Health + Wellness
Staycation, Not!: Single Rooms Guaranteed!
Sick of the marble-sized lump under the skin of my inside forearm that has plagued me for months, I’ve decided to check myself into a hospital to have the rogue cyst removed.
Turns out that the lump was a epidermoid cyst that decided to make its presence felt even more by ‘growing up’ over the SG50 National Day super long weekend, and boy did it hurt. As such, I checked myself into Mount Elizabeth Novena’s A&E for an emergency consultation which resulted in a surgery plus ‘med-cation’.
Located in the heart of Singapore’s medical hub, Mount Elizabeth Novena is a ‘hotel-esque’ hospital or ‘hospitel’ if you prefer such a portmanteau, that boasts of an all-single-room setup (333 rooms in total) in which patients can recuperate comfortably in the privacy of their own rooms, without having to put up with a chatty neighbour or his or her visitors. The caveat however is the price of the rooms, and I logically chose the Class A room, no prizes for guessing why… my wallet is still in ICU by the way as there’s a requirement of an upfront payment upon being discharged, so thank God for my private integrated shield insurance plan with rider, which means the bill can be fully reimbursed, so don’t let the price turn you away, because you get what you pay for, which in this case is comfort and quality medical care! Here’s an easy way to search for your health insurance needs by the way.
Room Review
Although being the smallest and cheapest room, the Class A room is quite an adequately sized room (28 metres squared). There’s the bed, a sofa and two chairs to accommodate four visitors, individual temperature control, free Wi-Fi service, adequate storage space as well as a safe. One wall also has a counter that serves as a desk and mounted on it a large 46-inch flat screen LED tv with standard channels. Oh, did I forget to mention that there’s also a mini-bar? I did have some alcohol there, but they came in the form of swabs.
Amenities wise, the bathroom is pretty roomy and comes stocked with toiletries such as shampoo, body wash, tooth brush and tooth paste all neatly packed in a cool looking bag as though you’re really staying in a hotel. The bathroom also comes with holding bars and a fold-able seat should you need help steadying yourself when showering. Hand and bath towels are also provided and neatly folded and there are a couple of emergency pull strings should you need assistance.
As for the patients’ meals, Mount Elizabeth Novena has a menu that consists of four to six options per meal, but hospital food is still hospital food, so there’s nothing much to rave about, but in terms of service, food is being served by ‘waiters’ which is a nice touch, considering you’re staying in a hospital. There’s also the daily delivery of the newspapers, housekeeping as well as the routine on-the-dot check-up of your blood pressure and temperature.
Overall, I would say that my stay was a pleasant one, although I would much rather spend my time at home as opposed to being hospitalised and wheeled into the operation theatre to be drugged and then knifed by a scalpel. But one thing’s for sure, there’s definitely a great sense of relief after the surgery, good riddance to the cyst I say.
You can find out more about the Mount Elizabeth Hospital Group here.
