David Brill
The National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS), is set to provide a one-stop treatment shop for cardiac patients, the center’s director said recently.
The ongoing redevelopment project will bridge the gap between cardiologists and other specialists within the National University Healthcare System, enabling multiple comorbidities to be treated in just one hospital visit, Associate Professor Tan Huay Cheem told a press conference.
The NUHCS is presently undergoing a sizeable expansion which will also strengthen ties between scientists and clinicians through the creation of a new translational research-focused Cardiovascular Research Institute.
An additional 25,000 outpatient procedures will be performed annually at the NUHCS by 2015 – a projected 45 percent increase on the current capacity of 55,000. The center is due to move into dedicated new facilities by the end of next year, with overall floor space rising around 50 percent and the size of the outpatient clinics increasing threefold by 2011.
Once completed, the NUHCS will focus on four key areas of cardiovascular care: acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, congenital heart disease and vascular medicine.
“Cardiac patients nowadays don’t just have cardiac conditions – they will frequently have other illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, or even mental conditions such as depression or anxiety,” said Tan.
“The current arrangement most of the time is that patients will have to come back repeatedly for follow up. What we want to do here is create a one-stop sort of experience where patients could see as many specialists as they need in a single visit.”
Pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, respiratory medicine and anesthesia are among the other designated departments which are expected to work more closely with the redeveloped cardiology center. A new division of cardiovascular nursing is also being created as part of the initiative.
Among the planned research projects is the development of a Singapore-specific cardiovascular risk prediction model, said Tan, noting that this will enable doctors to better direct their resources and thereby improve patient outcomes. A state-of-the-art chronic disease management program will also be created as part of the heart failure initiative.
“The vision that we have for the new heart centre is to shape medicine for the future. The mission is to advance health by integrating excellent clinical care with research and education, and the values of our new heart centre will be teamwork, respect, integrity, compassion and excellence,” added Tan.
The expansion is expected to increase the number of doctors at NUHCS by 20 percent and the nurse workforce by 10 percent. The centre will remain on the Kent Ridge campus, housed in a new building on the site of the current dental school.
Cardiovascular disease is currently the second most common cause of death in Singapore and the burden continues to increase. The number of cardiac outpatient visits each year currently stands at around 200,000 nationwide but is projected to rise to 320,000 by 2015.
The NUHCS alone discharged 7,200 inpatients in 2008 but expects this number to reach 10,000 within 7 years. The number of heart attacks treated at the centre almost doubled between 2000 and 2006.
A new dedicated cancer institute is also due to be opened soon by the National University Healthcare System, which comprises the National University Hospital and the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
The NUHCS has been operating since August 2007 within the existing cardiology facilities at the National University Hospital. It is Singapore’s second national cardiac facility, alongside the National Heart Centre at the Outram Park campus.
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