Singapore Medicines: National Cancer Centre launches first satellite clinic

By Chio Su-Mei, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The National Cancer Centre of Singapore will open its first satellite clinic outside of its Outram premises, at the 97-year-old Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. Riding on the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital's low healthcare costs and expertise in geriatric care, the National Cancer Centre will run a geriatric oncology clinic at the hospital from next week.


It will offer oral chemotherapy and step-down or rehabilitative treatment for recovering patients. The clinic will charge a subsidised rate of S$15 for each consultation. Other charges will also be similarly subsidised.

The hospital also plans to offer simple intravenous chemotherapy. It estimates at least 10 patients in its first week, and expects the number to increase in the near future, as the hospital is well-known among the elderly Chinese population.

Yim Sau Kit, CEO of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, said: "The reason why Kwong Wai Shiu can run it at a subsidised cost is (because) our overhead costs are lower than tertiary hospitals. Therefore, we can charge the patient a lot cheaper." "For example, the average in-patient cost is S$68 a day, and we have an arrangement with our suppliers and consultants to give us a discounted rate. We also tap a lot on the goodwill of volunteers who come here to offer their services and expertise free of charge."

This is not the first time the cancer centre is collaborating with the hospital. Together, they had set up a geriatric cancer ward in November last year and are on track to renew their partnership this year.

"A lot of the cancer patients will need not just financial help, but a lot of the other social aspects of healthcare, which they (Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital) can provide, (such as) community support, transportation and medical fees (subsidies)," said Professor Soo Khee Chee, director of the National Cancer Centre of Singapore.

The charity hospital also plans to offer cancer screening and public education on geriatric cancer. - CNA /ls