Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) opened its doors yesterday to about 800 people for its first community event since the completion of redevelopment works that have transformed it into the largest single-site nursing home in Singapore.

The $96 million works, which included demolishing six buildings and renovating four others, took more than two years to complete. Hospital facilities were, meanwhile, housed in a temporary two-storey building on the compound.

The Serangoon Road site now houses a 12-storey nursing home with more than 600 beds, a senior care centre, a traditional Chinese medicine centre, the Academy of Chinese Medicine Singapore and a heritage gallery.

KWSH, which aims to become an integrated hub for the elderly and the community in the Kallang-Whampoa precinct, will be opening more spaces. The heritage gallery and community building, which will house a foodcourt and retail shops, will officially open by the fourth quarter of this year.

An active ageing hub was opened in nearby McNair Road last year, with another to come in St George's Lane by the end of next year.

Speaking at the event yesterday, KWSH chairman Patrick Lee said the nursing home building, which was launched last September, is on track to achieve full occupancy by the end of the year.

"Moving forward, our suite of services is expected to be expanded even further," he said, with plans for another new building to be completed by 2020.

Besides a polyclinic, the new block will also house a 128-bed chronic sick unit that will specialise in nursing home care for residents with chronic illness, said Mr Lee.

A dialysis centre operated by Fresenius Medical Care will be setting up on the premises for nursing home patients who require treatment.

The event also saw the hospital and Republic Polytechnic sign a deal to develop training courses for staff of KWSH and other community care groups.