A Year of Impact – WH marks first anniversary with new programmes to target diabetes, colorectal cancer and frailty
SINGAPORE, 2 AUGUST 2025 – Woodlands Health (WH), a member of NHG Health, marked its first anniversary today with the opening of a new Wound and Vascular Centre by Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Mr Ong Ye Kung. The new Centre further affirms WH’s growth as a vital medical health hub in this region, reinforcing NHG Health’s efforts to provide more preventive, integrated and specialised care needed by patients and residents.
Professor Joe Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, NHG Health, said, “We set out to build more than a hospital for the community in the North, and I am heartened that this healthcare ecosystem tailored to real and evolving needs of the population and well-integrated for their ease of access to care is fast taking shape. We are most grateful for the unstinting support of MOH, as well as our GP and community partners in helping us realise our vision to shift care upstream by identifying risks earlier and acting fast with care interventions.”
Wound & Vascular Centre
The Wound & Vascular (WAV) Centre supports early intervention for diabetic foot ulcers through multi-disciplinary care involving endocrinologists (diabetes management), podiatrists (wound care), surgeons, nurses and therapists.
This comes on the back of promising results from WH’s diabetic limb salvage programme. 30 per cent of the nearly 400 diabetic foot ulcer patients seen at WH in its first year were at risk of a major amputation within one year. This was brought down to less than 3 per cent under treatment at WH’s LEAPP (Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention Programme) clinic.
WH, together with NHG Polyclinics and hospitals of this cluster, continues to offer expedited care for patients with diabetic foot conditions, under the Diabetic Foot in Primary and Tertiary (or DEFINITE) Care programme.
Colorectal Screening Access
WH’s upcoming role as another designated Colorectal Assessment Centre in the North later this year aims to address one of Singapore’s most common cancers through earlier access to screening. More than 66 per cent of the 78 colorectal cancer cases seen at WH in its first year presented with stage 3 or stage 4 cancer, which is considered late-stage cancer.
The Centre will thus provide residents with greater access to colorectal screening, enabling WH to detect cancers early, when treatment is most effective, and identify precancerous polyps for removal.
At the same time, WH has worked with primary care partners such as General Practitioners and Polyclinics within WH’s region to directly refer patients who require medical attention to WH for specialised services such as colonoscopy. The Open Access programme allows primary care doctors to schedule their patients for advanced diagnostic tests without the need to consult with a specialist beforehand.
Women’s Health
WH saw over 550 breast patients in its first year of operations, with about 12 per cent requiring surgery due to malignancy . Of these, nearly half were diagnosed at an advanced stage, which shows there is an urgent need to encourage female residents to go for regular breast screening.
As an approved Reading and Assessment centre under Healthier SG Screening, WH helps to augment national capacity for early detection of breast cancer and enable timely follow-up for women. WH is also working with NHG Health’s Population Health Campus on outreach efforts to drive screening rates up amongst residents.
Frailty Prevention & Innovation
Musculoskeletal disorders is the top cause of Years Lived with Disability in Singapore, with osteoarthritis, low back pain and falls within the top 20 causes. Poor musculoskeletal health contributes significantly to the wider issue of frailty.
Through integrated care programmes such as NHG Health’s community-based CONNACT (Collaborative Model of Care between Orthopaedics and Allied Healthcare Professionals) Plus programme and AI-enabled tools like the VIGILANT (Vision-InteGrated InteLlgence AssessmeNT) walkway system, WH is screening for early signs of frailty and falls.
CONNACT Plus focuses on maximising rehabilitation outcomes and optimising non-surgical treatment for individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Since its launch in 2017 in partnership with St Luke’s ElderCare, more than 250 participants have undergone the programme, with most reporting improved quality of life outcomes, including better pain management.
The VIGILANT walkway system, an innovative technology developed by WH together with the Nanyang Technological University, uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to measure physical biomarkers such as gait speed and grip strength to predict an individual's future health outcomes, such as falls, frailty and cognitive decline. The trial aims to support large scale, accessible screening to identify high risk subpopulations for early intervention. Targeted interventions to maintain or improve physical function and mobility helps to improve individuals’ quality of life and delay the need for more intensive care.
Said Dr Jason Cheah, Chief Executive Officer, WH, “From Day One, our aim was not only to provide value-based case for patients but also to empower our residents to lead healthy lives. During our first year of operations, we worked closely with community partners to educate residents on the importance of preventive health measures and introduce targeted health interventions to manage diseases and promote the right health-seeking behaviours.
“During the past year, we have also introduced several new services to meet the healthcare demands in this region. These include the Women’s Health & Specialist Centre and the Reading and Assessment Centre, the Children’s Clinic, the Acupuncture Clinic, and the Vaccination & Travel Clinic. We are also looking to open a hospice ward in our Long-Term Care Tower with a partner as early as 2026,” Dr Cheah added.
Community Health Day
Minister Ong also joined in the combined Community Health and Nurses’ Day event held today. The annual WH Community Health Day is part of WH’s preventive health outreach efforts to residents in the North. The half-day event included health assessment stations, health talks (nutrition, men’s, women’s and children’s concerns) and performances from community partners. More than 300 residents attended the event.
Also present at the event were Minister of State for Health Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Ms Mariam Jaafar, Grassroots Advisor (Woodlands), Mr Vikram Nair, Grassroots Advisor (Admiralty), Mr Ng Shi Xuan, Grassroots Advisor (Naval Base), Mr Gabriel Lam, Grassroots Advisor (Canberra) and Ms Hany Soh, Grassroots Advisor (Woodgrove).
