~Apa2 pasal Hospital/Klinik/Dentist/Optician/ Sinseh dan Rawatan Tradisional

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Medisave can be used for outpatient treatment of 2 more chronic diseases
Posted: 03 March 2008 1706 hrs

SINGAPORE : From 1st April 2008, Medisave can be used for the outpatient treatment of two more chronic diseases - asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.

The withdrawals will be capped at S$300 per Medisave account per year and the existing deductible of S$30 and co-payment of 15 percent will also apply.

The announcement was made by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in Parliament on Monday.

The latest move brings to six the total number of chronic diseases which can be paid for with Medisave for outpatient treatment.

Some 180,000 Singaporeans are expected to benefit from the move.

The other four chronic diseases are diabetes, hypertension, lipid disorders (for example, high cholesterol) and stroke.

Asked by MP for Marine Parade GRC Dr Fatimah Lateef if the scheme could be extended to cover mental illness as well, Mr Khaw said the Ministry will keep options open.

However he said the current focus is on key chronic diseases with established treatment protocol and measurable clinical outcome.

Mr Khaw cautioned that Medisave at current contribution rates is only designed for inpatient treatment.

And extensions to expensive outpatient care are exceptions.

He added that any temptation to broaden its use liberally should be resisted, or it will be depleted prematurely.

The Health Ministry says in the first full year of its implementation, the scheme benefited more than 91,000 patients who had withdrawn a total of S$17 million from their Medisave accounts.

More than 700 GP clinics are participating in this scheme. - CNA/ch

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March 7, 2008         
Hospital delays likely during exam period
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent

EXPECT some delays at hospitals later this month, while senior doctors put 230 future doctors through their exams.

These final-year medical students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have to be tested in their craft 'on the ground', which means they will examine and diagnose real patients with real medical problems under the watchful eye of invigilating senior doctors.

All six public hospitals will be involved, starting with the National University Hospital next Saturday, with each taking some of the 230 students.

Patients with 'interesting' medical problems will be asked ahead of time to help out - by consenting to being the cases these students have to diagnose or suggest treatments for.

A university spokesman said students will be tested on how they take patients' detailed medical history, as well as on key clinical skills, including professionalism and the ability to perform proper physical examinations.

Patients are assured that these fresh-faced men and women in white overcoats will not do any 'operations or other invasive procedures' on them.

At the Singapore General Hospital, surgeons will stop doing non-emergency operations a couple of days before exam day, in order to clear out an entire surgical ward.

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Singapura : 27 Mac 2008         
         
PANEL DI SEBALIK FIRMA UBAT CINA DAPAT SIJIL HALAL

PEP kurangi birokrasi dan baiki rangka kerja khidmat awam untuk buka peluang niaga baru

PENGURUS pemasaran syarikat Science Arts, Encik Ong Lye Hwee, sedar beliau memiliki satu idea perniagaan yang baik apabila beliau mengetahui bahawa ramai Muslim di Singapura mengamalkan perubatan tradisional Cina (TCM) untuk merawat penyakit biasa dan untuk menjaga kesihatan.

Namun ada satu hambatan baginya - produkproduk TCM yang diimpot dari China dan Malaysia oleh pesaingnya datang dengan label halal yang dikeluarkan pihak berwajib di negara-negara tempat produk itu dihasilkan.

Di sini, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis) hanya mengesahkan kehalalan produk makanan, yang mengecualikan produk kesihatan.

Encik Ong berkata:

'Jelas kami kurang daya saing. Kami dah hilang 15 peratus daripada pasaran sebelum pertarungan bermula.'

Mujur bagi Science Arts, berlaku satu anjakan positif.

Sebagai jawapan kepada saranan oleh sebuah lagi syarikat kepada Panel Prokeusahawanan (PEP), permintaan pelanggan yang kian meningkat dan maklum balas yang sering didapatkan daripada industri, Muis memutuskan untuk meluaskan khidmat pensijilannya kepada produk berkaitan kesihatan pada lewat 2004.

Dan Science Arts menjadi syarikat pertama mendapatkan sijil halal bagi produk TCM-nya.

Hari ini, syarikat itu mempunyai 19 produk yang mendapat sijil halal seperti kapsul lingzhi dan bilberry.

Jualan di gerainya, Ingrelife, yang terletak di pasar sementara Geylang Serai, telah berganda sejak mendapat sijil halal tersebut.

