MM Lee Kuan Yew at the Official Opening of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health
Ms Mavis Khoo, Trustee, Estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck & members of the Khoo family
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital or KTPH is the latest public hospital in Singapore. It is an advance in the government's efforts to deliver affordable, accessible and good quality care to Singaporeans.

KTPH was built by the government at a cost of $700 million. It also received a generous donation of $125 million from the Estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat. Equipped with 550 beds, the hospital offers a comprehensive range of medical and healthcare services and is designed to provide a hassle-free experience for visitors and patients, including the elderly. I visited the hospital a few weeks ago, and was impressed by the “hospital-in-a-garden” concept, with Yishun Pond next door and plenty of natural greenery, fruits and vegetables within the hospital compound itself.

It is a well-designed hospital in Singapore. It does not have the antiseptic look of a hospital and looks more like an airy and open resort hotel. I congratulate the architects and the hospital’s planning committee on the design of the hospital.

Healthcare and Development

Healthcare in Singapore has progressed considerably over the years. When we achieved self-government in 1959 and then independence in 1965, we had the healthcare legacy of the British and our immigrant forefathers, that included philanthropists like Tan Tock Seng, Gan Eng Seng and Navroji Mistri. We improved upon the system which we inherited. In those early days, our focus was on getting the basics right – clean drinking water, proper sanitation, vaccination programmes to keep infectious diseases under control, and strengthening our subsidised primary and acute care services. This emphasis on the fundamentals nurtured a sturdy citizenry contributing to nation building and economic growth.

Over the years, the government introduced many sound policies to ensure that quality care remained accessible to Singaporeans, while we kept costs under control. Prices were gradually adjusted to better reflect true costs of healthcare provision. Generous government subsidies ensured that healthcare services remain affordable to Singaporeans. This is done through tiered subsidies for different ward classes. We also set up Medisave, MediShield and Medifund or the “3Ms” to help Singaporeans pay their hospital bills. An important policy was to require co-payment to discourage over-consumption and over-treatment, which has become a problem in many advanced countries. This made for our economic competitiveness. It kept companies’ healthcare costs down. Workers benefited too, as companies could pay them higher wages.

Future of Healthcare

Today, Singapore provides some of the best medical care in Asia. But our population is ageing and more Singaporeans are coming down with chronic diseases, a trend common to first world countries. These and other challenges will put pressure on our healthcare system.

The government will continue to invest in improving the health of Singaporeans. We have built this hospital in the north to meet the healthcare needs of the growing population in this part of Singapore. We are also building a community hospital next to KTPH. Its operations will be integrated with those of KTPH, so that patients can be transferred between the two hospitals depending on the level of care they need. This will lead to more cost savings for patients and a better allocation of our healthcare resources.

The government can build new hospitals, and we can train more doctors and nurses. But those efforts alone will not be enough. In this century, we will need to actively apply new technologies and knowledge to push healthcare forward. Improvements in healthcare come about not just because there are new drugs, new devices or new procedures. They require healthcare institutions and professionals to continually innovate and enhance their delivery of health services. This means collecting data, reviewing work processes, and applying research and new technologies to reduce costs and improve performance.

Health policies cannot remain static – we need to study the best of international health systems, learn from their experiences, and adapt best practices to suit our local context.

Healthcare and the Community

Healthcare institutions must also engage the community to create healthy living environments. Our hospitals should link up with grassroots organisations, VWOs, neighbouring GPs and other community care providers. Alexandra Health and KTPH are making progress in this area. They have been actively reaching out to various groups to build a strong network with the community.

Individual Singaporeans, especially successful members of our society, should play a part in supporting philanthropy. The Khoo family is a good example. Besides the $125 million donation to KTPH, I am pleased to announce that the family has also made a further donation of $50 million to support the advancement of paediatric education, research and patient care at National University of Singapore and National University Health System, and to set up the Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute. On behalf of the government, I would like to express my appreciation to the Estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat for their generous donations. These gifts will benefit Singaporeans from all walks of life for many years.

Conclusion

In closing, let me congratulate the board, management and staff of Alexandra Health on the official opening of the hospital. I wish you every success.