Sengkang Health and its main contractor Penta-Ocean Construction commemorated today an important milestone in its infrastructure development of the Sengkang General and Community Hospitals in a ceremony officiated by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health. Reinforcing its vision of working with community partners to build a healthy living ecosystem in the northeast, Sengkang Health is also kick-starting a collaborative dialogue for like-minded healthcare and community partners to work towards achieving community well-being together through a World Café-style discussion.

Piling works for the hospitals which had commenced after the groundbreaking in October last year have since been completed. Sengkang Health is well on track to proceed with the next stage of infrastructure development to build the substructure and superstructure of the hospitals.

When completed, the 1,400-bed Sengkang General and Community Hospitals will provide the northeast community with easy access to a comprehensive suite of medical facilities and clinical services.

The Sengkang General and Community Hospitals will be more than just a place for medical treatment and recovery. The co-location of the general and community hospitals ensures the transfer of patients seamlessly from acute to intermediate care to provide a hassle-free continuum of care. The hospitals are also designed with adaptable spaces and built-in flexibility, such as “swing” beds that can be converted for use as either acute hospital or community beds.

A “Community Heart” or communal space incorporated at the ground level has been specially designed for patients and residents to stay active, socialise and take part in healthy living activities. In addition, there will be a podium rooftop wellness garden and pockets of greenery to provide a conducive environment for healing in an urban setting. Incorporating

the best practices in healthcare, the hospitals will have separate corridors for patients, staff and visitors to ensure safety, privacy and infection control.

For integrating energy-efficient and environmental-friendly features in its building design, the Sengkang General and Community Hospitals have won the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Award 2014, the highest accolade for green building certification in Singapore, even before the hospitals are built.

Believing that holistic care goes beyond the medical to encompass patients’ social, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, Sengkang Health hopes to strengthen its understanding of community-related problems contributing to poor health.

More than 100 community partners participated in the World Café-style dialogue held in conjunction with the ceremony today. The aim is to create greater awareness and collaboration for preventive care to keep the population healthier.

“Besides marking an important milestone of our hospital build-up, we hope that today’s deliberative dialogue will kick-start meaningful conversations with healthcare partners, agencies and community groups. By deepening mutual understanding of each other’s goals and motivations, we hope to build a strong foundation for creating a community network to provide holistic, informed and reassuring care to all residents,” said Professor Christopher Cheng, Pro-Tem Chief Executive Officer, Sengkang Health.