'Ia serta-merta membuka peluang bagi syarikat seperti kami, dan peluang itu bukan hanya untuk pasaran tempatan,' kata Encik Ong.

'Ia memberikan kami laluan mendekati masyarakat Islam di seluruh dunia.'

PEP tidak sahaja mengurangkan birokrasi atau 'red tape' malah juga memperbaiki rangka kerja perkhidmatan awam untuk membuka peluang baru bagi perniagaan.

Anggota PEP dan ketua pegawai eksekutif (CEO) The St James Pte Ltd, Encik Dennis Foo, berkata:

'Dari sudut pandangan perniagaan, PEP merupakan saluran yang baik bagi masyarakat menyuarakan kebimbangan terhadap birokrasi pemerintah.

'Melalui PEP, kami boleh membantu agensi mendapatkan pandangan lebih jelas mengenai pembangunan dan keperluan pasaran.

'Setiap saranan daripada golongan peniaga disemak dengan teliti dalam mesyuarat PEP.

'Kami tidak mudah menerima jawapan 'tidak' - agensi-agensi perlu memberikan alternatif sekiranya mereka berpendapat sebuah saranan berisiko, seperti keselamatan awam.'

PEP dibentuk pada 2000 untuk mendapat maklum balas secara aktif daripada golongan peniaga mengenai bagaimana peraturan dan garis pandu pemerintah boleh diperbaiki untuk mewujudkan sekitaran properniagaan di Singapura.

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March 28, 2008         
Many refuse routine HIV test at CGH[Brown]
Lack of anonymity cited as main deterrent, but hospital still hopeful
By Judith Tan



ADULT patients at Changi General Hospital (CGH) are saying 'no, thanks' to its routine screening for the Aids-causing virus HIV, believing themselves to be too old or in a low-risk group.

More than half or 58 per cent of the 2,890 male patients and nearly three-quarters of the 2,217 female patients hospitalised between Dec 17 and Jan 31 turned down the test when asked if they wanted it.

CGH started the tests on Dec 17, following a study last year of leftover blood samples belonging to public hospital patients, none of whom was known to be HIV positive. Tests done found one in 350 to be infected.

A CGH spokesman said the hospital understands the sensitivity of the routine test, and it is studying the reasons patients opted out.

Mr Lionel Lee, executive director of Action for Aids (AFA), confirmed that privacy is a major factor. He pointed out that in Kelantan Lane, where one can take the test anonymously, the number of those tested went up 14 per cent - from 6,046 in 2006 to 6,903 last year.

He said those who test positive are counselled and advised to register at the Communicable Disease Centre for treatment.

'It is a choice they have to make themselves,' he said.

However, if an individual tests positive in a hospital setting, it is no longer a private affair. The hospital is requiredby law to inform the Ministry of Health (MOH).

CGH is the first public hospital to offer the test to all adult in-patients. Those who take it pay between $6 and $23, depending on the class of ward.

CGH declined to reveal how many of those who were tested turned out to be HIV positive.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital, which began testing all its expectant mothers for HIV on an opt-out basis since 2004, extended the test to the few young males in its adolescence medicine wards in January. Singapore General Hospital starts HIV testing next month.

The rationale for these tests is that early detection means timely treatment - and longer, improved quality of life - for the patient.

A check with MOH found that 356 new cases of HIV were reported here in the first 10 months of last year, compared to 357 in the whole of 2006.

A CGH spokesman said that, despite the disappointing take-up rate for the test, the hospital will continue to encourage its patients to take it.

AFA's Mr Lee also hopes testing in hospitals will catch on.

'I believe, with time and education, people will no longer opt out,' he said.

[email protected]

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March 31, 2008         
More than 1,000 jobs at new Yishun hospital
By Ho Ai Li

IT MAY be two years before it opens its doors, but the upcoming Khoo Teck Puat Hospital will start filling up more than a thousand positions from Thursday.

It is looking to hire both medical and non-medical staff, from brain surgeons to accountants and cooks, at its first job fair on Thursday.

Other positions on offer include that of occupational therapists, medical social workers, porters and operations executives.

Named after late hotel tycoon Khoo Teck Puat, the general hospital in Yishun is scheduled to be ready in 2010 and have 550 beds.

