Annual Report 2007 - Changi General Hospital

THE
PATIENT,
THE WHOLE
PATIENT AND
NOTHING BUT
THE PATIENT.
CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL ANNUAL REPORT 2007
Patients. At the Heart of All We Do.

CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL
CGH is committed to providing quality medical care that
meets the needs of the community in the east. We adopt
a holistic approach and work in partnership with other
healthcare institutions in delivering patient care. As a
progressive organisation, we will continue to pursue new
ways to serve changing needs and expectations.
Mr T K Udairam
CEO, Changi General Hospital
HIGHLIGHTS
APRIL 2007
Two heart programmes – Heart Failure Programme
and Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) programme
– received Certificates of Distinction from the Joint
Commission International (JCI). Changi General
Hospital (CGH) is the first hospital in the world to
have two JCI-certified programmes in cardiac care,
and the first in Singapore to receive JCI Disease-
Specific Care certification for its care programmes.
MAY/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007
Three new services in the Department of
Psychological Medicine were introduced – the
Psychotraumatology Service , Community
Psychogeriatric Programme (CPGP) and Mental
Health First Aid (MHFA) Singapore. The programmes
contribute towards b uilding Singapore into a
mentally resilient society, raising awareness
about mental health problems and providing
appropriate interventions.
DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008
Advancing healthcare delivery with the Mobile
Clinical Assistant (MCA) in A&E and an e-fi nancial
counselling system. Being highly portable, the
MCA enhances operational efficiency and patient
care at CGH’s A&E. The e-fi nancial counselling
system ensures greater accuracy in estimated bill
sizes, and paves the way for CGH to move towards
being a paperless hospital.
Before her treatment at Changi General Hospital
(CGH), Ms Na’emah Bte Zakariyah, 24, had
suffered from disrupted s leep, breathing
difficulties and frequent sic kness for about
eight years. Her performance at work was
also affected as she often took sick leave. Her
condition was only alleviated after receiving
treatment at CGH last year. She was brought
in to the Accident & Emergency ( A&E) with
breathing difficulties and subsequently diagnosed
with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. “I underwent
an operation by Dr Hsu Pon Poh and it has
completely changed my life!” Na’emah
enthused. “I can finally sleep through the night,
and have not taken a single day of sick leave
since. I feel healthier and have started on an
exercise programme.”
Ms Na’emah’s case is testament to CGH’s
commitment to improving patient care and
service which includes harnessing technology,
increasing capacity to meet the growing patient
load, introducing enhanced health screening
programmes, and providing quality service
in the delivery of emergency and long-term
patient care.
CGH is the first hospital in the world to pilot
the Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) in an
A&E environment. This wireless and highly
portable technology enables doctors and
nurses to better care for their patients and
more effectively manage the hectic workflow
in the fast-paced A&E. The hospital also
developed the e-financial counselling system,
which eliminates the need for staff to manually
calculate the estimated bill size. Patients can
compare and make a more informed choice
as the system is able to generate estimated
bill sizes for all four ward classes. In addition,
the system allows the documents to be stored
online and saves time.
In another first, the hospital became the first
in Asia to perform Retro-X surgery to implant
the new Retro-X semi-implantable hearing aid.

“My health was like a tune without rhythm.”
Mr Mohamed Noor received life-saving treatment from CGH’s team of Gastroenterologists. He was
pleasantly surprised with the high standards of service and medical treatment he received and
praised Dr Andrew Kwek for being “tactful”, “compassionate”, “detailed” and “attentive”.
, 42
Gastroenterology patient, CGH

CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL
This new procedure is minimally invasive and
the device is aesthetically more pleasing for the
patient as it is discreetly hidden behind the ear.
Yet even when treatment has to be invasive,
CGH staff take extra care to treat patients
with sensitivity and respect, as Mr Mohamed
Noor Bin Yusoff, a 42-year-old gastroenterology
patient experienced during his one-and-a-half
years of treatment at CGH. “I received excellent
care,” he said. “Dr Andrew Kwek was
compassionate and attentive to my needs.
Even the endoscopies Dr Ang Tiing Leong
performed on me many times were easy
and painless!”
CGH’s patient-centric approach extends beyond
caring for the patient. The hospital looks ahead
to address the future needs of patients. One
initiative is the setting up of a new geriatric ward,
Ward 59, at St Andrew’s Community Hospital to
provide integrated care for elderly patients.
Another initiative is the Community Psychogeriatric
Programme (CPGP) introduced by
the Department of Psychological Medicine to
alleviate mental health problems in the elderly.
This project, which is under the National
Mental Health Blueprint, is run by a CGH
multi-disciplinary team comprising geriatric
psychiatrists, geriatric and psychiatric nurses,
clinical psychologists, medical social workers,
occupational therapists, and physiotherapists.
The Psychological Medicine department has
also launched the Mental Health First Aid
(MHFA) Singapore programme which aims to
raise mental health awareness and literacy in
Singapore by equipping Singaporeans with
skills to provide aid to a person experiencing
a mental health crisis. This life-saving skill is
taught by organisations accredited by MHFA
Singapore, and CGH is the offi cial training
institution to conduct the MHFA programme.
In providing integrated patient care and
services, the hospital encourages teamwork
and collaborations between different medical
specialties. In April 2007, CGH added a onestop
service with the Rehabilitation Services
and Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
working together to ensure that patients who
require vestibular physiotherapy see their doctor
and physiotherapist at the same visit.
Just as important as it is to provide for future
needs, CGH, too, believes in a multi-pronged
approach to medical care and supports the
promotion of preventive healthcare. The hospital
has introduced several screening initiatives
including voluntary opt-out HIV testing for all
warded adult patients. CGH is the first hospital
in Singapore to offer routine screening to all
warded patients, which helps to ensure that
HIV-positive patients get diagnosed and receive
proper treatment early.
CGH’s Department of Psychological Medicine
also set up a Psychotraumatology Service to
detect if someone is suffering from psychological
disturbances after a traumatic event. This
service aims to provide early psychological
support and minimise the emotional and
psychological impact of trauma in those with
high risk of developing Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD).
In light of the recent incidents of sudden
cardiac death, a pre-participation screening
programme was introduced by the Changi
Sports Medicine Centre for active sportsmen
and sedentary persons embarking on a new
fitness regimen. The programme includes
medical screening tests that aim to detect
undiagnosed heart or other health problems.
CGH’s Heart Failure Programme and Acute
Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Programme
received the stamp of approval from the
prestigious JCI, making it the first hospital in
the world to have two JCI-certified programmes
in cardiac care. It is also the first hospital in
Singapore to receive JCI Disease-Specific
Care certification for its care programmes,
assuring patients on the AMI and Heart Failure
programmes that they are receiving world-class
standards of treatment.
Retiree, Mr Wong Loy, 67, has benefited from
this first-hand. He had felt breathless when
doing simple activities like walking and climbing
stairs and occasionally, he felt faint too. He
was admitted to CGH after an examination
revealed two to three blocked blood vessels
in his heart. Having undergone an immediate
heart stent procedure, Mr Wong continues to
visit his regular cardiologist, Dr Goh Ping Ping,
Chief of Cardiology Department, for consultations
to monitor his condition.

“Sleep used to be an absolute nightmare.”
Before her treatment, Ms Na’emah endured eight years of sleepless nights due to
breathing difficulties, and often fell sick as a result. Since her treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
and tonsils, she sleeps soundly every night and has never felt better.
Ms Na’emah Bte Zakariyah, 24
Otolaryngology patient, CGH

CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL
“I no longer feel breathless, thanks to the kind
care given to me by Dr Goh. She also gave me
great advice about diet and exercise and this
has improved my life significantly,” he said.
An active supporter in growing Singapore into
a medical hub of Asia, CGH has expanded
its services internationally. CGH International
Medical Services (IMS) Centre opened its doors
in August 2007 to provide one-stop medical
services for international patients.
The hospital’s international presence also
led to fruitful collaborations with overseas
hospitals. This included the first Combined
Scientific Meeting between CGH and Korea
University Anam Hospital (KUAH), held at the
CGH Training Centre in 2007. The meeting
gave a fresh perspective about obesity,
treatment for insomnia and the clinical
application of stem cells in orthopaedic surgery,
among others. Another cross-border educational
collaboration saw CGH otolaryngologists
bringing the latest Functional Endoscopic Sinus
Surgery (FESS) techniques to doctors at the
Ang Duong Hospital, Cambodia in March 2007.
Pharmaceutical research is yet another
international field in which CGH has left its
mark in the battle to combat mutating viruses.
Associate Professor Helen Oh, Senior
Consultant of Infectious Diseases at CGH, is
in charge of the successful Singapore trials of a
new vaccine by GlaxoSmithKline, which works
against four strains of bird fl u. The Singapore
trial is part of an Asian-wide exploration
involving more than 1,200 people in Thailand,
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Currently,
trials are ongoing to determine how long the
immunity lasts.

CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Service
Asian Hospital Management Award 2007
Human Resource Development Project
– Excellence (Runner-up)
Excellent Service Awards 2007
130 CGH staff – 9 Star, 47 Gold, 74 Silver
Healthcare Humanity Awards 2007
Soh Geok Per Annie, Raudhah Bte Haji
Mohd Mascur i
National Day Awards 2007 (Efficiency)
Clarybell Fernandez, Liew Meng Moi Philomena,
Ng Kim Choon Elaine
PS21 Distinguished Star Service Award 2007
Tan Kheng Hiang Carol
Public Service Medal 2007
Narendran Kanagasuntheram
Education
Singhealth-Lee Foundation Nursing Awards 2007
Wong Yoke Ping
Human Resource/Talent Development
Community Chest’s Share Platinum Award 2007
CGH
FINANCIALS FY07 FY06
Size
Bed Complement (as at end Mar) 790 757
Beds in Service 718 708
Workload per annum
Bed Occupancy Rate 85.1% 82.1%
Inpatient Admissions 43,413 39,127
Inpatient Discharges 43,336 39,126
Total Patient Days 223,539 212,166
Average Length of Stay (days) 5.2 5.4
Total Surgical Operations 40,306 35,814
Day Surgeries 22,856 19,582
Inpatient Surgeries 17,450 16,232
Specialist Outpatient 338,146 327,651
Clinic Attendances
Accident & Emergency 155,685 143,170
Attendances
Staffing (as at end March)
Total 2,502 2,318
Doctors 330 301
Nurses 1,048 960
Allied Health Professionals 337 289
Others 788 767
Singapore HR Awards 2007
1. Leading HR Practices in Health & Employee
Wellness
2. Leading HR Practices in Quality-Work Life
3. Leading HR Practices in e-Human Resource
Management
CGH
GCEO Excellence Awards 2007 (Allied Health)
Goh Soon Noi
GCEO Excellence Awards 2007 (Service)
Leong Yoke Yin
GCEO Excellence Awards 2007 (Teaching)
Dr Goh Siang Hiong
MOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2007
Tan Poh Choo, Raudhah Bte Haji Mohd Mascuri,
Beh Gaik Ping, Yvonne Lew Fei Lim,
Tan Poh Eng
President’s Awards for Nurses 2007
Ng Kim Choon Elaine
Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Awards 2007
Wong Foong Kou Florence, Tan Khim Gek

“Walking used to take my breath away.”
Mr Wong felt something amiss when he started feeling breathless while walking and climbing stairs.
A heart stent procedure and expert follow-up care soon set it right for him. He has since adopted a
healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and likes to unwind with a leisurely cup of Chinese tea.
Mr Wong Loy, 67
Cardiology patient, CGH