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On 27th July, TTSH will celebrate its 163rd birthday in full bloom with the launch of The Orchid Botanica, the first orchid garden among hospitals in Singapore. Under the shade of The Art of Healing programme, The Orchid Botanica is a floral sanctuary that offers relaxation and rejuvenation to patients, visitors and staff.
Conveniently located at the TTSH Medical Centre, the garden is where Nature’s elements come together in an atmosphere of Edenic charm. A principal feature of The Orchid Botanica is the lush bloom of the newly created TTSH Orchid, specially bred and named after the hospital.
The TTSH Orchid, a stunningly beautiful flower, is a hybrid of the Dendrodium Tan Lass and the Dendrodium Mini Twist. With splendid splashes of colour, the upright and spiral petals of the TTSH Orchid symbolize TTSH’s forefront position in Singapore healthcare and intertwined dedication to the welfare of the community while providing quality and affordable medical care.
With well-arranged flowers, the plant holds a special uniqueness with its refreshing assortment of colours that burst of yellow, pink, purple, brown and indigo. Supported by strong stems, the spray of colours represents the variety of clinical disciplines, sub-specialties and allied health services firmly supported by TTSH’s medical advancement and illustrious history.
Orchid hybridiser Mr Syed Yusof Alsagoff, who created the hospital’s orchid remarked, “The TTSH Orchid is a flower that is entirely unique. The flowers are extremely well-arranged with strong spiral petals. I never imagined them to look this splendid. The range of its colours is like an artist’s palette, which makes TTSH’s Orchid Botanica a masterpiece. Patients and vistors can definitely look forward to an experience like no other in the hospital’s garden”.
Under the arm of the Art of Healing Programme, the Orchid Botanica was created for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff of the hospital and underlines the continuing commitment of TTSH to use the arts as a form of therapy to soothe the mind and body and help them on their path to recovery.
Gardens and flowers symbolise hope, happiness and life. By utilising their therapeutic qualities, it is hoped that patients are set-off on the road to recovery.
Ms Olivia Branson, Director of Corporate Communications for Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Healthcare Group, speaks of the splendour and scintillating beauty of the Orchid Botanica, “The Orchid Botanica’s appeal is significant due to its rich and serene landscape. The orchids alone allow visitors to feel revitalized and emotionally-charged. It’s amazing what a prescription of Mother Nature’s remedies can do”.
The Orchid Botanica’s landscape is unique in that it resembles the structure of an orchid flower. The visitor’s entrance is similar to the lower petal of the orchid, commonly known as the lip, the part of the orchid that attracts visiting pollinators. The garden’s spacious central landscape is adorned with water-features, oak benches and an impressive array of orchids that resembles the larger petals in the inner whorl of an orchid. Lastly, the outer ends of the garden, neatly laced with a boundary of orchids and shrubbery that overlook a grand scenery, represent the sepals in the outer whorl that serve as protective covers of the flower bud.
Therapeutic gardens are rooted deep in history’s soil. From the early days, men of different nationalities, languages and cultures have all shared an identical faith in the therapeutic quality of gardens. Roman and Persian gardens were constructed as places of peace and tranquility, and served as refuge from urban life. Similarly, gardens in India and China were highly regarded as ideal spots for prayer, meditation and contemplation. Up to the present, therapeutic gardens continue to enchant us with their enduring and effective healing properties. TTSH is indeed no stranger to this knowledge.
Issued by the Corporate Communications department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. For more information or to request for interviews, please call Farren Fernandez at tel: 6357 8415/ pager: 9802 6811 / e-mail: Farren_Fernandez@ttsh.com.sg
Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
A member of the National Healthcare Group, TTSH is the second largest acute care general hospital in Singapore with 1,300 beds. Established in 1844 by philanthropist Mr Tan Tock Seng, the hospital has 24 clinical departments and a full range of sub-specialties to meet the healthcare needs of patients. Of these, TTSH’s strengths are in Infectious Diseases, Geriatric Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. It is also a major referral centre for Emergency Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Orthopaedic Surgery, Gastroenterology, General Medicine and General Surgery. The hospital also encompasses two major specialty centres in rehabilitation medicine and communicable diseases.
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