Ho Peng Kee 2001 GE Promise - Sembawang General Hospital

[Lai CF]

Khaw Boon Wan said Northern General Hospital maybe completed one year earlier than 2010..that is. open by 2009.

WHy wasn't construction started in 2001 as what was perceived as an election promise by Ho Peng Kee?
Ho Peng Kee's promise as good as Kenneth Chen promised to build a swimming pool should he had won at Potong Pasir?

Is Khaw Boon Wan smoking something other than tobacco or blowing smoke out of his orifice only.
Let's calculate the construction schedule as from 01-Sep-2005:

1) 6 month - calling of tender and award piling work and sub-structure work.
2) 9 month - completion of sub-structure work.
3) 24 month - completion of main structure work.
4) 12 month - architectural, mechanical & electrical works, equipment, etc.
5) 9 month - testing, hospital fitting out, training, "soft opening"

That is, all together 60 months as from 01-Sep-2005
...or opening in 01-Sep-2010.

FAT HOPE THAT THE NORTHERN GENERAL HOSPITAL CAN BE OPEN IN 2009...LET ALONE BY 01-JANUARY 2010.

Wonder is this another GE gimmick in readiness of PM Lee ND Rally Speech on 21-Aug...annoucing GE end-2005????

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WHy was Northern General Hospital builds so late whereas as early as 2001, the problem was identified that "North" is in dire need of a general hospital.....and Ho Peng Kee promised that if he was elected.
He was re-elected and can't delivered on his promise.

After 2001 Election, two hospitals were planned, i.e. in Jurong and Woodlands or Sembawang. SUpposedly to be at hte Sembawang Hospital site.

Pioneer JC at Jurong East MRT Station was vacated, and the the piling tender for Jurong Hospital was ready to tender......and somewhat stopped in its track. o idea why it was KIV.
SUspect that it was budget cosntraint.......and now you realised that that S$380 million SingTel "writeoff" could very well paid for at least one of these hospital.
[In 1995, 600-bed TTSH construction value (excluding TTSH medical equipment & system} was about S$387 million.]

Then, it was undecided as to whether to locate the other hospital at Woodlands or Sembawang....and as we now know..it is at Yishun, the Northern General Hospital.

The question is:
Why must we the CoOmmon People suffered where as far back as 2001, it was already known that we need another "general hospital" at the "North"?

Poor planning on the part of Khaw Boon Wan...or penny-pinching policy by PM Lee applying his mathematician's trained cold logic and hard-hearted decision that the cost has yet to justify the construction of Northern General Hospital till today?

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More goodies to come:

The S$64 million CDC was slated to be constructed in the 90s,..but Asian Financial Crisis put a brake to it..........resulting in a shortage of bed where 600 foreign workers suffering from chicken pox "used up" all TTSH beds.

Next, we do need a Rehabiliation Centre to be constructed at TTSH....to cater for our ageing population.
No money to build but yet PM Goh has "prime-pump" S$600 million into the cosntruction industry in 2004.

We ask ourself again:

Is healthcare not a priority for the ageing populaiton of Singapore.
And it takes those brilliant scholars SIX YEARS to make up their mind to build a Northern General Hospital???

Make one think whether they are earning theri S$1 million+ annual salary or not......as useful as an ICONIC and TALISMANIC President Nathan?

Will Khaw Boon Wan resigned out of shame if the Northern general Hospital is not open for business on 31-December-2009?

And what is the betting that Ho Peng Kee will retire and make way for "new blood" in the forthcoming GE?

[lubomyra98]

Hi Mr. Lai,

Based on the available info and media, I had the impression that Singapore's health care system is relatively cheaper, well managed, not understaffed, and well planned with sufficient capacity (beds).

Thank you for your informative post, which indicated that there is shortage of hospital beds, and a critical need for hospital in Sembawang or Nee Soon or Woodlands, and Jurong.

It appears that Singapore should not have any problems building the required hospitals and continue to provide health care at a reasonable cost (if the govt does not wish to charge too much) because Sinagpore has significant foreign reserves.

