Changi Hospital
| Changi Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | Changi, Singapore |
| Organisation | |
| Hospital type | District General |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 790 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Closed | 15 December 1997 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Singapore |
Changi Hospital is a former hospital located in Changi, Singapore. The hospital was previously known as Royal Air Force (RAF) Hospital and was later merged with the now-defunct Toa Payoh Hospital and was renamed as the Changi General Hospital. It was then closed in 1997 and remains abandoned to this day.
The hospital was first built by the British government in 1935 to complement other military installations like armouries and barracks in Changi, which was then an area with a large British military base that was intended to defend the eastern end (coastal areas) of the Johor Strait. The hospital was commissioned and named as the RAF Hospital Changi.It served the Royal Engineers in Kitchener Barracks, the Royal Artillery in Roberts Barracks (now turned into the Fairy Point Hotel) and the Gordon Highlanders in Selarang Camp. These three British military units were based nearby from the hospital.
During the period of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, the hospital compound was operated for use as a military hospital (mainly for service to wounded Japanese military personnel) and was also temporarily a major prison camp which was handled by the notorious Kempeitai (the Japanese military police, which also played the role of that of secret police), which reportedly used it as a torture centre (this rumour was based on the unconfirmed claim that a particular small room with narrow windows (thick chains were hung on the walls in the room and there were two concrete stubs on the floor that were believed to be for some sort of torture device) served as the infamous torture chamber in the hospital). The facilities at the hospital were later deemed inadequate and Changi Hospital was temporarily shifted to Roberts Barracks. The hospital moved back to its original premises following the end of the Second World War. This arrangement continued until Singapore claimed independence in August 1965. From that time onwards, the British commenced a gradual withdrawal of their military presence from Singapore, following the East of Suez policy. The hospital was renamed as the ANZUK Hospital in 1971 and served ANZUK (Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom) servicemen. ANZUK was disbanded in 1975, and it was renamed the UK Military Hospital. In December of that same year, the British finally withdrew the last of their troops and the hospital was handed over to the Singapore Armed Forces. The SAF Hospital catered to medical care of SAF personnel and their immediate families. Gradually, the hospital's services was also extended to members of the public.
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