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Singapore General Hospital (SGH)

Singapore General Hospital, established in 1821, is the first general hospital and the oldest medical institution of the nation. It is also the country's largest acute care tertiary hospital and national referral centre. From its humble beginnings of a wooden shed built in the Cantonment for troops situated close to the Singapore River, it is today one of the nation's premier institutions with many firsts to its credit.

Early history
In 1819, a shed was set up in the cantonment near Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road to provide medical attention to European soldiers, sepoys and natives. This cantonment was at the foot of the hill on the Stamford Road side and had a parade ground between what is currently Prinsep Street, Albert Street, Queen Street and Bras Basah Road. The shed served as a general hospital staffed by army surgeons. In 1821, the first proper buildings were built to replace the shed. As was common at that time, European soldiers and the natives were segregated and treated in separate wards. Since medical facilities were scarcely available then, the hospital became very popular. The following year in 1822, the hospital moved to a site near the barracks. But a new hospital had to be constructed in 1828 as the existing building was in a state of decay. This new hospital was named the Singapore Infirmary. By 1830, just two years after its construction, the building again was in decay due to shoddy workmanship. Manpower in the hospital was scarce with convicts used to assist staff. The hospital was administered by just one assistant surgeon, one assistant apothecary and a few medical subordinates.

In 1831, Dr. Thomas Oxley took over as the new assistant surgeon and proposed a new hospital building. Opposition from various quarters notwithstanding, the Chamber of Commerce released $2,700 for the new hospital. However, approval to begin construction came only in 1843. The new hospital building was erected on Pearl's Hill in 1845. Called the Seamen's Hospital, it treated patients with common illnesses; fevers, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal complaints, rheumatism and veneral diseases. In 1855, Pearl's Hill had to be fortified and the hospital was to be moved again. A site was chosen at the Kandang Kerbau district which became the hospital's new site in 1860. The hospital was divided into two different sections, the Seamen's Hospital and the Police Hospital. In 1865, the hospital started treating women for gynaecological problems and childbirth for the first time. In 1924, a free maternity clinic from Victoria Street moved into this hospital, a precursor to the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital. Though the hospital was well constructed, the location was not well-chosen. The hospital occupied a low lying plot that made it susceptible to the outbreak of cholera in 1873. The outbreak precipitated the shift to a larger hospital on a breezy high ground at the Sepoy Lines along Outram Road. Construction of the new hospital building was completed in 1882.

Development in the 20th Century
Pre-War and WWII
Overcrowding at the turn of the century led to the construction of a new bigger hospital at the same site. Named the Singapore General Hospital, it was opened by Sir Lawrence Nunns, Governor of the Straits Settlements, on 29 March 1926. Spread over 52 ha, the new hospital was equipped with 800 beds, male, female and children wards, operating theatres, an outpatient block, a pathology laboratory and living quarters for nurses. Patients were admitted to the hospital irrespective of economic status. The first specialist appointment was that of Dr. G. A. Finlayson, a pathologist who served from 1907 to 1912. During the Japanese occupation, the hospital was used as the main surgical hospital for Japanese forces in Southeast Asia. After the war, three main blocks, previously known as Upper, Middle and Lower Blocks, were renamed Bowyer, Stanley and Norris blocks. These were officers associated with the hospital who lost their lives during the war.

Post-War
With the advancement of medical science, new facilities were added to the hospital. In 1969, the hospital began charging S$1 for a single day accommodation for patients in Class C wards. All other services, however, remained free. In the 1960s, the hospital introduced post-graduate teaching programmes. Today, SGH is the nation's main postgraduate teaching hospital.

In the 1970s, the hospital planned for a new state-of-art building, to be situated within the same grounds. Officially opened by the them Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 12 September 1981, it was built at the cost of S$180 million. Another S$90 million was spent on equipping the hospital with the latest medical equipment. In 1993, the hospital was upgraded at the cost of S$10 million.

SGH is administered under the management of the Singapore Health Services (SingHealth). A clock tower, the only evidence of the hospital from 1926, can still be spotted. An impressive building is the King Edward VII College of Medicine that has a neo-classical facade with floral designs and Doric columns.

