@sph.com.sg