Changi Hospital
| Changi Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Changi, Singapore |
| Organisation | |
| Type | District General |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 790 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1935 |
| Closed | 15 December 1997 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Singapore |
Changi Hospital was a former hospital located in Changi, Singapore. The hospital was previously known as Royal Air Force (RAF) Hospital and was merged with the Toa Payoh Hospital and renamed as the Changi General Hospital. After it was closed in 1997, it sat abandoned for over a decade.
History
The Hospital was built in 1935 to complement other installations in Changi, which was then a military base to defend the eastern coastal side of the Johor Strait. The hospital was commissioned and named the Royal Air Force (RAF) Hospital. It served the Royal Engineers in Kitchener Barracks, the Royal Artillery in Roberts Barracks and the Gordon Highlanders in Selarang Camp.
In the years of the Japanese Occupation, the compound was used as a large prison camp and the notorious Kempeitai (Japanese Secret Police) reportedly used it as a torture chamber. Facilities were deemed inadequate and Changi Hospital shifted to Roberts Barracks. The hospital moved back to its original premises following the end of the war. This arrangement continued until Singapore claimed independence in 1965. The British commenced a gradual withdrawal of their military presence. The hospital was renamed ANZUK Hospital in 1971 after the Commonwealth Forces, and served ANZUK (Australian, New Zealand, United Kingdom) servicemen. ANZUK was disbanded in 1975, and it was renamed the UK Military Hospital. In December of the same year, the British 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 family. Gradually, service was extended to members of the public.
The SAF Hospital merged with Changi Chalet Hospital in 1976 and renamed Changi Hospital, after the former was handed over to the Ministry of Health. This arrangement lasted until 15 December 1997, when Changi Hospital was merged with Toa Payoh Hospital to form Changi General Hospital, after which, the old hospital ceased operations and was left empty ever since.[1]
In 2006, the SLA put up the site for commercial lease.[2] The tender was won by Bestway Properties, which proposed to build a luxurious spa-resort by the first half of 2008. The project fell through and was never commenced, and the land was returned to the State in 2010.
Hauntings
The vacated hospital compound was popular with film-makers after the Singapore Land Authority commenced short term rental of the buildings. Many popular MediaCorp television series such as Growing Up, The Crime Hunters and Incredible Tales were partly filmed at the now abandoned hospital. Around this time, Old Changi Hospital, as it is popularly known, was declared to be one of the most haunted locations in Singapore.[3] The buildings were said to be haunted by victims of the Japanese occupation. The once-abandoned, derelict buildings and its ghostly reputation were the basis for the 2010 mockumentary Haunted Changi.
References
- ^ "Merger with Toa Payoh Hospital". Changi General Hospital. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "Old Changi Hospital to reopen to new uses". sla.gov.sg. 29 May 2006.
- ^ Williams, Dinah (2011). Shuttered Horror Hospitals. Bearport Publishing. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9781617721489.