Lower likelihood of post—surgery complications at specialist centres

SINGAPORE: The likelihood of developing complications after surgery halves at specialist centres compared to public ones.

Citing studies in major specialist centres overseas, doctors at Fortis Colorectal Hospital said a key reason is that such facilities have a dedicated team to nurse patients back to health.

The S$70—million Fortis Colorectal Hospital is the first dedicated centre specialising in the treatment of colorectal diseases in Singapore and in Southeast Asia.

Located along Adam Road, it is Fortis Healthcare Limited’s 76th hospital in Asia.

The hospital provides services, including elective and emergency endoscopy, robotic surgery, and has a 24—hour Colorectal Care Clinic.

With only 31 beds, the hospital operates on an emerging model of care.

Since May this year, the hospital has seen patients transferred to a hotel to recuperate once they were deemed suitable for outpatient treatment.

Dr Jeremy Lim, CEO of the hospital, said: "Here in Singapore, we are very capacity constrained. Often times there aren’t enough hospital beds so the ability to tap upon hotel rooms, really allows us to expand our reach considerably.

"A patient could come to us, stay for one night, two nights and the other three days the patients could stay in Oasia Hotel and they could come down to the clinic for visits everyday, for wound dressings and so on."

"This allows patients to save costs because hotel rooms are much cheaper than hospital rooms, and it allows us as a hospital to free up capacity to treat new patients who need more acute care," Dr Lim added.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. In Singapore, it is the number one type of cancer affecting men and the leading cause of cancer—related deaths. Over the past five years, more than 8,200 new cases were diagnosed.

Dr Lim said: "There are about 1,500 colon cancer cases every year and that’s actually the most common cancer here today. The (cancer’s) incidence is rising and patients do need to be regularly screened for recurrence or even new tumours .

"When it comes to piles, Singapore has been said to be the ’piles capital of the world’. It’s not flattering but the belief is that one in three people suffer from piles."

— CNA/wm