Assisi Hospice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Assisi Hospice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 832 Thomson Rd, Singapore |
| Organisation | |
| Patron | Ho Ching |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes[1] |
| Beds | 85 |
| Helipads | |
| Helipad | No |
| History | |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Lists | Hospitals in Singapore |
Assisi Hospice is a hospice facility in Singapore that provides palliative care to terminally ill patients.[2] It is founded, owned, and run by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM).[3]
Founded in 1969 by the FMDM[4] as Assisi Home for the Poor and Sick, the hospice was reconstituted as Assisi Hospice in 2007.[5] It derives its name from Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis, who founded the Franciscan movement.[6]
In 1949, the FMDM Sisters were invited by the local government for a nursing post in the Tuberculosis section of Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. The Sisters were also involved in treatment for leprosy at the Singapore Leprosy Relief Association, now known as the Trafalgar Home.[7][6] The Sisters campaigned for funds to build a Catholic hospital in the country after Singapore recovered from the Japanese Occupation.[6]
The Mount Alvernia Hospital was opened on 4 March 1961. In 1969, Khoo Teck Puat donated funds for an extension of the hospital for chronically ill patients.[6] In 1986, the Khoo extension started accepting respite patients. The building eventually became known as Assisi Home for the Poor and Sick.
In March 1988, the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood expanded into the area of hospice care. Assisi Home began to admit only cancer patients requiring respite and hospice care. In 1992, the Sisters vacated their convent and refurbished it into a new hospice.[6]
Assisi Home & Hospice was officially opened in April 1993 by the then President of Singapore, the late Wee Kim Wee.[6] In 1993, Assisi Home discontinued the admission of patients for long-term care and focused on hospice care for terminally ill cancer patients. Later, Assisi Home & Hospice was renamed Assisi Hospice.[6]
As a centre for palliative care, Assisi Hospice also admitted patients with non-cancer diagnoses, as it recognized the significant suffering among those with other life limiting illnesses.[6]