Timeline
1819 : The first General Hospital was established in a shed in the cantonment near Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road.
1821 : The hospital's first buildings were built to replace the shed.
1822 : The hospital is moved nearer to the barracks.
1828 : A new building is constructed and the hospital is now called "Singapore Infirmary".
1845 : A new hospital is constructed on Pearl's Hill and is called the "Seaman's Hospital".
1860 : The hospital moves to Kandang Kerbau.
1882 : The hospital moves to Sepoy Lines along Outram Road.
29 Mar 1926 : A new building replaces the existing building. The hospital, now called the Singapore General Hospital, is officially opened by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Lawrence Nunns Guillemard.
1969 : The first renal transplant of Singapore is performed.
12 Sep 1981 : A new hospital building, an eight-block complex, is constructed.
1983 : SGH becomes the first public hospital of Singapore to acquire a CT (Computerised Tomography) scanner.
1988 : SGH becomes the first hospital in Southeast Asia to provide surgery for cardiac arrythymia.
1 Apr 1989 : The hospital is restructured and becomes an autonomous institution.
1990 : The first heart transplant surgery of Singapore is performed. It becomes the first hospital in Asia to successfully achieve a pregnancy through surgical sperm transfer. Another Asia's first surgery to remove the gall bladder through endoscopy, called percutaneous endoscopic cholecystectomy, is performed.
1993 : SGH becomes Asia's first hospital to remove brain tumours and arteriovenous malformations using virtual reality surgery.
28 Apr 1995 : SGH Postgraduate Medical Institute (SGH- PGMI) is officially opened. The institute was established in 1994.
Dec 1995 : SGH earns world-wide recognition for being the first hospital in the world to perform a peripheral blood stem cell transplant in a Thalassaemia patient from an unrelated matched donor.
25 Jul 2003 : SGH acquires the first cyclotron in Singapore to support advanced diagnostic imaging.

Address
Singapore General Hospital
Outram Road
Singapore 169608



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1996). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets & places (pp. 340-341). Singapore, Kuala Lumpur: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)

Singapore General Hospital. (1976). Singapore General Hospital: 50th anniversary publication 1926-1976 (pp. 9, 12-19, 22-23, 48-72, 115-118). Singapore : Author.
(Call no.: RSING 362.11095957 SIN)

Singapore General Hospital. (1996). The first general hospital: 175th anniversary, 1821-1996 (pp. 7-18, 23-39, 68-70, 84-90). Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 362.11095957 FIR)

Tan, K. H., & Tay, E. H. (Eds.). (2003). The history of obstetrics and gynaecology in Singapore (pp. 37-38). Singapore: Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore & National Heritage Board.
(Call no.: RSING 618.095957 HIS)

Hee, J. (2000, November 12). Getting to roots of first public dental clinic. The Straits Times, p. 39.

Lim, Allison. (1995, April 30). SGH opens its wards to technological revolution. The Straits Times, p. 2.

Perry, M. (2001, March 22). SGH recreates the past for its 180th birthday. The Straits Times, p. 10.

SGH aims to become top teaching hospital. (1995, April 28). The Straits Times, p. 32.

Sit, Y. F. (1995, December 22). SGH first in blood cell transplant. The Straits Times, Life!, p. 7.

Singapore General Hospital. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved September 29, 2003, from www.sgh.com.sg/AboutUs/

Further Readings
Luscombe, F M. (1930). Singapore 1819-1930 (p. 38). Singapore: C. A. Ribeiro.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.51 LUS)

Singapore General Hospital. (2001). SGH 21: Vision and voices of the new millennium. Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 362.11095957 SIN)

Fernandez, W. (1993, October 7). $10m upgrading at SGH for quicker treatment and shorter hospital stays. The Straits Times, p. 3.

SGH aims to become top teaching hospital. (1995, April 28). The Straits Times, p. 32.

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>public Buildings
Politics and Government>>Health
Singapore General Hospital--Singapore
Health and medicine>>Health services

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