 After a treaty was signed allowing the British East India Company to set up a trading post in Singapore, Prendergast oversaw the newly established post's medical needs until William Montgomerie arrived and served as Singapore's first surgeon.Prendergast, as a military doctor, was put in charge of the first General Hospital on the island — a small shed erected near the junction of Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road in 1821.Singapore in the early colonial years was a poorly funded trading post with severe budget constraints due to Raffles' commitment to keep it as a free port, which meant that the administration was not able to raise funds through customs duties.