[3] Established on 20 May 1959,[1] physicians practicing in Singapore and overseas received their postgraduate clinical training in the hospital.

[5] In the 1960s, the patient load gradually increased and new facilities, such as a surgical block and an X-ray department, were added.

In the 1980s, the current facilities of the hospital were unable to cope with increasing numbers of patients from the surrounding estates, including Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Serangoon and Bishan.

The management of the hospital then decided to move to a bigger site to increase its bed capacity.

However, though the efforts to improve the services and care, the hospital's patient load increased to maximum capacity in mid-1990s.