Progress in Obstetrics from 19th to 21st Centuries: Perspectives from KK Hospital, Singapore - the Former World's Largest Maternity Hospital

摘要

KK Maternity Hospital, Singapore was the former world's largest maternity hospital from 1950s to 1970s. This article presents the history of KK Maternity Hospital in Singapore, the changes in KK Hospital over the years from 19th century up to the 21st century and the last decades where the changes became more rapid. Introduction Our generation at the edge of this new millennium has witnessed the rapid advance of new technologies. With this we saw rapid development and advancement in all aspects of our lives at home, at work & at leisure, and at a breathtaking pace, not experienced by or even dreamt of by our forefathers. The rapid advancement in technology is also felt in the medical industry and the obstetric speciality is not spared either from the relentless changes induced by the advancing technology. This article presents the history of KK maternity hospital in Singapore, the changes in KK Hospital over the years since 19th century up to the 21st century and the last decades where the changes became more rapid. History Of KK Hospital, The Former World's Largest Maternity Hospital Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KK Hospital), the birthplace of over 1.2 million Singaporeans, was the largest maternity hospital in the world from the 1950s to the early 1970s.1 It was named after the district where it was located. The Singapore district around the crossroads formed by Serangoon Road, Selegie Road, Bukit Timah Road and Rochor Road was known in Malay as “Kandang Kerbau” (“Buffalo Enclosure”, because in the old days, there was a buffalo pen in the locality). In Teochew and Hokkien (dialects of spoken Chinese), it was known as “Tek Kah” and in Mandarin as “Zhu Jiao” (“below the clumps of bamboo”, because in the early days, clumps of bamboo grew on the hillocks in the district). The hospital, commonly known as “KK” or “Tek Kah” served as the national maternity hospital of Singapore from 1924 to 1997. The old KK Hospital has a long tradition of service to the people of Singapore. It was first built in 1858 to function as a general hospital. In 1905, it expanded to accept female pauper patients from Tan Tock Seng Hospital and later housed female lepers and poor children. It eventually became the Pauper Hospital for Women and Children. On 1 October 1924, led by Professor J S English, the first Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G), KK Hospital was converted into a free maternity hospital with 30 beds. On that momentous first day, five babies were born – three Malays, one Chinese and one Japanese. A new block containing 120 beds was completed by 1934. In that year, there were 2, 575 births, a figure which continued to climb steadily over the years. Another new block was erected and opened in July 1940 bringing the total number of beds to 180. In that year 6,184 births were recorded. During the period of Japanese hostilities in 1940-41, the Hospital became an Emergency General Hospital providing 500 beds. After the fall of Singapore and during the Japanese Occupation (1942-45), the hospital served as the Civil General Hospital and was known as Chuo Byoin (Central Hospital). Dr B H Sheares, who became Malaya's first local Professor in O&G in 1951 and the Republic of Singapore's Second President in 1971, was its Deputy Medical Superintendent then. After the war, KK Hospital remained the Civil General Hospital until 1 July 1946, when it resumed as the only O&G hospital serving the country. The post-war years witnessed high birth rates, with the number of obstetric births increasing from about 10,000 in 1948 to a historic high of 40,000 in 1966 (Table 1). Table 1: Number of Deliveries at the Maternity Hospital, Singapore Year - Deliveries at Maternity Hospital, Singapore 1915 - 174 (Hospital sited at Victoria Street)1916 - 1951917 - 2061918 - 2211919 - 2321920 - 3421921 - 4961922 - 4661923 - 7971924 - 688 (Moved to a new site at Kandang Kerbau)1925 - 5881926 - 7531927 - 1,0191928 - 1,3041929 - 1,6061930 - 1,8821931 - 1,9551932 - 2,1461933 -