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Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic's big move

It takes days of hard work to move Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic to its new home

The packing was carried out last Thursday and by the next day, the old Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic had been cleared out, save for the rows of seats in the waiting area.

From today, the polyclinic will begin operating at its new premises in Ang Mo Kio Central 2, just a stone's throw away from its former premises in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8.

Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic is the fourth-busiest of the six polyclinics run by the National Healthcare Group (NHG) and serves about 1,300 to 1,400 patients on weekdays. It was first built in 1981 and was renovated in 2003.

The move to the new premises required the efforts of not only professional movers, but also the polyclinic's entire staff of over 200 who helped to coordinate the move and pack documents and equipment.

Hours before the clinic closed at 4.30pm last Thursday, cardboard boxes were handed out. Patient files and other important documents were placed in these boxes. Most of the medical equipment were tightly wrapped in plastic film to prevent damage during transportation.

The polyclinic was closed from Thursday, with two days set aside for packing and the weekend reserved for equipment testing and troubleshooting.

NHG relied upon three different groups of movers. General movers handled the boxes containing paperwork, furniture and smaller items, and specialists took charge of fragile medical equipment such as mammography machines and vaccine fridges. The third group from Integrated Health Information Systems, Singapore's healthtech agency, helped to transport and set up the polyclinic's computers, which was a priority during the move.

There was a wave of nostalgia in the old building as packing was under way. A handful of staff nurses took selfies and group pictures, while some called out: "Bye-bye, Ang Mo Kio!" Staff from the dental department even came decked out in colour-coordinated outfits for the farewell picture.

By last Friday, all the work was done at the old premises except for transferring the seats in the waiting area to other branches. Several staff stayed behind to redirect patients as well.

Over at the new premises, there was a hive of activity as cleaners, staff, engineers and IT personnel continued to get ready for today's opening of a brand new polyclinic building for Ang Mo Kio residents.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 29, 2018, with the headline Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic's big move. Subscribe