'An early head start will allow ample time for those who are not experienced in healthcare to get the necessary training,' said Mr Liak Teng Lit, chief executive officer at Alexandra Hospital, who will run the new hospital.

Most of Alexandra Hospital's staff will move to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital when it is ready. A new team will take over at Alexandra Hospital.

Some of the jobs, for radiographers and pharmacists for instance, are for immediate vacancies at Alexandra Hospital. They will move to the new hospital in Yishun later.

The job fair will be held alongside a commemoration ceremony for Phase Two of the new hospital's construction, which will be attended by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

The master plan for the development for the adjacent Yishun Pond will also be unveiled at the ceremony on Thursday afternoon.

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March 31, 2008         
First heart transplant and beyond
By Lee Hui Chieh


$10M GIFT: At the National Heart Centre's 10th anniversary dinner yesterday were SM Goh (centre), with businessman Goh Cheng Liang (left), whose Goh Foundation donated $10 million to the centre's Health Endowment Fund, and Prof Koh. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

THE road to Singapore's first heart transplant began in 1988, when Dr C. Sivathasan travelled to Australia to learn the ins and outs of one of medicine's most complicated procedures.

It was a time when Singaporeans still had to travel overseas for some complicated operations, such as heart transplants.

But two years later, doctors and Singapore General Hospital performed the operation for the first time.

Yesterday, Dr Sivathasan, with 700 others, including cardiologists, heart surgeons and former patients, got together to remember groundbreaking achievements in heart surgery.

At the gathering, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also unveiled a book commissioned by the National Heart Centre (NHC) that commemorated the organisation's 10th anniversary.

Dr Sivathasan, who remains co-director of the NHC's heart and lung transplant programme, recalled those pioneering days.

After his internship in Sydney, he returned to Singapore and had to brief not just the surgeons, nurses and technicians who would be directly involved in the first transplant, but also the radiologists, microbiologists and pathologists who would be key in fighting infections after the procedure.

'Doing the transplant operation itself was not a big deal. It was stitching big vessels together. Managing the complications such as rejection and infection was the important thing.'

The team performed the first transplant on a 59-year-old retiree in July 1990, who died eight months later, when his body rejected the heart and he developed a lung infection.

Since then, 40 other heart transplants have been done here. The third and fourth people to have the surgery are still doing well now, after their operations in August 1991.

Dr Sivathasan later went on to help perform the first lung transplant here in 2000, and the first robot-assisted heart surgery in 2005.

Associate Professor Koh Tian Hai, the NHC's medical director, was another of Singapore's medical pioneers. He was one of the first few cardiologists here to be formally trained in surgery to remove build-up in arteries called angioplasty.

Recalling those days in the late 1980s, Prof Koh said yesterday: 'It was very exciting and very new. Before this, cardiology was more about diagnosis and giving medication. Angioplasty gave cardiologists a chance to really do something for patients.'

Last night, the Goh Foundation also donated $10 million to the Centre's Health Endowment Fund, which is now subsumed under the SingHealth Foundation. The money will be used to promote research in cardiac areas and improve patient care, among other things, said Prof Koh.

[email protected]

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April 3, 2008         
Public hospitals in for changes to optimise resources
By Lee Hui Chieh

MAJOR changes are expected in the way public hospitals and polyclinics are grouped and managed to optimise resources, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Thursday.

As part of the overhaul, the regional hospitals - Changi General Hospital (CGH), Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun - will be given more autonomy in the day-to-day running. They will also manage a few polyclinics in their vicinity, said the minister.

CGH's parent group Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) will focus on running Singapore General Hospital and the Outram medical research campus, as well as KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

The other public health group - the National Healthcare Group (NHG) - will continue to run Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Institute of Mental Health and also some polyclinics in the area.

The National University Hospital, under NHG, is already being run together with the medical school at the National University Hospital autonomously by a board.

The changes will allow each hospital to focus its energies on improving the health care standard in its own region, said Mr Khaw, speaking to reporters after viewing a documentary on a Chinese plague fighter which premiered here on Thursday.

He said they will also lead to better competition, division of labour and cost management.

Mr Khaw said that the changes will be made gradually, and that details have yet to be worked out.

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PM Lee urges medical research community to collaborate on national scale
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 April 2008 2131 hrs

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged the medical research community to collaborate and integrate on a national scale. He said this is also the key challenge facing them in the years ahead.

