YISHUN residents attended a dialogue yesterday evening with Alexandra Hospital staff, and it was not about bedside manners.
But the hospital staff did impress them, with candid answers about matters close to their hearts. The meeting was organised ahead of groundbreaking work on Nov 28 at the hospital's new premises.
While some residents did ask about the expected noise, dust and traffic disruption, the majority wanted to know more, like what specialties will the new hospital offer.
Many residents, in fact, wanted to know whether the new 3.5ha, $400 million hospital will serve their health-care needs.
Mr Robert Grant, 66, who has lived in Yishun for 10 years, wanted to know if the health-care institution is fully equipped to handle national disasters such as Sars or terrorist attacks.
Allaying such concerns, Mr Liak Teng Lit, the hospital's chief executive officer, said the new hospital will be the first hospital to be built after the Sars epidemic of 2004.
'With the experience, we are able to have the capabilities to handle infectious diseases or unforeseen terrorist attacks,' he said.
The session with more than 100 residents living around the hospital site was set up to inform them about what to expect when work starts.
An estimated 14,400 residents from 120 households live in the area.
The discussion was held at the void deck of Block 651 Yishun Avenue 4, opposite the site where the hospital will be located.
Also present were MPs Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Dr Maliki Osman and Mr Ong Ah Heng.
'By keeping the residents informed about what to expect when construction starts, we are able to address their concerns with noise, safety, traffic diversion and dust,' Mr Liak said.
Yishun resident Rosalind Tay, 62, was worried about the site becoming infested with mosquitoes. But she was assured that regular spraying will be done to pre-empt any breeding grounds.
Alexandra wants to make the new hospital hassle-free with, well, some stones left unturned. So the short-cut pathway which residents take to the MRT station will remain.
'We also want to assure residents that noise will be minimised. We even got the examination schedule from the Education Ministry so that we know when the exam times are the following years,' Mr Liak said.
He emphasised that, in building the hospital, 'we need to be respectful of the community'.
The hospital will vacate its 67-year-old premises in Alexandra Road and move to the new facility when it is ready in December 2009.
juditht@sph.com.sg
