The soon-to-be-completed Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun will be a new model of hospital management, says Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan. This includes the setting up of a charity fund to help patients where government subsidies are insufficient.
Mr Khaw also announces the hospital's board of directors, most of whom are from outside the medical field, saying they will bring in fresh perspectives.
The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital will be Singapore's newest general hospital, come 2010.
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Khoo Teck Puat Hospital to be new model of hospital management: Khaw
The Health Ministry says the hospital can pick up a tip or two on service-oriented management from the Raffles Hotel.
That is why Jennie Chua, the former CEO of Raffles Holdings, has been appointed to head the hospital's board of directors.
Alexandra Hospital's CEO, Liak Teng Lit, said: "If you look at our board members, because they've all been successful in their respective areas, they are able to help us in a very deep way, not in a superficial way of just giving us general directions or general ideas of what can be done."
Minister Khaw said that the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, with its board independent from the National Healthcare Group's management, provides an opportunity to structure a new way of hospital management.
He said: "The bulk of the cost will still come from the government, so it's not a VWO like Ren Ci. But at the same time, it's not a completely public hospital because there's this $125m from a foundation. So I need to find a slightly different governance model."
This includes using an annual grant from the Khoo Teck Puat Foundation to help patients where government subsidies like MediShield, Medisave, MediFund are not enough.
If successful, Mr Khaw hopes to replicate the idea in other general hospitals.
In an example of innovation at the new hospital, the C-class ward will be divided into groups of five beds each.
Bathrooms will be located at each cluster, which means greater convenience and comfort for patients.
The 5-bed arrangement also allows for quicker isolation of patients from infectious diseases.
The Ministry says that while costs may be higher, some patients have expressed willingness to pay more for better service.
Mr Khaw said: "We would have to have a say in the final pricing; they would have to clear the final pricing with us. And, of course, the Ministry of Health will ensure that the key point remains - that they (prices) will remain heavily subsidised and affordable."
Alexandra Hospital, which will run the Yishun facility, says it aims to have a one-hour turnaround time for 90 percent of its patients once the hospital is ready in 2010. - CNA/ir
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