« Victory Alleluia | Home | St Joseph’s Institution »
Tekka
By Peace | April 19, 2008
Picture of KK Women’s and Child Hospital: Cosy Ambience I stepped Into.
Tekka (in teochew, it means bamboo leg), is a place which I don’t like to go when I was young — dirty and far from my house. One of my aunt, my father’s sister stayed that area and we used to visit her.
Recently, I had seen better changes to Tekka Hospital(that is what my mother always said, “Tekka lao kun chu” to be exact) especially I want to commend on the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital was previously known as KKH, Kandang Kerbau Hospital, 竹脚妇幼医院. KKH is the largest hospital specialising in healthcare for women and children in Singapore. From a 30-bed maternity hospital founded in 1924, it has grown into an 888-bed hospital providing obstetric and gynaecology, neonatology and paediatric services.
In the 1990s, KKH was restructured and the hospital was no longer a fully government-owned hospital. It came under the aegis of the Singapore Health Services (Singhealth), which is one of the two public healthcare clusters in Singapore. With the restructuring, and after 138 years of remaining at the same location, the hospital moved to a new premise at Kampong Java Park on Bukit Timah Road in 1997. It took on a new name, the “KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital”. In 2003, the old hospital site was marked as a historic site by the National Heritage Board.
Beautiful arts
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, an 8-storey state-of-art building, is spread over an area of 4.8 ha. The hospital has two six-storey towers built on a 4 storey podium block. Built at a total cost of S$393 million, it is equipped with 834 beds and employs more than 2000 staff. The building’s unique architectural design won the hospital an award at the Singapore Architectural Design Awards in 1998.
Most early Singaporeans would have been given birth here at KKH, just like Richard. My first visit or knowledge of KKH if I am not wrong, was the pregnancy of my elder sister-in-law. During those days, the nurses were unfriendly, rude and the facilities in the hospital were no good. Lousy is the word. My sister-in-law was warded in what was known as C-class or something like that. She had to have her deliveries among many women, and the nurses screamed at them, some even saying things like “Making Love you happy, now you know already.” My sister-in-law was not so educated. She was young then, and having her first delivery. Such kind of treatment is really ‘cruel’ to a young woman. First time, First time to give birth, yet no encouragement of any sort, NO MORAL SUPPORT, husband not around, total stranger in a foreign environment, total FEAR she had to face, having First Time giving birth, which she had no idea at all what it is all about and how everything come about.
Today, I as a woman, as a mother, as a daughter-in-law, as a daughter of my mother also, understand what a woman really is. I think my sister-in-law is such a brave woman, having to been through so much in her life.
Compare myself with her, I am much more luckier. I can have the option to choose other hospitals during my pregnancy.
This is photographs of KKH, which we had arrived here today as early as 8.26am. My handphone’s alarm rang, saying it’s all destiny, destiny indeed. Ricsson woke up vomitting and complained of head pain — extreme high fever. However, upon reaching there, he seemed fine, so much better! He even ate three pieces of bread!
Entertainment, amusement and brain exercise for kids
As usual, I had forgotten to take his birth certificate for registration. But luckily, he brought along his student card and registration was done there. The last trip we went there was in year 2006, when he had diarrhea. What a great change, and GOOD improvement I see…
LG TVs, channel for Kids and Adults, thoughtful — all cared for; while waiting for your turn, you can choose how you want to entertain yourself — even have a cup of luke warm water!
The children and I explored the place. We were among the early birds, number 4 in queue. So the place is completely fresh air still, no smell, no stuffiness, cool and clean and fresh view. Nothing to do, I began taking photographs, and the children played with the ‘wall games’. Richard read newspapers. There were water provided too. In the past, I need to ask for hot water and search for nursing rooms, but they have all these facilities now, thoughtful… all prepared.
Trust, it is trust Patients need in order to feel secure, feel safe, so that the heart can beat normal, the heart can stay calm. That is the start of good health, assurance. But, that is one encounter on my part, so far that very first time is good experience, better than the neighbourhood General Practitioner.
Topics: Internet, Personal, Singapore, View All, health, medicine |
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
[...] Life I have, I Sing, I tell, Singtel Connects You and Me 新(Xin) Life I have, SingHealth I commend I have new Sim (Sim=heart in teochew), 新加坡 Singapura 新心 (new heart) I have, [...]
April 28th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
[...] am SingLife, Telling You about SingHealth There is no LIFE without GOOD HEALTH. I tell you, this is all about my eyesight and my skincare, [...]
August 5th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
[...] 19th April 2008, Ricsson had a severe headache and we went to KK Women and Children’s Hospital. It was all brand new renovation at the hospital and this little seahorse reminded me of my past… [...]