Mr Lee also said Singapore needs to follow through on the investments made in the life sciences over the last decade. He was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Centre of Translational Medicine (CeTM) on Tuesday.

The S$180m CeTM, scheduled to open by mid-2010, will have a full range of facilities like a simulated hospital, laboratories and an imaging centre.

The facilities will be shared by some 500 researchers and educators under the National University Health System (NUHS), the entity which resulted from the merging of the NUS School of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, and the National University Hospital under a single Board with common management.

Four storeys at the centre will be devoted to teaching while nine floors will be set aside for research in areas like cancer, cardiovascular illnesses and the study of infectious diseases.

John Wong, Dean of Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at NUS, said: "The labs will be studying infectious diseases that are currently endemic in Singapore....dengue, TB, HIV. We are going to work closely with the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). One of the areas they want to work alongside our investigators is influenza. So I think this is a national resource... working on diseases which we currently face, developing new treatments, diagnostics, new strategies."

The new centre will also be a crucial link between the teaching faculty, researchers and the National University Hospital (NUH). Such synergy is what Singapore wants to harness.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, PM Lee said there is scope for more clinical research within Singapore's R&D drive.

"Clinical research will help us grow our medical capabilities, stay ahead of our competitors, and maintain our status as a regional medical hub. Increasingly, our competitive edge in healthcare has to be based on better knowledge and stronger skills, grounded on scientific research, rather than being the cheapest. This is how world-class medical centres like Duke and Johns Hopkins maintain their pre-eminence.

"Their research institutions are closely linked to hospitals and medical schools. Such integrated set ups make it easier for clinicians and researchers to collaborate across disciplines, and across hospital-school lines."

One key feature of the new centre is the simulated hospital. It will house four clinical labs, an ICU and an operating theatre. Trainees will use sophisticated mannequins to simulate real-life conditions over and over again before touching a real patient.

Associate Professor Chen Fun-Gee, a senior consultant at NUH's Department of Anaesthesia, said: "Previously we were very opportunistic; we actually hope there'll be a right patient coming in. Even when the patient comes, there may not be an opportunity for me to touch a patient, because it's not fair for me as a student to touch a patient. This is replaced by the virtual hospital....created very similar to major hospitals in Singapore. It's virtual enough, the students would feel no different when they go to a real hospital." - CNA/ir

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Online portal to ensure safety, traceability of TCM herbs
By Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 16 April 2008 1641 hrs



SINGAPORE: An online portal will be developed to track traditional Chinese medicinal herbs - from cultivation to the retail shops - to ensure safety of the products.

Good herb manufacturing quality and distribution tracking makes good business sense. That is why Eu Yan Sang is taking part in the project to develop the iGATES portal.

Richard Eu, Group Chief Executive Director, Eu Yan Sang International, said: "iGATES wraps up all the processes together and enables the various stakeholders and the various parts of the value chain to connect on this platform."

Chemical fingerprinting profiles the chemical make-up of a herb and genomic fingerprinting provides an objective evaluation of the genetic family of plants, based on species, cultivated varieties and origin.

The online system, which can be licensed to companies and regulatory authorities, will enable the exact source of the problem to be traced quickly.

The project is estimated to cost S$445,000 and the portal is scheduled to be ready by the middle of next year.

In 2006, about S$300 million worth of TCM herbs were imported into Singapore.


- CNA/so

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April 17, 2008         
Sudden closure of clinic leaves patients in limbo
By Judith Tan

PATIENTS of a chiropractic clinic in Raffles Place have been left wondering why it has been shut since April 7.

Global Corrective Chiropractic, located on the seventh storey of the Royal Brothers Building in Raffles Place, remained closed as of yesterday. Calls are not being answered and patients' X-rays can be seen pushed under the front door.

Its principal practitioner, Dr Robyn Hall, who is also listed as a director, has been uncontactable, as also its other director, Mr Chester Ting Kui Yee.

Other tenants on the same floor were surprised at the sudden closure. Business at the clinic appeared good, with a 'constant stream of clients', said a worker from an office a couple of doors away.

Among those left in limbo are Mr Tan Thiam Boon and his wife, Madam Diana Yap. Theyhad been going there for the past year.

'My husband and I were supposed to have gone back to be assessed after receiving more than 100 sessions each. We were waiting for the clinic to call us once the X-rays arrived,' Madam Yap told The Straits Times.

But no one called. When she called the clinic late last week, she was told that the system was not working and they would get back to her. They never did.

