A THIRD public health group has been set up to run the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun.

Alexandra Health will also develop other community health services to serve an estimated 700,000 residents in the north, from Sengkang to Choa Chu Kang.

The community services will include a community hospital and two specialist centres away from the hospital, similar to Jurong Medical Centre, said the new group's chief executive officer, Mr Liak Teng Lit on Friday.

Services using technology to provide health care without having patients come to the hospital, such as giving medical advice over the telephone, will also be developed, Mr Liak added.

The new group, set up in April, is the first of its kind formed to improve links between regional hospitals and other health providers in the community, so patients can move seamlessly from one provider to another.

The next group is expected to be formed around Changi General Hospital.

The creation of such regional groups is part of the Health Ministry's plan to reorganise the health-care system such that patients

This is meant to improve services and keep health-care costs down.

All public hospitals were run directly by the Health Ministry until 2000, when the National Healthcare Group (NHG) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) were set up to take over the reins.

The latest revamp first began in February with the establishment of the National University Health System, which took over formerly NHG-run National University Hospital, and the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry.

Alexandra Health currently oversees the building of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and runs Alexandra Hospital and Jurong Medical Centre - both formerly under NHG. But it will give up these in two to three years' time.