Whereas, the government of the Province of Ontario (in Canada) spends about 30 cents or 32 cents of every dollar of tax revenue on health care, and there is a long wait for patients seeking specialist medical treatment. In addition, medical doctors is the only profession in Ontario whose income is guaranteed by the government. Although, a resident of Ontario is not required to pay for almost all medical expenses (doctors, specialists, hospitalization), except for prescriptions unless he/she is covered by his/her employer's health care plan, the personal income taxes for Ontario residents are very much higher than those in Singapore at similar taxable income levels.

With respect to the issue of HPK's promise of a hospital in Nee Soon, I hope that reasonable citizens / voters will hold him accountable. But although I am neither a member of the Past Against the People Party nor Wealthy Party, voters in that constituency are in a no win situation regardless whether HPK / his colleague, or the other candidate wins the next election (voted MP for that constituency).

Entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals and businessmen should consider an annual conference in KL, Bangkok, Hong Kong, etc. or even Vancouver or Toronto, to exchange ideas and to form a coalition of capable and experienced independent candidates for the next general election.

[szhcornan73]

Khaw Boon Wan said Northern General Hospital maybe completed one year earlier than 2010..that is. open by 2009.

WHy wasn't construction started in 2001 as what was perceived as an election promise by Ho Peng Kee?
Ho Peng Kee's promise as good as Kenneth Chen promised to build a swimming pool should he had won at Potong Pasir?

Why do we have to take politicians' so call 'promises' seriously?

First, Singaporean have to realise that even a PAPA candidate cannot change the gov's pipeline plan. Those 'promises' to give you these and build you that were already planned.

Of coz, they may last minute freeze the plan if the ground lost to the opposite side. Yet, you don't need something more unnecessary and held hostage by your kiasu (or greed) against your own conscious for a better generation.

Ultimately, ask ourselves what we vote them for? For things they have not done or 'promised' to do rather than what was done and show us the report card? Singaporeans are pathetic weird lots.

Mr Khaw BW's respond to Mr Low TK's queries on efficiency and resource allocation to hospital bed is nothing but bad excuses. Now, Mr Khaw held us hostages with cost as a convenient reason.

Let me ask Mr Khaw, what he meant by half an hour drive? He tried that when he was too sick to near death? Imagine a sick chicken go TTSH, was rejected, then go SGH, rejected again, then to NUH, reject again, then find him/herself in Changi or Alexandra? What a brainless type of reply, had NKF saga make his mind less thinkable?

And Mr Khaw, to give you some clue, this North Hospital WILL be a very important. It will also serves richer patients of emergencies from across the causeway. Please do a proper research also on the capability of hospital in our immediate north neighbour.

Pioneer JC at Jurong East MRT Station was vacated, and the the piling tender for Jurong Hospital was ready to tender......and somewhat stopped in its track. o idea why it was KIV.
SUspect that it was budget cosntraint.......and now you realised that that S$380 million SingTel "writeoff" could very well paid for at least one of these hospital.

I don't think he realized anything. He scored nicely at the beginning but the honey moon is over.

The S$64 million CDC was slated to be constructed in the 90s,..but Asian Financial Crisis put a brake to it..........resulting in a shortage of bed where 600 foreign workers suffering from chicken pox "used up" all TTSH beds.

This is either bad anticipations or a potential weakness in the current medical sector. How did it end up in such situation? Individual foreign worker must be warned of their responsibility on contacting contagious disease or irresponsible employers are lacking in giving proper humane attention to foreign workers? E.g. sick also must work and not proper medical attention until it turns into a mini-crisis?
Imagine, what if that was another terrorist attack using poxes?


Mr Khaw deserves a whack on the backside. Got time to Kay-poh NKF peanutz, got no time to attend to pending more serious business.

Mr Khaw, I give you one thumb down.

[redbean]

Hi Mr. Lai,

Based on the available info and media, I had the impression that Singapore's health care system is relatively cheaper, well managed, not understaffed, and well planned with sufficient capacity (beds).

horror!!! lubomyra, please do not ever use the word cheap to describe our medical services or any govt services. you will be doing us a great disfavour as it will be used as a reason to raise the charges.

another word that you cannot use is to comment that some services of dept are not efficient. for the next thing that will happen is that they will raise the pay and other cost to make it more efficient. and you know how that will affect the poor singaporeans.

in our little paradise here, improving efficiency and work ethics is a piece of cake. as easy as saying abc. just pay more and there will be efficiency and better services.