Patients pay between $2,000 and $8,000 each for 70 to 125 sessions. The Tans had paid $10,000 in all and were almost done with their treatments.

Some patients had only just started, while others were halfway through.

The police confirmed that they had received complaints from several unhappy clients and had advised them on what legal recourse they could take. Some have already gone to the Small Claims Tribunal, according to reports.

Global Corrective Chiropractic, which apparently has two doctors and three other staff members, had been in operation for about a year and a half.

There were other indications that the business was not facing financial difficulty.

There were plans to open a branch at Parkway Parade shopping mall and renovations were almost done, said the contractor hired for the job, who added that the first payment had been settled with 'only $30,000 outstanding'.

A spokesman for Royal Brothers, the building's owner and landlord, said they had been 'good tenants, paying on time every month'.

'We understand that Global Corrective Chiropractic closed its office a week ago but we had been informed they will reopen this week,' the spokesman said.

A staff member of the clinic, who did not want to be identified, said the sudden stopping of business was not because of a money issue, adding: 'It was more because of a clash of personalities among the partners.'

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NUH conducts regional training course on screening diabetics
Posted: 20 April 2008 2145 hrs



SINGAPORE: More than 700 Singaporeans lose a limb to diabetes every year. Diabetics generally have poorer blood circulation so they do not heal well from injuries, leading to more serious conditions like gangrene and amputation.

A team of doctors at the National University Hospital (NUH) said the answer to this is to teach others how to detect problems at its early stages.

Associate Professor Aziz Nather, chairperson of the NUH Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Team, said: "If you want to reduce the number of people suffering from leg loss, the way to do it is for all diabetics to be screened, so that we can detect early signs of nerve disorders."

Not many in Singapore are qualified to do this screening so the NUH multidisciplinary team was formed in 2003 to keep an early lookout for diabetics who are more likely to develop problems.

"We are a bit short of podiatrists. This hospital only has two and it's not possible for two podiatrists to screen all the diabetics, so we came up with the idea of teaching nurses to do the screening," said Dr Aziz.

Since then, the amputation rate of diabetic patients in NUH has fallen 11 percent to 20 percent.

The hospital is now looking to help others in the region by conducting an annual course for doctors from countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

Fifteen participants came this year and they are passionate about bringing home what they have learnt.

Dr Otman Siregar, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Adam Malik General Hospital, Indonesia, said: "From my understanding, few orthopaedic surgeons in Medan know how to take care of patients with a diabetic foot. That's why I've come here to improve my knowledge, my skill... Hopefully, after attending this course, I can run foot clinics or help people in my city."

Participants in this course get hands-on experience and tips on what to advise their patients.


- CNA/so

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April 28, 2008         
New 550-bed Jurong hospital by 2015: Khaw
Next door will be 200-bed hospital for step-down care
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent



A NEW 550-bed hospital in Jurong will open by 2015, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday, almost a decade later than originally planned.

The long-promised hospital was put on hold in favour of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun, which is slated to open in 2010 and provide much-needed beds for the north.

Mr Khaw told the media yesterday the tender for the Jurong hospital could be delayed until 2010 because of sky-high construction costs.

With several major projects going on right now, including the two integrated resorts, demand for labour and supplies is red-hot. The building binge has bumped up the cost of the Yishun hospital by about 25 per cent - from $400 million to more than $500 million.

Mr Khaw said there was 'no point incurring a high cost which we will have to pass on to patients'.

Even if the tender exercise is shelved until 2010, he expects the new hospital will still cost more than the one in Yishun. But he said: 'I promise that no matter what, the latest we'll open is 2015.'

A 200-bed community hospital will be built next door for patients who may still not be well enough to go home, but do not require full hospital care.

All new hospitals will incorporate this feature, said Mr Khaw, a move based on the successful integration of step-down care between Changi General Hospital and St Andrew's Community Hospital. There is a covered overhead bridge linking the two.

A community hospital is much cheaper to build than a general one - $150,000 per bed instead of $1 million in a general hospital, Mr Khaw said.

The Yishun hospital will also have a community hospital nearby while Tan Tock Seng Hospital will have the soon-to-be-completed Ren Ci hospital.

'This is the integration with step-down care we are focusing attention on over the next few years,' Mr Khaw said.

