HealthCity Novena
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHealthCity Novena is an integrated healthcare, education and research hub in Singapore's Novena district.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
HealthCity Novena is an integrated healthcare precinct in Novena, Singapore, centred on Tan Tock Seng Hospital and designed to connect acute hospital care with rehabilitation, community care, hospice services, specialist medicine, education and healthcare research. The complex anchors Singapore's Central Regional Health System, which is coordinated by the National Healthcare Group. Rather than functioning as a conventional single-site hospital brand, HealthCity Novena is a coordinated campus containing multiple institutions with distinct operators and missions. The precinct brings together Tan Tock Seng Hospital, a major tertiary referral hospital with approximately 1,700 beds; the Integrated Care Hub; Ren Ci Community Hospital; Dover Park Hospice; the National Centre for Infectious Diseases; the National Skin Centre; the National Neuroscience Institute; and education and innovation facilities associated with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation. Sheltered walkways, bridges and other connections are intended to make movement between facilities easier while supporting patient privacy and operational coordination. The concept was announced in August 2013 by Singapore's Ministry of Health. It was developed jointly by the Ministry and the National Healthcare Group as part of the reorganisation of Singapore's public healthcare system into regional health systems. The plan responded partly to rising demand at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the need to move suitable patients from acute treatment into rehabilitation, intermediate care, palliative care or longer-term support without separating those services geographically. HealthCity Novena also builds on more than a century of healthcare activity in the area. Tan Tock Seng Hospital moved to Novena in 1909, while other institutions were added over subsequent decades. The redevelopment incorporated selected historic structures, including the former Nurses' Quarters on Mandalay Road and two bungalows on Moulmein Road. These buildings connect the modern medical campus with Singapore's medical and nursing history. Major new components were delivered progressively. The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's Clinical Sciences Building opened in 2017. The National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Centre for Healthcare Innovation opened in 2019, strengthening the campus's national role in infectious-disease care, training, research and service improvement. The Integrated Care Hub was completed in 2023 after construction was delayed by approximately one year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hub provides 608 beds for tertiary rehabilitation, sub-acute care, slow-stream rehabilitation and palliative care, including beds operated for Dover Park Hospice. A new National Skin Centre building also began operations in 2023. The precinct's positioning is therefore based on integration rather than a consumer product portfolio. Its intended value lies in co-location, coordinated transitions between levels of care, national specialist services, clinical education, research, innovation and public access. Proposed later-stage elements include additional ambulatory, education and training facilities and further public spaces. The complex remains an evolving part of Singapore's public healthcare infrastructure rather than a conventional commercial brand.
History
Healthcare activity in Novena predates the HealthCity Novena masterplan by more than a century. Tan Tock Seng Hospital, founded in 1844, moved to its present Novena location in 1909. The site subsequently developed as a concentration of hospital wards and public-health facilities. A quarantine facility was established on Moulmein Road in 1913, later becoming Middleton Hospital and then the Communicable Disease Centre after its integration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 1985. Other institutions followed. Dover Park Hospice was established in 1992 and opened a purpose-built hospice in Novena in 1993. Ren Ci, founded in 1994, took over former Tan Tock Seng Hospital pavilion wards in 1999 for nursing-home use and later opened Ren Ci Community Hospital. The National Skin Centre was founded in 1988 to provide specialist dermatology services, while the National Neuroscience Institute was established in 1999 after neurology and neurosurgery services were reorganised under SingHealth. In August 2013, Singapore's Ministry of Health announced HealthCity Novena as a 17-hectare integrated healthcare hub to be jointly developed with the National Healthcare Group. The project was linked to Singapore's regional health-system model, under which the National Healthcare Group was responsible for the Central Regional Health System. The masterplan sought to bring together acute treatment, intermediate and long-term care, specialist centres, education, research and community-oriented spaces. It included sheltered links, boulevards, a Central Park and a Community Hub, alongside new healthcare and learning buildings. The plan addressed capacity and coordination challenges at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Some patients who no longer required acute treatment nevertheless needed complex rehabilitation or other step-down services. The Integrated Care Hub was conceived to provide those services close to the acute hospital, reducing the need for patients to be transferred to more distant facilities. Construction began in 2017. The 22-storey building, covering approximately 875,000 square feet, was completed in 2023 after a delay of about one year associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains 608 beds, including 35 allocated to Dover Park Hospice, and provides tertiary rehabilitation, sub-acute care, slow-stream rehabilitation and palliative care. It is linked to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Ren Ci Community Hospital by a sky bridge. Education and innovation became central to the campus. The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's Clinical Sciences Building began construction in 2015 and opened in 2017. It provides teaching, research, simulation and recreational facilities. The school's headquarters occupies the restored former Nurses' Quarters on Mandalay Road, a building with earlier links to medical and nursing education. The Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation was supported by a donation announced in 2014 and opened in 2019 next to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. The infectious-disease component reflects Novena's earlier public-health role. The former Communicable Disease Centre ceased operating as a medical facility in December 2018. The National Centre for Infectious Diseases opened on 7 September 2019 as a 14-storey centre with 330 beds across 17 wards. Its design separates patient and operational flows and includes surge arrangements for outbreaks. The centre became especially significant within Singapore's infectious-disease infrastructure during the COVID-19 era. The National Skin Centre expanded its Novena presence with a new ten-storey building that began operations in June 2023. Dover Park Hospice relocated to the Integrated Care Hub in October 2023, with inpatient and day-care facilities there. Ren Ci Community Hospital continues to provide step-down, rehabilitation and discharge-support services in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Redevelopment also involved heritage questions. The former Nurses' Quarters and two bungalows on Moulmein Road received conservation status from Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority and were incorporated into the wider precinct. Heritage advocates have additionally proposed conserving the remaining Pavilion ward as an important part of Singapore's medical history. Later phases have been described as including an ambulatory block, a Tan Tock Seng Hospital medical education and training centre, a possible additional national centre and a health-sciences school. These proposals indicate that HealthCity Novena is an ongoing district-scale development rather than a project completed in a single construction phase.
