She suffered a stroke while pregnant at seven months

​The article featured Ms Joy Chia, a former patient who suffered a stroke in August while seven months pregnant. She was rushed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and subsequently transferred to National University Hospital, where the surgeons performed surgery on her skull and an emergency C-section 11 days later. The C-section went smoothly and Ms Chia was put on life support for about a week. She was subsequently transferred to Alexandra Hospital for rehabilitation and was thankful to the doctors, nurses and physiotherapists who aided her in her recovery.

Mental Health services to be expanded, idea for permanent agency

​The National Addictions Management Service, currently based in the Institute of Mental Health, will be extended to other hospitals. These include National University Hospital and Changi General Hospital.

MOH to pilot virtual wards for more medical conditions

​The COVID-19 virtual wards at National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital have helped more than 700 patients and saved more than 5,000 hospital bed days. A similar initiative under the MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation called MIC@Home will be launched in the first half of this year for patients with other medical conditions and for those who require post-operative care. Three pilots will be rolled out, at National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital (NUHS@Home), Singapore General Hospital (SGH@Home) and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (YH Medical Home).

• The New Paper, 10 March 2022, Virtual wards for non-Covid-19 patients to be trialled over 2 years

医疗社工 当病患的引路灯 (Medical Social Workers – a guiding light for patients)

​In conjunction with World Social Work Day on 15 March, zbLOHAS featured Medical Social Workers (MSWs) from NUH, NTFGH and AH in a cover story.
NUH’s Ms Adalia Tan, NTFGH’s Mr Samuel Tan and AH’s Ms Lim Yu Bing shared what their job entails, and how they assist patients and their families cope with emotional, psycho-social, financial and care problems arising from ill health and traumatic injuries. The article mentioned that MSWs work with hospital multidisciplinary teams and community partners to formulate patient care plans.

The MSWs also debunked common misconceptions about the profession, including how they are often regarded as volunteers and that they only focus on low-income families.

Registration details of JCH’s virtual caregiver talk titled “Healthcare Financing and Caregiver Resources” happening on 26 March 2022 are listed.

About 200 assisted living HDB flats for elderly to be launched in Queenstown this year

​Amid efforts to provide more housing options for seniors to age independently, Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Ministry of National Development said in a release that the second pilot of the Community Care Apartments will be launched in Queenstown's upcoming Health District. The district is where HDB, National University of Singapore, healthcare partners including National University Health System and grassroots organisations will collaborate to create a built environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle and active and healthy ageing. Alexandra Hospital is also located in Queenstown, allowing medical and healthcare services to be "seamlessly incorporated into the care model for residents", according to the authorities.

• 8world News, 8 March 2022, 女皇镇保健区将提供社区关爱组屋 (Queenstown Health District to provide community care HDB flats)
• The Straits Times, 9 March 2022, Page B5, 2nd batch of assisted-living HDB flats to be launched – in Queenstown
• Lianhe Zaobao, 8 March 2022,【国会】女皇镇将推出第二个社区关爱组屋项目 ([Parliament] Queenstown to launch second community care HDB project)
• Berita Harian, 9 March 2022, Page 6, HDB akan lancar apartmen jagaan masyarakat di Queesntown (HDB to launch assisted living apartments in Queenstown)

NUH, St Luke's Hospital and Alexandra Hospital to implement next-gen EMR

​Healthcare IT News reported that National University Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital are set to move to a new electronic medical records system called the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) on 26 February. An integrated system that will harmonise processes across St. Luke’s Hospital, National University Health System and National Healthcare Group, NGEMR will enable more efficient care management and delivery, help to bring down costs and the need for repeat tests when patients switch providers. It was first set up at the JurongHealth Campus in April 2020, followed by a second round of implementations at National University Polyclinics between September and November 2020.

Healthcare workers describe struggles as patients flood emergency rooms amid Omicron wave

Channel NewsAsia Digital quoted A/Prof Thomas Loh, Group Chairman Medical Board, National University Health System, who urged that only people with serious or life-threatening emergencies, such as chest pain, breathlessness and uncontrollable bleeding, should visit the hospital's emergency department as this allows those in need of emergency care to be attended to quickly and helps to preserve the hospital's capacity for those who truly need acute hospital care.

