New $60m Assisi Hospice complex officially opens
published by The Straits Times on December 2, 2017More than 400 patients at Assisi Hospice and their family members watched the first Christmas light-up at their new complex in Thomson Road which officially opened yesterday.
The charity moved to the new six-storey building, located next to the former hospice, in January and has served 1,500 patients so far.
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore William Goh, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong and Assisi’s patron Ho Ching were among those at the opening ceremony.
Boasting 85 inpatient beds – compared with 37 previously – and new wards as well as homely features, the $60 million building will be able to serve more than 2,000 patients a year.
The Health Ministry provided around $46 million of the building cost, while the remaining $14 million was raised through donations. The hospice targets around $8 million in donations each year for expenses such as patient care and staff costs. It is already close to reaching this goal this year, but is still working to hit the target.
Earlier, a generous couple – the late Mr Gerry Essery and Mrs Jo Essery – left behind $2 million each for the Assisi Hospice, the National Kidney Foundation and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Essery Hall, named after the couple, is located on the sixth floor of the hospice and is used for staff training, functions and seminars.