Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital is a community hospital established in June 1993 to serve the rehabilitative needs of the community, particularly the elderly.1 Providing mainly rehabilitation and geriatric care, the hospital is home to Singapore’s first acupuncture clinic situated within a hospital.2 It is also one of a few step-down care hospitals in Singapore.3 The hospital aims to nurture patients to become self-reliant and assists them in regaining as much of their independence as possible by developing a tailored rehabilitation plan for each patient.4
History
The government established the Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital (AMKCH) as part of its efforts to lower healthcare costs, especially for the elderly, by setting up community hospitals. The hospital, which began operations in June 1993, provided rehabilitation services, medical care, respite care and a day hospital for the elderly. It was situated in a residential housing estate surrounded by Housing and Development Board flats and condominiums so that medical facilities were within easy reach of the general population. Built at a cost of S$40 million, the hospital was home to 10 outpatient clinics, which were rented out to physicians and specialists.5
On 1 April 2002, the management of AMKCH was transferred from SingHealth to the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society and the Chee Hoon Kog Moral Promotion Society. The move was in line with the government’s push for voluntary welfare organisations to run step-down care institutions in Singapore.6
In 2003, AMKCH became the first private hospital to put up isolation wards for patients recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This halfway house for post-SARS patients helped to ease the load on government hospitals.7
The hospital was renamed Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital (AMK-THKH) on 23 March 2006.8
Facilities and services
The hospital’s main services include inpatient rehabilitation for recuperating patients,9 a day rehabilitation centre to help patients with debilitating conditions caused by disease or injury regain independence in their daily activities,10 and home care (home medical, home nursing and home therapy) for patients who have difficulty travelling out of their homes.11
Beyond rehabilitative care, the AMK-THKH also helps patients re-integrate back into society as smoothly as possible after discharge. The hospital provides counselling and support services for the patients and their families, and assists the families in preparing a care plan after the patient is discharged.12 The hospital’s therapy services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy for inpatients.13
The hospital also provides traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment for inpatients and outpatients. It runs the TCM Medical Centre in partnership with the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society. It is one of the few hospitals in Singapore to offer TCM in addition to rehabilitative care services.14
Located within AMK-THKH is the Healing Hub, which acts as a one-stop solution for customers needing pharmaceutical products and rehabilitation aids. It also offers product information and advice to patients and their caregivers on various medical conditions.15
Authors
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja & Leong Hui Chuan
References
1. Brendan Pereira, “New Hospital Offers New Class of Wards,” Straits Times, 14 April 1993, 24. (From NewspaperSG)
2. “Hospital Care for Patients at Home,” Straits Times, 27 March 1997, 35; Lea Wee, “They’re Puncturing the Myth,” Straits Times, 16 August 1999, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
3. “VWOs to Run Ang Mo Kio Hospital,” Straits Times, 11 December 2001, 6; “Further Care for Discharged Patients,” Straits Times, 2 April 2002, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
4. “About Us,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, 2011.
5. Pereira, “New Hospital Offers New Class of Wards”; “Govt to Operate New Hospital at Ang Mo Kio,” Straits Times, 13 April 1993, 20. (From NewspaperSG)
6. “VWOs to Run Ang Mo Kio Hospital,” Straits Times, 11 December 2001, 6 (From Newspaper SG); “Further Care for Discharged Patients.”
7. “‘Halfway House’ Care at Ang Mo Kio Hospital,” Straits Times, 2 May 2003, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
8. “Ang Mo Kio Hospital Gets New Name,” Today, 24 March 2006, 14. (From NewspaperSG)
9. “Our Services: In-Patient Care,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016.
10. “Our Services: Day Rehabilitation Centre,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016.
11. “Our Services: Home Care,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016; “Further Care for Discharged Patients.”
12. Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, “In-Patient Care.”
13. “Our Services: Therapy Services,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016
14. “Our Services: Traditional Chinese Medicine,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016
15. “Retail Services,” Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, accessed 5 July 2016.
The information in this article is valid as of 25 August 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
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