The report mentioned that National University Hospital's children's emergency department and the National University Health System hospitals, namely National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital have redeployed staff and increased manpower to support their emergency departments. The hospitals are also referring stable patients to home recovery or community sites like COVID-19 treatment facilities where appropriate. National University Health System has also set aside existing beds that can potentially be converted to isolation beds for COVID-19 cases, as well as more holding facilities for suspected cases waiting for their results.

A/Prof Loh added that there are also dedicated facilities and manpower to support the care of COVID-19 patients. The hospitals are also offering alternative arrangements where clinically appropriate, including teleconsultation, tele-rehabilitation, tele-monitoring, remote prescribing, and delivery of medication.

The article also quoted Prof Lee Yung Seng, Head, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, who shared that at National University Hospital's children emergency department, the team is also taking on extra shifts to augment shortfalls where needed.

多家医院办新春活动 让病患感受春节气息 (Various hospitals organized

​This Chinese New Year, various hospitals including Jurong Community Hospital and Alexandra Hospital have organised activities to bring festive cheer for patients who are unable to celebrate with their loved ones.

At Alexandra Hospital, more than 200 patients in all wards were personally handed Chinese New Year greeting cards by hospital staff. The cards, which were specially designed by the hospital, were also individually customised for patients with their surnames. Mr Alan Ho, Manager, Alexandra Hospital Patient Experience Matters, said he hopes that this gesture could bring some warmth and joy to the patients who were not able to receive visitors during this festive period.

Jurong Community Hospital community partnerships team and nursing co-organised Chinese New Year activities for its inpatients such as a virtual tour around Chinatown as well as nurses distributing mandarin oranges to inpatients. 

• Shin Min Daily News, 4 February 2022

丑去来寅来人益健 牛奔虎跃春愈新 (Usher in the Year of the Tiger with good health)

Dr Alexander Yip, Gastroenterology Consultant at Alexandra Hospital, provided advice on what types of food are good for a healthy gut to usher in the lunar new year.

Ms Lynette Goh, Principal Dietitian at National University Polyclinics, also shared advice on how to safely handle and store leftover food from the new year feasting.

S'pore hospitals on standby to activate staff volunteers, workers if COVID-19 cases surge

​Group Chief Human Resource Officer Priscilla Teo was quoted in the report as saying that the healthcare cluster has been participating in many career fairs or talks to support its recruitment needs. "We share and publicise our job or sponsorship opportunities regularly with students and alumni of the various schools and tertiary institutions. For example, there will be open houses this month by Alexandra Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and National University Hospital to recruit multiple healthcare roles," she said. "We also continue to leverage on job advertisements, open house, career fairs/talks, Career Conversion and Return-to-Nursing programmes."

National Univeristy Health System is also banking on staff referrals, collaborating with targeted associations and recruitment agencies to attract career switchers, and offering more scholarships, sponsorships and industrial attachment opportunities. The report also added that National University Health System is prepared to convert existing hospital wards for COVID-19 patients if needed, and has staff volunteers on standby to support its front-line staff should there be another surge in cases, a spokesman said. 

Covid-19 ‘virtual wards’ allow more patients to recover at home

Dr Stephanie Ko, Consultant, Division of Advanced Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital (NUH), said that the National University Health System (NUHS) COVID-19 Virtual Ward has helped more than 500 patients so far, saving 3,500 bed days since September 2021. The Virtual Ward has enrolled several Omicron cases and it is prepared to help with bed capacity if the COVID-19 surge hits. Dr Ko explained that treatment is similar to a COVID-19 treatment facility or hospital – with doctors and nurses doing ward rounds daily or every other day through teleconsultation and to ensure that patients measure their vital signs routinely.

