The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NUH traces its origins in the establishment of the University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1952 at the Singapore General Hospital, with Professor J A P Cameron as the Head of Department. The Orthopaedic and Traumatic Surgery service was one of the earliest of its kind in the region, serving a population of nearly one million, including patients from surrounding countries.
Undergraduate teaching started at the same time, featuring a comprehensive, broad-based, clinically oriented programme emphasising practical solutions and common problems in Orthopaedic and traumatic surgery. The Department played a pivotal role in the training of Orthopaedic surgeons from countries under the Colombo Plan. This association expanded to an international level with the formation of the World Orthopaedic Concern in Singapore. The Department’s commitment to teaching and patient care led to its recognition as one of the finest Orthopaedic Surgery programmes in East Asia from the 1960s through the early 1980s.
On 24 June 1985, the University Department moved into the newly-built National University Hospital, marking the formal establishment of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NUH under the leadership of Professor Kamal Bose. Over the past 30 years, the Department has continued its tradition of combining specialised medical care in orthopaedics with a well-designed teaching programme for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Under the dedicated stewardship of Professor Bose (1985-1998), Professor Lee Eng Hin (1998-2001), Professor K. Satkunanantham (2001-2004), Professor Wong Hee Kit (2004-2015), Associate Professor Wilson Wang (2015-2019) and presently Professor James Hui (since 1 Jan 2020), the Department has flourished and evolved into a renowned modern tertiary-level referral centre offering a comprehensive range of orthopaedic services.
