SINGAPORE \u2013 With standard design guidelines in place, new hospitals can now be built faster, at a potentially lower cost.<\/p>\n
Key to this effort is Healthcare Facility Design Standards (HFDS) \u2013 the first framework in Singapore that harmonises hospital design principles across the public healthcare system.<\/p>\n
\u201cSingapore has always built wonderful hospitals over the decades that served our people well, and we can be very proud of them,\u201d said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at the launch of the standards on Dec 9.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut with an ageing population, rising healthcare demand, we will need to build and redevelop more and more hospitals. So we not only have to build good hospitals now, but we have to do so better, faster, and with greater cost-effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standardising hospital designs would accelerate design processes for every new hospital development and made construction more predictable.<\/p>\n
\u201cA shorter project timeline is not an end itself. It brings many benefits… makes construction more predictable. It means we reduce cost variability and risk throughout the project. This will all lead to improved project costs.<\/p>\n
Stressing that the system would benefit all parties, he said that having standard designs for clinical spaces such as wards, operating theatres, and operational areas such as disposal rooms meant that clinicians would not need to learn a new layout every time they went to a different hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis improves efficiency and supports better care delivery,\u201d he said, pointing out that patients would get to receive care at hospitals which is delivered faster and better. <\/p>\n
In addition, the care environment would also be safe as infection control measures are standardised and made consistent as with other public hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ultimate beneficiaries are the patients we serve, by hospitals that are delivered faster and better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther, HFDS will enhance clinical safety and quality by ensuring consistent infection control measures, such as standardised sink placement and clearly defined \u2018clean\u2019 and \u2018dirty\u2019 workflow zones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The standards draw from the insights of clinicians and operators, and builds on the accumulated lessons from past healthcare development projects. Areas of standardisation include aspects of architecture, interior design, medical planning, mechanical and electrical systems, and construction methods. <\/p>\n
The first public hospital project that fully applies the HFDS and will see time savings in construction is the <\/p>\n Tengah General and Community Hospital (TGCH)<\/p>\n <\/a>.<\/p>\n It will take about seven years to be completed, and is targeted to be ready in the early 2030s.<\/p>\n In comparison, the <\/p>\n Woodlands Health Campus<\/p>\n <\/a>, which was officially opened in 2024, took 10 years to build. <\/p>\n This was partly because the construction was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mr Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.<\/p>\n Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (second from right) at the launch of the Healthcare Facility Design Standards framework on Dec 9.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Separately, the <\/p>\n new Eastern General Hospital<\/p>\n <\/a> (EGH) will take about eight and a half years to build. When fully opened around 2029 to 2030, it will have about 1,400 beds.<\/p>\n TGCH will be operated by the National University Health System.<\/p>\n Besides TGCH, the HFDS will also be used for the building of the <\/p>\n new Tan Tock Seng Hospital Medical Tower<\/p>\n <\/a>, which will add about 600 acute beds and set to have a bigger emergency department.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>