Around half of the NUHS COVID-19 Virtual Ward patients were referred from one of NUHS cluster's three hospitals – NUH, Alexandra Hospital or Ng Teng Fong General Hospital –  after a period of hospital stay. The other half were referred directly from community providers such as National University Polyclinics or the Case Management Task Group at Ministry of Health, for patients who were at home and wished to continue recovery at home rather than go to a facility.

• The New Paper, 4 January 2022, Covid patients not eligible for home recovery can now do so with 'virtual wards'

• Berita Harian, 6 January 2022, ‘Wad maya’ bolehkan pesakit Covid-19 pulih di rumah di bawah pemantaunan (‘Virtual ward’ allows Covid-19 patients to recover at home under monitoring)

• GoodyFeed, 6 January 2022, Thereare now ‘Virtual Hospital Wards’ for some COVID-19 patients

本地多家公共急症医院 过去两年调高看诊和住院费 (Several public acute hospitals raised their consultation and hospitalisation charges in the past two years)

Lianhe Zaobao compared the various charges published on the websites of eight public acute hospitals and found that from the end of December 2019 to date, National University Hospital (NUH), Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Changi General Hospital (CGH) increased their ED charges by $6 to $7 – an increase of 4.8% to 5.8%. Three hospitals [NTFGH, KTPH and Alexandra Hospital (AH)] also adjusted the charges for B2 and C subsidised ward charges in the past two years – an increase of 2.4% to 5.7%.

A National University Health System spokesperson said that they adjusted the fees on 28 April 2021 at four institutions (NUH, NTFGH, AH and Jurong Medical Centre). The spokesperson added that keeping costs under control is their key priority and they have taken steps to streamline processes and maintain costs and expenditure while maintaining quality care. No patient will be denied medical care due to the inability to pay. Eligible patients will continue to be heavily subsidised by the government.

• The Straits Times, 17 December 2021, Singapore public hospitals raised A&E fees this year

• Berita Harian, 17 December 2021, Kebanyakan hospital awam naikkan bayaran bagi khidmat kecemasan (Singapore public hospitals raised A&E fees this year)

Will Covid-19 drugs be less effective against Omicron variant?

​Dr Louisa Sun, an infectious diseases consultant with Alexandra Hospital, told Straits Times that the main concern where drugs are concerned is monoclonal antibodies, as most other COVID-19 treatments do not target the virus. Monoclonal antibodies are given to patients early in the course of illness. "These are injectable drugs and are costly as their production process is complex," said Dr Sun. Patients need to be carefully screened for their suitability to receive monoclonal antibodies, because "if given too late or to unsuitable patients, they have no benefit", she said, and may cause harm instead.

 A/Prof Hsu Li Yang, Vice-Dean of Global Health and Programme Leader of Infectious Diseases, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that drugs that target the immune system, such as tocilizumab or dexamethasone, do not target the virus at all and therefore are unaffected by viral mutation.

Pandemic preparedness can no longer be defined by static benchmarks, say experts

Straits Times reported that the final episode of the webinar series, "COVID-19: Updates From Singapore" on 25 November, was jointly organised by NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS Medicine International Council, National University Health System and World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. The webinar series was co-hosted by A/Prof David Allen and Prof Dale Fisher from NUS Medicine, and Dr Louisa Sun, Associate Consultant. 

Responding to a query at the webinar, A/Prof Sophia Archuleta, Head and Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, National University Hospital, said the healthcare team's health takes priority, when the healthcare system was under pressure, given the competing demands of manpower, training and balancing patient care in both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 areas. 

S'pore hospitals bringing in volunteers to stop nurses burning out

​Mothership carried the National University Health System (NUHS) statement in The Straits Times on how its hospitals are finding ways to lighten nurses’ load, such as by training volunteers and administrative staff to take over some basic duties. More than 80 administrative staff at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) have been trained to help ease the load in the general wards. Alexandra Hospital has trained a group of its regular hospital volunteers to screen and swab visitors and caregivers. Staff are also advised to plan their leave early with their departments so that everyone gets a turn. While NUHS has provided the option to carry over or encash unutilised leave, staff are encouraged to take leave to rest and recharge.