NUH to add 300 beds, replace older ones by 2038

Move will take total bed count to 1,500; clinical facilities will also be enhanced

- Lee Li Ying

The National University Hospital (NUH) is expected to replace half of its 1,200 beds and add another 100 new ones by 2033 as part of ongoing efforts to redevelop the hospital campus.

By 2038, the remaining older beds will also be replaced and another 200 beds will be added, taking the hospital's total to 1,500.

The emergency departments, operating theatres and specialist outpatient clinics will also be enhanced.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung gave this update on Feb 22 in his speech at a dinner and dance commemorating the hospital's 40th anniversary.

"The redesigned campus will be much more user-friendly, with shorter travel distances between facilities, and services that are easier to locate. The campus will be greener, with more plants and trees, and less carbon emissions," Mr Ong said to an audience of 4,000 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

"This will be a major upgrade of the healthcare infrastructure in the western part of Singapore."

The redevelopment of the NUH campus aims to meet the western region's evolving healthcare needs.

It is expected to take about a decade to be completed.