Digestive health is central to overall well-being, influencing nutrition, immunity, and quality of life. Yet common conditions, such as ulcers, liver disease, and colorectal disorders, often go undetected until they lead to serious complications. To address this, the National University Hospital (NUH) has officially opened the National University Centre for Digestive Health (NUCD), a facility dedicated to early detection, advanced treatment, and seamless patient care for digestive diseases.
Since its concept launch in 2024, NUCD has focused on consolidating NUH’s digestive health services under one roof to provide greater convenience for patients. Its reach extends beyond NUH, serving as a referral hub for complex cases from other hospitals within the National University Health System, including Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital, ensuring patients receive specialised care when needed.
With its official opening, the Centre is strengthening the entire care pathway by accelerating access from initial digestive consultation to surgical expertise in Upper Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic, and Colorectal, so patients can see the right specialists on the same day. This streamlined approach reduces waiting times, minimises repeated visits, and enables faster treatment decisions for better outcomes.
Strengthening prevention: From community collaborations to clinical excellence
NUCD has contributed significantly to the clinical validation and implementation of the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score and fibroscan to screen for liver fibrosis, or scarring of the liver, in high-risk patients with fatty liver and other chronic liver diseases 1. Since September 2022, a chronic liver disease screening programme for high-risk individuals has been launched in partnership with National University Polyclinics and General Practitioners (GP) clinics. Through consultations and routine health assessments done at these clinics, asymptomatic individuals identified as potentially high-risk are referred to NUCD for comprehensive screening. To date, the Centre has screened more than 12,000 high-risk patients, facilitating earlier detection and interventions. With continuing medical education and engagement, NUCD continues to expand this network to enhance preventive care for liver health.
Another key focus of the Centre is improving the detection of colorectal cancer, often called a ‘silent killer’ because symptoms usually appear only in later stages. According to the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 20222 , colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths locally. To tackle this, the Centre is improving colonoscopy quality by increasing the Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR), a measure of how often doctors detect and remove precancerous polyps during the procedure.
Making IBD care more convenient and precise
Established in 2016, the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Centre of Excellence is now a cornerstone of NUCD, delivering advanced care across all ages - from paediatric to adult patients. Among its key innovations is the home administration of intravenous biologics, reducing the need for frequent hospital visits and improving convenience.
Others include point-of-care intestinal ultrasound, which enables real-time, non invasive assessment during clinic consultations, and a translational precision medicine programme that personalises treatment and provides access to clinical trials and novel therapies, such as faecal microbiota transplantation. The IBD Centre of Excellence also aims to play a leading role in regional education, having hosted IBD training programmes for over 100 healthcare professionals from ASEAN countries in the past five years.
“The launch of NUCD marks a significant step forward in how we care for patients with digestive conditions,” said Adj A/Prof Lee Guan Huei, Centre Director, National University Centre for Digestive Health. “By bringing together advanced diagnostics, specialist expertise, and cutting-edge technology, we aim to deliver care that is faster, more precise, and patient-focused. At the same time, we are driving research into new detection methods and innovative therapies, such as blood-based diagnostic tools that reduce the need for invasive procedures while maintaining accuracy. Our goal is simple - to detect problems early, treat them well, and help our patients live healthier lives.” Adj A/Prof Lee is also Head and Senior Consultant, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, NUH.