Dr Lim Suet Wun, chief executive officer of the National Healthcare Group, will head a committee to build the new Jurong hospital.

He told The Straits Times he plans to connect the hospital with several overhead passes to adjacent buildings and the MRT station.

'This will make for great convenience to patients and their relatives, which will be more important in the future in dealing with chronic conditions and the trend to more outpatient care,' he said.

The hospital will be built in the proposed Jurong Lake district, a development that will include homes, hotels, offices and retail outlets.

It will be taller than existing hospitals and give patients panoramic views of the lake and its surroundings.

Given Singapore's expected increase in population to as many as 6.5 million people, Mr Khaw is already reserving land for future hospitals.

He said the north will 'definitely need two to three hospitals'. Aside, from Yishun, a plot in Woodlands has been earmarked, with Bukit Batok possibly the location of a third hospital.

[email protected]

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Jurong General Hospital to integrate best of hospital features
By Hasnita Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 April 2008 2349 hrs



SINGAPORE: The new Jurong General Hospital will be a "green building", with state-of-the-art technology. It may also be as high as 20 storeys to give a panoramic view of the Jurong Lake district.

Lim Suet Wun, Head of Planning Committee, Jurong General Hospital, said: "With each hospital we intend to improve on what's been done. So we certainly expect this hospital - in terms of its facilities, how it looks like and its operational aspects - to be the most modern hospital that the government could built."

Patients will have radio frequency tags which can provide their pulse rate and temperature automatically. This will be implemented at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in June.

The hospital will also be energy-efficient. Dr Lim continued: "It will have to integrate into its environment and certainly will have to have the convenience to make sure that we have links to all the adjacent buildings."

Dr Lim said it took his committee about eight months to conduct a feasibility study of the Jurong General Hospital. The 12-member committee comprises people who had experience in developing hospitals.

A model of the hospital will be unveiled in the later part of 2008.

The hospital, like all future facilities, will also have a community hospital next to it. This is to provide patients with step-down care, if needed.

The Changi and St Andrew's Hospitals, the first to pilot this arrangement, said such integration has led to greater synergy of resources and administrative work.

TK Udairam, Chief Executive Officer, Changi General Hospital, said: "We can schedule the patient to have surgery (or) therapy. Start here and then they continue in St Andrew's...

"Over time, if we can expand this, we can actually do the pathway so that it comes from CGH, goes to St Andrew's and even goes to step-down care."

Dr Loh Yik Hin, Chief Executive Officer, St Andrew's Community Hospital, said: "There has been greater efficiency because even in shared processes such as means testing, part of this can start during the inpatient stay at CGH and then we can complete the tail end of the means test."

"Being located next to CGH (Changi General Hospital) also helps us address some of the acute needs of our partner hospital. For instance, during the height of the acute bed crunch, we were able to let Changi General (Hospital) have 33 beds in one of our wards and this has gone quite some way in alleviating their bed crunch."

About 80 per cent of patients at St Andrew's hospital are referred to by CGH.

Structures like bridges will be built in the new Jurong General Hospital to connect the tertiary hospital to the community hospital, and also to other amenities in the area such as the MRT station and nearby shopping centres.

The Jurong General Hospital will be ready by 2015. - CNA/vm

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New S$21m St Andrew's Autism Centre to be built at Elliot Road
By Hasnita Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 April 2008 2305 hrs


St Andrew's Community Hospital in Simei

SINGAPORE: A new S$21-million centre catering to autistic people up to 55 years old will be built in the East Coast area.

The St Andrew's Autism Centre will look at the comprehensive needs of people with autism, including education, social skills training and recreation. It will also prepare them for employment.

The centre will be located at a two-hectare area along Elliot Road, the site of the former St Andrew's Centre Hospital.

The new centre will have specially-equipped classes and daily training rooms, a sensory gym, music therapy and dance rooms, a library including a toy library, and a domestic science lab.

It will also have sheltered workshops, medical and assessment centres, as well as sports and outdoor play facilities. Family members can also access services such as counselling and autism-support training.

Currently, the St Andrew's Autism Centre is situated at the St Andrew's Community Hospital in Simei. It caters to autistic kids and youths up to 18 years old.

Although there are 18 special schools with a total enrolment of 1,200 children and youths with autism, only three schools are autism-specific.

