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SINGAPORE \u2013 Patients who choose to stay in public hospitals\u2019 subsidised wards in the future, especially in new hospitals, will most likely be placed in a ward with a maximum of six beds, instead of up to eight beds or more now.<\/p>\n
Ward layouts for new hospitals have been standardised with the <\/p>\n launch of a new national framework<\/p>\n <\/a> \u2013 the Healthcare Facility Design Standards (HFDS), on Dec 9, by the Ministry of Health (MOH).<\/p>\n It paves the way for a possible merger between the two subsidised ward types \u2013 B2 and C \u2013 of which MOH said in 2021 that their physical differences \u201care no longer so obvious\u201d.<\/p>\n HFDS also standardises other features of public hospitals such as plumbing systems and lifts.<\/p>\n This brings about numerous benefits, including allowing new hospitals to be built faster, at a potentially lower cost.<\/p>\n The new Tengah General and Community Hospital (TGCH) in Tengah Garden Avenue, the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital Medical Tower and the redevelopment of the National University Hospital (NUH) in Kent Ridge are the first few projects to tap HFDS. <\/p>\n Ward layouts under HFDS, seen by The Straits Times, are made up of standard grids of 8.4m by 8.4m, with each bed and the space around it fitting into this grid. Such a layout allows for \u201ceasy reconfiguration of internal spaces without major structural changes while supporting future renovations, expansions or technology upgrades\u201d.<\/p>\n The framework allows for three standardised general wards \u2013 A class with one bed, B1 class with four beds, and B2 or C class with six beds.<\/p>\n Existing B2 class wards have either five or six beds. For C class wards, the number of beds ranges from five to 12, based on online checks.<\/p>\n HFDS was developed by MOH Holdings and all three public healthcare clusters, and drew from the best practices and lessons learnt from past projects.<\/p>\n Associate Professor Victor Koh, TGCH\u2019s pro tem chief executive, was asked if the hospital would fully adopt the standardised ward layout, and if it would have only one subsidised ward type. He said that as the first project using HFDS, TGCH is \u201cstill in the planning and exploration stage and learning how to interpret and apply HFDS to explore the reconfiguration of clinical spaces and ward layouts\u201d.<\/p>\n While a decision on ward types may not have been made for TGCH yet, MOH\u2019s earlier remarks point to a possibility of public hospitals having only three general ward types in future.<\/p>\n During the debate on MOH\u2019s budget in Parliament in 2021, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Health, said that the physical differences between the B2 and C class wards were \u201cno longer so obvious, following infrastructural improvements to raise patient safety and infection control standards\u201d.<\/p>\n He was most likely referring to the number of beds, ventilation by fans and availability of an attached toilet.<\/p>\n