Brilliant Idea

New Novena Medical Centre a first between private and public sector

"The Novena Medical Centre's collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Raffles Hospital, and Mount Alvernia Hospital creates extensive synergies by pooling together existing excellent medical facilities and adding value with Novena."

Said GL Yap, executive director (property services) at Far East Organisation, "Doctor friends we've got say it would be convenient to have a supermarket, for example, where you could go and pick up groceries before you go home, and for patients if they could go down to a pharmacy to get maybe rehabilitative type of equipment."

Now, in addition to getting an operation, you can shop at the same time. How thoughtful. Patients can now check into hospital, get groceries, buy some clothes, all at the same time.

The hospitals are clearly benefiting from the increased rent income. Will the extra income be channelled back to lowering costs? Will it be passed back to the patient?

So where's the part of the news that say medical costs will be lower? Last time I checked, Hospitals cure patients.

What's the benefit to the patients? They already spent a fortune getting cured, you want them to part even more money in your shops?

Brilliant idea.