The upgraded Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Burn Centre was unveiled recently at the opening ceremony of the 12th Asia Pacific Burn Congress, co-organised by SGH’s Department of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery and the Association for Burn Injuries Singapore. The event was officiated by Guest-of Honour, Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health.

Established in 1962, the SGH Burn Centre has been the major burns referral centre for Southeast Asia, providing specialised and multidisciplinary care for patients suffering from severe burns injuries, from point of injury to post-hospital rehabilitation.

“The upgraded facility will enable us to cater to both current and anticipated needs as well as respond more readily during mass burns incidents,” said Professor Fong Kok Yong, Deputy Group CEO (Medical & Clinical Services), SingHealth, and Chairman, Medical Board, SGH.

Equipped with custom-built Operating Theatres (OT) and High-Dependency (HD) and isolation rooms that can be converted into Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wards, the upgraded Centre features a modular design, which allows either side of the facility to be closed off during a mass burns incident to reduce the risk of cross contamination between existing and new patients.

"The new modular layout is especially important for patients recovering from severe burns who are more susceptible to infections from multidrug resistant organisms,” said Associate Professor Ong Yee Siang, Head & Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, SGH.