While there are no actual figures for the adult autism population in Singapore, what is known is that services for them are inadequate. There are an estimated 30,000 people with autism in Singapore, but only one in 25 are served in the school system. - CNA/vm

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April 29, 2008         
GP suspended, fined for lax in prescribing sleeping pills

A BUKIT Batok general practitioner has been suspended for a year, fined $8,000 and censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for inappropriately prescribing sleeping pills.

Dr Justin Quek Pong Thia, 41, of Wesley Family Clinic & Surgery at Block 265, Bukit Batok East Avenue 4, was found guilty by the SMC's Disciplinary Committee (DC) of inappropriately doling out benzodiazepines to patients without exercising diligence and due care.

The pills given by Dr Quek usually exceeded the recommended two weeks. He also did not reduce the dosage nor stop the prescriptions at any point for months and even years.

'This pattern of prescribing was clearly inappropriate, making the patients physically and psychologically dependent on the drugs,' said the SMC in a statement on Tuesday.

The action against Dr Quek was initiated by the Ministry of Health.

At a formal inquiry held on July 24 last year, Dr Quek, who had been practising as a medical practitioner for 11 years, faced 20 charges for regularly prescribing Erimin, Domicum, Nitrazepam, Midazolam and other sedatives to his patients.

He initially claimed trial to all 20 charges.

In the interest of expediency, the disciplinary committee first proceeded with six charges and stood down the other 14 charges.

The DC, which found Dr Quek guilty of the six charges, said: 'The DC was of the view that in treating insomnia, it was prudent to start with antihistamine or mild benzodiazepine first. However, Dr Quek started off with a potent short- acting benzodiazepine like Midazolam or controlled drug like Erimin.

'The DC took into account the fact that the number of tablets given by Dr Quek usually exceeded the recommended period of two weeks.'

It added that Dr Quek did not comply with the guidelines for prescribing benzodiazepines issued by MOH in August 2002.

'There was no strategy or plan to reduce the dosage and the DC was disturbed that there were no interval between prescriptions, sometimes over a period of months or years,' it further noted.

'The DC was of the view that Dr Quek should have known or ought to have known that this pattern of prescribing was clearly inappropriate, making the patients physically and/or psychologically dependent on the drugs.'

At a further hearing on March 27, the prosecution withdrew three charges and Dr Quek pleaded guilty to the remaining 11 charges.

In meting out the sentence, the DC said it took into account Dr Quek's previous clean record during his practice of about 11 years, and his decision to plead guilty to the remaining 11 charges instead of contesting them.

Besides the suspension, fine and censure, Dr Quek had to give a written undertaking to the Medical Council that he will not engage in the conduct complained of or any similar conduct. He was also ordered to pay the costs and expenses of the proceedings including the costs of the solicitors to the Council and the Legal Assessor.

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Survey finds most patients satisfied with service at hospitals, polyclinics
By Alicia Wong, TODAY | Posted: 01 May 2008 0659 hrs



SINGAPORE: Weeks after one survey had rated public hospitals and polyclinics among the lowest in customer satisfaction, another one has found that most patients are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their services.

The later survey on independent patient satisfaction, commissioned by the Ministry of Health (MOH) last year, found 76 percent of respondents rating the service at hospitals and polyclinics "excellent" or "good"; in 2006, the figure was 71 percent.

Of the hospitals, two have shown a marked improvement in overall satisfaction. The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) shot up the rankings.

At SGH, the figure went up from 65 percent in 2006 to 76 percent last year while at TTSH, it rose from 57 percent to 69 percent during that time.

"One key strategy" to its "marked improvement", said SGH director of communications and service, Mrs Tan-Huang Shuo Mei, was to "engage the hearts of our patients". This includes calling discharged patients to find out how they are.

As for the low satisfaction with its A&E department, Mrs Tan-Huang attributed this to SGH's policy of not turning away patients "even if we have a bed crunch", leading to a longer waiting time for bed allocation.

As for TTSH, it still has "much more room for improvement"

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Singapore's largest private Lasik centre eyes regional prospects
Posted: 02 May 2008 2232 hrs



SINGAPORE : Singapore's largest private Lasik centre has just opened its doors to tap into the growing demand for laser corrective eye surgery in Asia.

Shinagawa Lasik Centre is a joint venture between the public and private sectors aiming to tap into Singapore's growing reputation in the region as a medical hub.

The new 6,000 square foot clinic is a collaboration between a Japanese Lasik clinic, a local eye care company and Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) Eye Associates.