[IMAGOD]

Hi Mr. Lai,

Based on the available info and media, I had the impression that Singapore's health care system is relatively cheaper, well managed, not understaffed, and well planned with sufficient capacity (beds).

S'pore's 2 tier health system is not cheap to the consumer. The govt ensures that people pay for services at a rate such that the govt subsidies are low compared to welfare states like Aust, Uk and Canada.

S'pore is not as expensive and ridiculous as the US because of many factors - one being at least competition from traditional medicine is allowed, and there is no FDA, insurance is lower etc etc.

No activity escapes the All-Powerful Singapore Govt. Through its very own private comapany - Temasek - it has invested into private healthcare as well. So they are playing both sides - private and public - with the zeal and spirit one can expect from Temasek :shock:

Khaw has said on many occasions that they are not going to create a welfare state system, and slowly public healthcare services are being privatized. If you go for treatment at say the NDC (National dental centre) you are told that it is no longer a govt service, but a privatised concern.

The subsidies, altho small, are still there - so because of the lower cost (but harldly "cheap") there are waiting times - the less "urgent" the longer the time.

As always, I state that privatisation without freeing up the market is akin to fascism - and if the company is govt owned, then what they collect is tax.

LHL is supposedly a free-market guy, but we'll have to wait a few years to see if he really walks his talk.

Prof Ho is just another politician making promises to appease the voters. I'mnot surprised that her promises have not been delivered. I don't blame her. I blame the voters who took the bait. If they vote her again, then the voters are truly stupid people and deserve the consequences. :lol:

There are many reasons why the public health system in UK, Cananda and Aust sucks up so much of the tax dollar. Aging populations, and PDB (Prescription drug Benefit) aka PB (Pharmaceutical Benefit) in Aust.

This is a rort - IMO criminal activity. The big drug companies get a free kick from the govt and patent protection. OK, at least in Canada they allow generic drugs, but in UK and Aust (and the US) the big drug companies lobby to protect their (illegal) patents by lobbying the govt. The govt has to buy their drugs at their prices.

So the taxpayer ends up paying for the big drug companies commercial success and huge profits. This is an example of an unfree market, and is just one example of what happens when business and govt collaborate with each other - the customer is denied choice and his sovereignity usurped.

S'pore is now heavily involved in bio tech and has been involved in med tech for sometime.

No one raised the issue on why dialysis is so expensive in s'pore. It is observed to be cheaper in places like Malaysia and Thailand. I suspect that the company supplying dialysis equipment has a govt-granted monopoly and the govt is involved in keeping out competing technologies.

Then the govt creates a smoke screen to dupe the public into believing the ONLY solution is cooperation thru "charity" and justifies the creation of the N*F.

Mind Control - "We Are United"

A favourite trick which continues to work today is to "unite" the people in a way thay they serve the state and its dictators. The Singapore Pledge is one such mechanism. Children are brainwashed daily by repetition.

Same with the N*F. People are, I believe, generally charitable and benevolent. Most people will help their fellow man if they believe their fellow man is helpless - we are wired this way. (selflessness is selfishness)

So the easiest thing for a govt to do is to create "a cause" and get people to unite. Creating a "charity" gives the cause some "spiritual validation" and it gives the givers a sense of contribution and morality.

All govt programs work this way. If you disagree, then you are a "bad" person. I'm not saying that all campaigns are bad. Anti littering, anti drugs etc all have some social value. What irks me is that these are not the domain of govt - they are mostly the domain of families and parents, and of the individual's code of conduct and choice of lifestyle.

If we allow the govt to tell us how to behave and moral code to adopt, then we allow the govt to run our lives from cradle to grave.



Govt mind control is pervasive. Now we have ongoing campaigns for "Total defense", "Speak Good English", "Uphold Chinese Culture", "Don't Smoke", "Speeding/drinking Overturns Lives", "Crime prevention", "Wear condoms", blah blah blah.

