The National Skin Centre (NSC) is the tertiary referral dermatology centre in Singapore.
It is led by a team of over 40 dermatologists with the experience and expertise to treat a wide variety of dermatological and sexually-transmitted conditions. With 400 multidisciplinary staff members, it provides a full range of services, looking after 1200 patients each day, accounting for over 80% of all outpatient dermatology visits in public healthcare institutions. Patients with complex dermatoses such as severe extensive eczema, psoriasis and immune-mediated skin diseases are managed by coordinated team-based care.
Over the last 30 years, NSC has made great strides in rolling out specialised clinical services e.g. Mohs micrographic surgery, cellular grafting, and skin imaging of skin cancers. It was the first facility to introduce seamless, paperless electronic medical records in 2004 and a patient health portal in 2012. It was the first facility in South East Asia and one of the first worldwide to be accredited in ambulatory care by the Joint Commission International (JCI) in 2007.
It has developed close partnerships with primary care, intermediate and long-term care providers, to improve the quality of dermatology care in the community. This has been made possible through the adoption of tele-dermatology and expanded training programmes for health-care workers.
NSC provides pre-professional training in dermato-venereology for students from the 3 medical schools, graduate training for dermatology residents, primary care physicians and other healthcare professionals. Since 1998, NSC has also trained 206 overseas and 325 local primary care practitioners through the Graduate Diploma in Family Practice Dermatology course.
At the international level, NSC is committed to working with overseas dermatology programmes to bring skin health to the global community.
Between 1990 and 2018, NSC trained over 100 local dermatologists, and nearly 500 international fellows and trainees from 38 Asia-Pacific and Middle-Eastern countries.
Since 1995, it has been hosting conferences on Dermatology and Venereology regularly every 2 to 3 years. The conference focus on advances and updates on a broad variety of topics for dermatologists as well as other doctors interested in the field. A faculty of international and local experts regularly draws audiences of 400 to 500 delegates. The conference has been a feature of the regional dermatology calendar. The most recent 11th edition of the conference was held from 26 to 28th October 2018, and was attended by over 460 delegates from 23 countries.
In preparation for the future, we are building a new 10-storey building with a floor area of 25,000 square meters, housing state-of-the-art clinical, teaching and research facilities. Slated to open in 2022, the new NSC will double patient care services and increase capacity for greater collaboration with international programmes to advance skin health for all.