- 2023
Integrated Care Hub completed
[1]The 608-bed Integrated Care Hub was completed after a COVID-19-related construction delay.
- 2023
National Skin Centre expansion begins operations
[1]A new ten-storey National Skin Centre building began operations in June.
- 2019
National Centre for Infectious Diseases opens
[1]The National Centre for Infectious Diseases officially opened as a national specialist and outbreak-response facility.
- 2019
Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation opens
[1]The Centre for Healthcare Innovation opened to support healthcare innovation, improvement, training and related activities.
- 2017
Integrated Care Hub construction begins
[1]Construction began on a dedicated facility for rehabilitation, intermediate care and palliative services.
- 2017
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Clinical Sciences Building opens
[1]The Clinical Sciences Building opened with teaching, research, simulation and student facilities.
- 2013
HealthCity Novena announced
[1]The Ministry of Health announced the integrated healthcare hub as the anchor of Singapore's Central Regional Health System.
- 1999
National Neuroscience Institute established
[1]The National Neuroscience Institute was formed following the transfer and reorganisation of neurology and neurosurgery services.
- 1992
Dover Park Hospice founded
[1]Dover Park Hospice was founded and subsequently established a purpose-built hospice in Novena.
- 1988
National Skin Centre founded
[1]The National Skin Centre was established to take over specialist treatment of skin diseases from Middle Road Hospital.
Products and positioning
An integrated public healthcare, specialist medicine, education and research hub that connects acute, intermediate, rehabilitative and long-term care within Singapore's Central Regional Health System.
Tertiary hospital · 1844
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Tan Tock Seng Hospital is the principal acute-care institution within HealthCity Novena and the flagship hospital of the National Healthcare Group. With approximately 1,700 beds, it provides tertiary referral services and acts as the main clinical partner for rehabilitation, community-care and specialist institutions across the precinct.
Intermediate and rehabilitative care · 2023
Integrated Care Hub
The Integrated Care Hub is a 22-storey, approximately 875,000-square-foot facility completed in 2023. It has 608 beds, including 35 for Dover Park Hospice, and provides tertiary rehabilitation, sub-acute care, slow-stream rehabilitation and palliative services. Its connections to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Ren Ci Community Hospital support movement between care settings.
Community hospital · 2008
Ren Ci Community Hospital
Ren Ci Community Hospital provides step-down inpatient care, rehabilitation and discharge preparation for patients who no longer need acute hospital treatment but are not yet ready to return home. It operates within the precinct's broader care network and has a bridge connection with Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Hospice and palliative care · 1993
Dover Park Hospice
Dover Park Hospice is a non-profit palliative-care provider. Under the HealthCity Novena plan, it relocated in October 2023 to dedicated space within the Integrated Care Hub, including 35 inpatient beds and 70 day-care beds.
National specialist centre · 2019
National Centre for Infectious Diseases
The National Centre for Infectious Diseases is a national facility for the clinical management, isolation and study of infectious diseases. Its 14-storey building contains 330 beds in 17 wards and incorporates separated circulation and ventilation arrangements intended to reduce cross-infection, together with surge capacity for outbreaks.
Dermatology specialist centre · 1988
National Skin Centre
The National Skin Centre provides outpatient specialist dermatology services. Its expanded Novena facility, a ten-storey building with 69 consultation rooms, began operations in June 2023 beside the original centre.
Neuroscience specialist centre · 1999
National Neuroscience Institute
The National Neuroscience Institute provides national-level neurology and neurosurgery services. It maintains facilities in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital complex and also supports neuroscience education, research and administration.
Medical education and research · 2017
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Clinical Sciences Building
The Clinical Sciences Building supports medical education, clinical research and simulation-based training for the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The building includes a 500-seat auditorium, a Centre for Clinical Simulation and associated learning and recreational facilities.
Healthcare innovation and research · 2019
Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation
The Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation, commonly known as the Centre for Healthcare Innovation, supports healthcare improvement, innovation, education and collaboration. It opened beside the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in 2019.
Brand decisions
2017
Build the Integrated Care HubProduct launchBackground
High occupancy at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the need for nearby rehabilitation and step-down services created demand for dedicated intermediate-care capacity.
Action taken
Construction began on a 22-storey facility designed for tertiary rehabilitation, sub-acute care, slow-stream rehabilitation and palliative care.
Aftermath
The building was completed in 2023 with 608 beds and connections to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Ren Ci Community Hospital.
2013
Create an integrated regional healthcare hubStrategyBackground
Singapore's Ministry of Health and National Healthcare Group sought to anchor the Central Regional Health System and improve coordination between acute, intermediate, rehabilitative and long-term care.
Action taken
They announced a 17-hectare HealthCity Novena masterplan centred on Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with new care, specialist, education, research and public-space facilities.
Aftermath
The plan developed into a multi-institution healthcare precinct with major buildings completed progressively through 2023.
2013
Integrate heritage structures into redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The redevelopment occupied a site with longstanding medical and nursing institutions and surviving historic buildings.
Action taken
The former Nurses' Quarters and two Moulmein Road bungalows were incorporated into the precinct, with conservation status granted to the buildings by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Aftermath
The preserved structures became part of the campus's educational, public and heritage setting, while further conservation of the remaining Pavilion ward has been advocated.
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