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 IT HAD set itself a tall opening order – to clear at least 60 per cent of its walk-in acute care and emergency (A&E) cases within the hour.
And on its first day, the A&E Centre of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) achieved a fair measure of success, with The Straits Times’ check of 10 patients showing all left the hospital in an hour.
They were diagnosed, treated and given their medication – all within 60 minutes.
Others, who did not require further tests, such as X-rays, said they were able to zip out of the hospital in less than 15 minutes.
In time to come, the hospital says, it will raise the bar, targeting 90 per cent of patients to receive prompt medical attention.
Dr Francis Lee, the head and senior consultant at the A&E Centre, said this target was set for a category of patients who have acute symptoms that are mild to moderate, such as those who have cuts with bleeding, mild to moderate injury and high fever; non life-threatening cases which do not require hospitalisation; such patients form at least half of the caseload at the emergency department.
Most of the patients interviewed also expressed satisfaction with the good service from the hospital staff. But when they were told of KTPH’s eventual target of 90 per cent, some wondered if it was a bit too high.
Mr Abdul Rahim, a 52-year-old retiree who accompanied his daughter to the A&E Centre yesterday for a torn ligament, said: “An hour is too ambitious, probably two hours is more feasible.”
He pointed to how the crowd at KTPH is still very small as the public is generally unaware of the hospital’s opening, making it easy for staff to attend to patients promptly.
An Alexandra Health spokesman said Alexandra Hospital was able to achieve the 60 per cent target within an hour with this same category of patients last year.
When The Straits Times visited the A&E Centre close to noon yesterday, there were about 15 people who were seated inside, with half the seats left vacant.
The real test for the A&E Centre may come in the middle of next month when it receives critically ill cases conveyed by Singapore Civil Defence Force ambulances.
Dr Lee said that as patient load increases, the hospital will review its staffing needs and workflow processes in order to meet the target of prompt attention for patients.
He added: “We may cut short certain processes, such as analysing the blood test in the A&E Centre, instead of sending it to the laboratory and making the patient wait.”
Besides the A&E Centre, KTPH also welcomed its first batch of patients to its wards yesterday. For now, only 237 out of a total of 550 beds in the hospital are available for patients, with the rest slated for use by the end of next month.
Nevertheless, the staggered opening of its wards will help to ease the bed crunch at other hospitals; Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Changi General Hospital reported high bed-occupancy rates of 90 per cent as of two weeks ago.
The surge in patient numbers earlier this year even resulted in patients being placed on beds along corridors at TTSH, while waiting for vacant rooms.
As of 4pm yesterday, 12 patients had been warded in KTPH’s subsidised wards, which comprise five- and 10-bed wards in the naturally-ventilated tower.
Two patients occupied the private one- and four-bed wards in the air-conditioned tower. These in-patients came through the A&E Centre.
In March , KTPH opened its specialist outpatient clinics, laboratories, pharmacy and day surgery suites.
Others who were warded for day surgery were referred from Alexandra Hospital and KTPH’s specialist outpatient clinics.
Madam Aminee Madevan, a retired teacher, was one such patient who opted to have her angioplasty procedure done at KTPH instead of Alexandra Hospital, as it was nearer to her home in Woodlands.
The 59-year-old was also the first patient to be warded at KTPH – at 8am yesterday.
The chirpy woman told The Straits Times that the floor-to-ceiling windows in her ward gave her a good view of the Yishun neighbourhood, though she would have liked to have tall trees for greater privacy from the HDB flats.
The mother of two said: “They’ve just planted the trees, but I’m sure these will grow in time to come.”
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