Man, you can't even have sex anymore without some govt slogan coming into the picture! :shock:

Now, that's MIND CONTROL :lol: :lol:



Libertatis ?quilibritas

[Lai CF]

During the late 80s where private hospitals were on an expansion craze to tap the lucrative regional market....e.g. Mount E, Gleneagle, AMerican (Eastshore) Hospital, Mount A, etc.....MOH wer losing doctors and staff left, right, centre, everywhere...

MOH then came out with a scheme to retain this staff, as well as to compete for a slcie of this lucrative market......where STPB and Government trumpetting loudly "we will make SIngapore the Medical Centre of SE Asia".
ABout S$1 billion was then spent on redevloping TTSH, KKH and build a new Changi General Hospital to replace the old British Military CHangi Hospital.
I understand that then, there was a reduction of the numbers of "C CLass" Wards, with MOH citing statistics that SIngpaoreans preferred B or A Class. You know that the rest is history as Government started to provide new B1, B2 and B2+ wards......
Of course, those were heady boom time, nobody has yet to hear of 97 Asia FInancial Crisis,..like the Sun will always shines on SIngapore pepertually, no "raining day" at all.

Well...in the 90s, there were THREE hospitals serving the Northern ZOne even before Yishun, Woodlands and Sembawang HDB estayes were conceived and build.
That is, Toa Payoh General Hospital, TTSH and Sembawang Hospital.

ANd what do you know, now with THREE "MEGA" HDB Estates at Yishun, Sembawang and Woodlands, we have ONE GENERAL HOSPITAL, TTSH< serving the Northern residents.

ANd all these for better "efficiency and service" to the Public......who were crying for a NEW GENERAL HOSPITAL since the early-90's?

What sort of cock-up planning is this when you shut-down THREE hospitals and build only ONE....during that period when Government had announced palns for Sembawang HDB Estates????

Between 1990/92..HDB had already worked out a budget and planned for HDB Estates at Sembawang as we are seeing it now.
And in 90s, Woodlans MRT Extension was cosntructed precisely tos erve these Sembawang Residents.

Then, why in the early 91/92, can spend about S$1 billion to build Wodlands MRT Line Extension, but cannot spend S$400 million to build a 600-bed General Hospital in Sembawang?

So much for PAP vaunted Strategy Planning Dept for Singapore Future.

And the story continues..

LTA had awarded the contract to Sato Kogyo to build the new Tuas MRT Line Extension at Jurong West.
ANother fast growing HDB Estates....and the nearest hospital is at NUH..or new Northern General Hospital ay Yishun...about half an hour drive????

Now, the previous Jurong General Hospital was supposed to take care of "massive industrial accidents" at Jurong and to cater for the Western part of SIngapore.
It wil be interesting to see which PAP politcian will promise to build "a Jurong General Hospital" when he or she is re-elected.

After all, as the consultants had already completed the design plans for it...and the site at Pioneer JC Jurong East is avialable....it is a matter of dusting the plans off and send it out fro tender.

Or is the future Jurong General Hospital going to be another PPP Initiative?

Everything privatise you know??? Nothing is free...must cut cost.

[IMAGOD]

So much for PAP vaunted Strategy Planning Dept for Singapore Future.

Cannot fight the market lah. Sure lose money one...

The buggers in the PAP, starting with LKY all have something against the private sector.

LKY, the young lawyer, used to kena tekan by many of the towkays in his day. Notice also he bears a huge grudge against UMNO. Of course, the towkays and UMNO are not related - but LKY is a guy who bears grudges against people - that is a fact. He just can't let go :lol: :lol:

What the govt refuses to understand about (us) privateers is that (we) privateers don't have tax revenues to fund (our) projects. Risk capital is either from the entrpreneurs themselves or with other financial backers. Also, entrepreneurs don't have "built in staff" - they have to hire from the market and pay market rates - with their own money.

They can do their very best, and still fail. And if they fail, they bear the personal cost. They could even lose respect from the financial backers who probably won't back any new ventures from the same entrepreneur ever again.

Now lets look at the government: they can spend money, because they control the money - everything from what the money is, to its value, to how to get it (tax).

