MEDIA RELEASE

1.            The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) will progressively ramp up its operations from December 2018. From 13 December, NCID's cohort[1] and negative pressure[2] wards will open and the century-old Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Moulmein Road will cease operations.
 

2.            The first facility to open was the Specialist Clinic which started operations on 26 November, offering outpatient infectious disease services. From January 2019, NCID will open its public health and clinical laboratories as well as a mass screening centre, operating theatres, Intensive Care Units, and isolation wards. The 330-bed NCID is expected to be fully operational with new and enhanced outbreak capabilities, including the High Level Isolation Unit, by mid-2019.
 

3.            Emerging infectious diseases, such as Avian Influenza, Ebola, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), are serious public health threats globally. As a major global trade and travel hub, Singapore must remain vigilant to safeguard the health of Singaporeans against these public health threats.

4.            The NCID was set up by the Ministry of Health as a national centre to provide infectious disease outbreak management and public health preparedness to strengthen Singapore's capabilities in infectious disease prevention and management. The NCID will continue and enhance the infectious disease containment and clinical services functions of the CDC, including public health surveillance and laboratory testing.  NCID will also lead in the areas of infectious disease and outbreak management related research, education and training.

5.            "With the constant threat of new emerging infectious diseases, NCID will provide clinical leadership, strategic direction and coordination in infectious disease management and public health preparedness to ensure that Singapore is prepared to manage disease outbreaks. When fully opened, our clinical services and enhanced infrastructure supported by labs and research will ensure a seamless workflow to handle outbreaks more effectively," said Professor Leo Yee Sin, Executive Director, National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
 

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Marion Abraham (Ms)
Assistant Director, Corporate Communications
National Centre for Infectious Diseases

Email: marion_abraham@ttsh.com.sg

[1] Cohort wards house patients who have conditions not transmissible through air.

[2] Negative pressure wards use pressure gradient to direct supply of airflow to the patient area and then exhaust through a proper air handling system. This prevents contamination of other areas of the hospital and surrounding environment.

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