Recognised for its outstanding medical and nursing care, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) bested 7 other healthcare institutions and came out as 3rd best hospital in the world. It followed two other US-based hospitals, namely, Mayo and Cleveland clinics. The 10 choices were decided upon by Newsweek Magazine’s panel of doctors, medical professionals and administrators in four continents.
According to Newsweek, SGH “provides affordable care for patients, leads patient-driven clinical research and provides undergraduate to postgraduate educational training for both students and medical professionals.”
Prof. Kenneth Kwek, SGH’s chief executive officer, said: “We are humbled to be recognised for our medical and nursing care.”
Prof. Kwek said that the hospital has a robust practice of working to advance the outcomes of patients via integrated clinical practices, sophisticated innovation, forward-looking research and innovative models of care: “Our staffs are passionate about healthcare and we continually challenge ourselves to do better for our patients, their family members and our staff.”
The top 10 hospitals in Newsweek’s list are:
1. Mayo Clinic (US):
2. Cleveland Clinic (US
3. Singapore General Hospital
4. Johns Hopkins Hospital (US
5. Charite (Germany)
6. Massachusetts General Hospital (US
7. Toronto General Hospital (Canada
8. University of Tokyo Hospital (Japan)
9. Lausanne University Hospital (Switzerland
10. Sheba Medical Centre (Israel)
Singapore General Hospital
Founded in 1821, SGH is the oldest hospital in Singapore. It serves over 1 million patients every year. As a tertiary referral hospital with ancillary on-campus specialist centers, the SGH provides affordable care for patients, leads patient-driven clinical research and provides undergraduate to postgraduate educational training for both students and medical professionals. It was the first hospital in Asia to achieve the Magnet designation in 2010 for nursing excellence, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Controversies on medical negligence and malpractice
In 2015, SGH administrators promised to “take responsibility” and pay for all treatment needed by patients who were infected by the hepatitis C outbreak at its renal ward. In 2016, a 51-year-old Indian-origin Singapore woman filed a lawsuit against SGH and its doctors for SG$8.72 million in damages after complications from a urological procedure which led to the amputation of her limbs. Then in 2018, SGH faced another legal suit involving the death of Wang Yangting, a bride-to-be who got sick and was later on diagnosed by SGH doctors with tonsillitis which turned out to be acute epiglottitis.