New $820m cancer centre to cater to growing pool of patients

Capacity is twice that of previous building, with enhanced facilities for care, research

- Joyce Teo

A new $820 million National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) building located within the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) campus with twice the capacity of the centre's previous premises officially opened on Thursday, at a ceremony officiated by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The state-of-the-art facility will provide more comprehensive and holistic care for the growing pool of cancer patients here. It has enhanced facilities for cancer care, rehabilitation, research and education.

One in four Singaporeans is likely to get some form of cancer over his lifetime, and close to 40 per cent diagnosed with cancer currently are aged 70 and above, said Mr Wong.

The good news is that efforts made to improve cancer care over the years have borne fruit. Mr Wong said cancer care across the entire healthcare system has improved significantly since the early 1990s.

"Cancer survival rates, measured five years after the first diagnosis, have increased by close to 75 per cent. So getting cancer today is no longer the death sentence it once was, especially if the cancer is detected early," he noted.

NCCS' new 24-storey home is at 30 Hospital Boulevard, a stone's throw from the previous building, and is directly connected to Outram Park MRT station via a link bridge.

The old six-storey building, which NCCS occupied for more than 20 years, had 36 consultation rooms and 55 chemotherapy recliner chairs and beds in windowless spaces. The new building has 64 consultation rooms and 108 chemotherapy recliner chairs and beds in sunlit spaces.