I was hospitalised at the Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) for eight days recently to remove a gastrointestinal stromal tumour and was impressed by the hospital’s patient-centric culture.

The compassionate care that I received from the doctors, nurses, allied health staff and others exceeded my expectations.

Their care and professionalism are laudable.

As SKH is a new hospital, I had doubts about undergoing surgery there and even approached a surgeon at another hospital.

But I am glad that I made the right choice. My doctor at SKH was not only competent, confident and informative, but kind and compassionate.

I understood that this was to be a delicate procedure with a good chance of losing my stomach owing to the tumour’s location.

My stomach remains intact after the surgery.

One day, as I was resting on a low chair in the ward, the doctor came in to talk to me about a medical result.

He crouched down to be on the same eye level as mine to give me information. Imagine the uncomfortable posture he assumed to enhance patient communication.

Kudos also to the nurses who, despite their challenging job, stayed cheerful, patient and dedicated.

I encountered a number of them who treated patients as though they were family.

The passion that these nurses brought to their work, and their care and attention, went a long way towards making me feel reassured.

As for infrastructure, the unintimidating and spacious environment at SKH was relaxing and assuring.

The only downside was the absence of a subsidised air-conditioned ward category and I hope that the hospital reviews this.

It makes no sense to deprive subsidised patients of air-conditioning in our increasingly sweltering heat.

When I was well enough to get out of bed, I often escaped the unbearable afternoon heat by going to the couches in the air-conditioned discharge lounge with my IV (intravenous therapy) drip stand.

That said, I am glad that residents of north-eastern Singapore have access to a high-quality healthcare institution.

SKH is a healthcare jewel in this part of the island and I hope that it remains so for a long time.