And when the govt loses money, the govt STAYS IN BUSINESS. No govt servant, nor the PM, SM or MM ever lose any of their own money - they sometimes even have the gall to raise their own salaries. No civil servant ever bears any of the cost for an error in judgement. Mistakes, without consequences - just like some Divine Being. :shock:

But the privateer goes out of business if he makes a serious error in judgement. Personal costs can be HUGE: bankruptcy and breakdown of marriages and families. Children's uni education fun may disappear, for example.

But when the privateer does have a "win", the govt "not happy". Remember how DBS wanted to swallow up a local private bank built up by a kicking old guy? Remember how the old man cried as he felt "betrayed" by his PAP friends, who wanted to get his bank off him?

No lah, the govt is staffed by scoundrels who - unlike the most simple folk in our society - don't have any morality, nor any form of conscience about them.

Why should people trust the govt? Unfortuunately they do, and en masse.

Matilah Singapura! :twisted:
Libertatis ?quilibritas

[Lai CF]

But fundamentally, budget constraints are not really the issue here...
just give you a checklist of those mega-projects started in 2001 to 2004..

1) DTSS and CHangi Water Reclamation Plant - S$2.3 to S$3.5billion
2) KPE/KLE - S$1 to S42 billion
3) Circle Line - S$5.6 billion
4) T3 - S$1 to S$2 billion
5) Changi Prison Redevelopment - S$1 billion
6) SMU & NLB - S$1 billion
7) Republic Polytechnic - S$400 million
8) SUpreme COurt Building - S$300 million
9) Law Academy - S$400 million
10) ITE EAst - S$300 million
11) Sengkang/Punggol LRT --S$400 to S$450 million
12) S$10 bilion for Sentosa Redevelopment & SOuthern Islands Reclamation???

And we are talking about S$300 to 400 million for the Sembawang General Hospital in 2004.
As can be seen above, "budgtet constraibts" is not really the porblem.

Then, why 5 years delay since 2001, where there is really an urgent need for a Northern General Hospital to serve all those SIngaporeans there.

DO recalled 80s scheme to decentralise SIngapore with autonomous Regional Centre..and Woodlnds is identified as one of them?
And Mayors were created in conjunction with thise idea of regional centres to serve the Public better?
Anf it will dovetail nicely with a "decentralised" Healthcare system, with this Northern General Hospital being "autonomous" serving the North.....

Therefore, it is really bad planing on the part of MOH for failing to cater for the "congestion" occurring at TTSH, from Day 1 of its opening.

Really, the Northern General Hospital Saga is similar to teh cockup at CTE......same old road built in the 90s, serving the growing demand of 21st Century SIngaporeans.......

----and now, they also said....North-East Expressway, via Thomson Road, is not feasible, no demand.....like the Northern General Hospital.

And of yes, the feasibility study for the North-East Expressway was conducted at the same time as the feasibility study for the Jurong and Sembawang Hospital, i.e. in 2001.

By the way, in the 90s, there was a S$24 million contract to prepare the Masterplan for a netwrok of Underground Ring Road System. Rumors were that the first phase was to be the Balestier COrtridor or along Vukit Timah Road, beneath Rochor Canal.
Well..no news yet.....another S$24 milllion"honest mistake"?

My point is that the Government has all the Infrastructural Masterplans to build a 21st Century SIngapore...and it is not "budget cosntraints" that is holding back them to cater to the needs of the growing population, but what I suspect really is "poor decision" making by the Ministry itself.

Khaw Boon Wan got a lots of explanation to do as to why this basic service is not cater to SIngaporeans whereas we will never alow such long waiting time at CHangi Airport...catering to foreigners.....

Then, is SIngpaore being built solely to cater to foreigners to garner their businesses, to give the whole world our well-deserved reputationa s a clean and efficient country,; and like hiding behind a Hollywood stage facade.....are the ugliness of everyday life of inefficiency of our basic social services catering to SIngaporeans?

We cannot afford to allow foreigners to wait more than half an hour to clear Custom and Immigration.....but it is perfectly alright for SIngaporeans to wait 3 hours at polyclinic or A&E Department?