11 Jan 2018 - Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) today announced that their 20-year partnership has progressed to a new phase, with their Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Centre (JHSIMC) joint venture evolving into the new NHG-Johns Hopkins Singapore Institute.
With this development, JHI and NHG have now re-envisioned their future to include joint research collaborations, development of new capabilities in medical oncology and other disciplines, as well as knowledge-sharing projects.
When NHG and JHI started their healthcare joint venture two decades ago, both organisations shared a common vision to advance cancer care in Singapore. With this vision met, oncology services and specialised staff from JHSIMC have transitioned to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the flagship of NHG – one of the largest public healthcare groups in Singapore. This transition integrates care for patients and focus on the population health needs for Singapore.
"The partnership between Johns Hopkins Medicine International and NHG is an established 20-year relationship. Our healthcare professionals in TTSH have had the opportunity to learn and share best practices from Johns Hopkins Medicine, a global leader in oncology. With this oncology service now transitioned to TTSH, the range of medical offerings expands to benefit our patients and Singaporeans needing care. The formation of the new Institute is a natural progression and will encourage our healthcare professionals to pursue related fields of collaborative research, training and education to better meet our population health needs. We welcome all JHSIMC medical, nursing and administrative staff to the NHG family," says Professor Philip Choo, Group Chief Executive Officer, National Healthcare Group.
Ms Pamela Paulk, President of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, says, "Right from the beginning, our collective goal has been to contribute sustainable solutions for the oncology needs of Singapore, from targeted research to specialised care delivery. With this goal accomplished, we are proud to officially transition these solutions to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and NHG, to celebrate our extraordinary joint accomplishments and map out this next chapter for our joint venture in Singapore."
The first private hospital in Singapore to be awarded Joint Commission International accreditation in 2004, Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Centre developed a robust oncology programme and suite of services for Singaporean patients, earning a global reputation with patients from more than 25 countries during its operating period of nearly 20 years.
It annually hosted more than 100 medical students, residents, fellows, nursing students and other Allied Health Professionals for education and training, and became the first Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International oncology training programme in Singapore.
Johns Hopkins Singapore researchers led the initial research and work on a number of drugs that are now the standard treatment for various cancers, conducted more than 120 medical oncology studies and published more than 100 oncology papers in collaboration with Johns Hopkins in the United States. This collaboration will continue under the new NHG-John Hopkins Singapore Institute.