SINGAPORE  — The National University Hospital (NUH) has set up a new dedicated facility, called the NUH Sports Centre, to provide integrated care for sports and exercise-related conditions for recreational and elite athletes, as well as military personnel.

Operational since last July, the 245sqm multi-discipline centre, which expects to see 10,000 patients annually, was officially opened today (Jan 23) by Grace Fu, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.

It is the fourth sports medicine facility in Singapore. The other three are housed in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi General Hospital (CGH). The Changi Sports Medicine Centre, housed within two floors at CGH, covers an estimated 743sqm, and remains the biggest facility here.

The range of facilities in the NUH Sports Centre, situated at Lower Kent Ridge Road, includes an orthopaedic sports surgery clinic, a sports medicine clinic, a children’s sports clinic, and a sports physiotherapy and exercise clinic.

It also provides sports imaging and acupuncture services, and a fully-equipped gym. 

“We have very good sports centres in Singapore, (but) on a geographical level, the western region does not have a dedicated sports centre. Now we have one here,” said NUH Sports Centre director Dr Lingaraj Krishna.
 
“Our multi-discipline, multi-­departmental sports team has been working extremely hard the past year to set up the sports centre and deliver on its three core aims.”

The first aim, said Krishna, is to provide clinical care to individuals with sports and exercise-related ­injuries and illness. The NUH centre has partnered with the National University of Singapore to provide medical support for the tertiary ­institution’s teams in 47 sports.  

Krishna added: “We also treat injured servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces, mainly from the camps from the western part of Singapore, allowing them to return to service in tip-top condition.”

The centre’s second aim is to promote sport and exercise as an essential component of healthy lifestyle, “to help to improve the individual and societal well-being,” he said.

To meet its third aim of supporting education and research in sports medicine and surgery, the centre ­also plans to work closely with the Singapore Sports Institute. 

“We support education and research in sports medicine and surgery,” said Krishna.
 
“By doing so, we contribute to the development of sports medicine and manpower to meet the growing healthcare needs of sports enthusiasts in Singapore.”

Krishna said that the long-term aim is to be an “international centre of excellence for sports medicine”. Steps to get there include running courses not just for the medical community in Singapore, but also for regional surgeons and physicians. 
 

Facilities at NUH Sports Centre: 

- Orthopaedic Sports Surgery Clinic
- Sports Medicine Clinic
- Children’s Sports Clinic
- Sports Cardiology Service
- Sports Imaging Service (Full Suite comprising X-ray, Ultrasound and MRI)
- Sports Physiotherapy and Exercise Clinic
- Sports Podiatry Clinic
- Fully Equipped Sports Gym 
- Sports Dietetics Service
- Sports Acupuncture Service
- ESWT (Extra-corporeal shock wave therapy) Service 
- In-Clinic Pharmacy
- Retail Shop for Braces and Appliances