The tie-up is unusual, as both SNEC and the local eye care company, Capitol Optical, offer services that appear to compete with the new Lasik centre.

SNEC Eye Associates is the private arm of the Singapore National Eye Centre that also does Lasik surgery. But its spokesman said there are more benefits to the venture than meets the eye.

Dr Chan Wing Kwong, Head, SNEC Eye Associates, said: "The intent of this collaboration is to increase the pie for Lasik services in Singapore by providing cost effective good quality Lasik to more and more Singaporeans."

The S$4 million centre employs the IntraLase Method of surgery. It is aiming for an initial target of 2,000 procedures a month.

Dr Chan said: "There are only so many Lasik operations you can do for Singaporeans... and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In South East Asia there are many more myopic patients who are looking for good high-quality Lasik surgery, and by embarking on this venture, we hope to encourage more foreign medical tourists to come to Singapore to have Lasik surgery."

Some 30,000 Lasik procedures were performed in Singapore last year. The Shinagawa Lasik Centre is eyeing half of all Lasik surgeries performed here in the next five years. - CNA/ms

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Singapura : 3 Mei 2008         

KIAN RAMAI PELANCONG KE SINI UNTUK RAWATAN KESIHATAN

Oleh
Hisham Hasim

LEBIH ramai pelancong datang ke sini untuk menjalani rawatan kesihatan.

Menurut perangkaan Lembaga Penggalak Pelancongan (STB), pada 2006, sekitar 410,000 pelancong datang ke sini khas untuk menjalani rawatan berbanding 370,000 sepuluh tahun lalu.

Dan angka ini tentunya kian bertambah, menurut beberapa pakar perubatan yang dihubungi Berita Harian (BH).

'Pesakit asing yang datang ke sini menerima rawatan dalam pelbagai khidmat jagaan kesihatan termasuk pembedahan biasa, pembedahan neuro dan sebagainya,' kata Dr Jason Yap, Pengarah (Khidmat Jagaan Kesihatan) STB.

Namun, kini timbul trend baru di mana pesakit datang khas untuk mendapatkan rawatan dalam bidang-bidang seperti pergigian dan bedah kosmetik.

Tinjauan BH di dua klinik pergigian mendapati semakin ramai pelancong asing yang datang ke sini hanya untuk pemeriksaan gigi.

'Kebanyakannya bukan hanya datang untuk pemeriksaan gigi, malah melakukan rawatan pembedahan bagi kecantikan mulut,' kata Dr Wong Keng Mun, Pengarah Pusat Pergigian T32 di Pusat Kesihatan Camden.

Dr Wong menambah, jika dibandingkan pada 2004, klinik beliau menerima sekitar 10 hingga 15 peratus pesakit asing di kalangan pelanggannya.

Kini jumlah itu naik hampir 40 peratus.

Daripada jumlah tersebut, 20 peratus adalah pelanggan dari Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia dan Hongkong.

Dr Rashid Tahir daripada klinik pergigian khusus bagi kanakkanak, KidsDentist, di Pusat Camden juga, turut menerima pesakit asing yang semakin meningkat, khususnya dari rantau ini terutamanya Indonesia.

'Ada di antara mereka yang datang khas ke sini pada hujung minggu, dapatkan rawatan, dan terus pulang ke negara asal. Malah pernah saya mendapat pesakit sejauh Kenya,' kata beliau, yang menerima sepuluh pelanggan asing dalam sebulan - enam daripadanya dari Indonesia.

Justeru, apakah daya tarikan pelancong asing ini untuk ke sini?

'Penggunaan teknologi terkini. Kami melabur banyak wang untuk mengadakan peralatan berteknologi canggih bagi rawatan kami.

'Di samping itu, mutu khidmat rawatan serta persekitaran yang mantap yang Singapura tawarkan juga menjadi daya tarikan,' kata Dr Wong.

Rakan pengarah beliau, Dr Rudy Shahan Hassan, berpendapat kemahiran para doktor Singapura semakin diiktiraf di peringkat antarabangsa melalui seminar-seminar dan ceramah-ceramah yang mereka hadiri dan berikan.

'Penggunaan bahasa Melayu juga memainkan peranan terutama menerima pesakit dari Indonesia yang senang berbahasa Melayu dengan kami,' kata Dr Rudy lagi.

Mengenai persaingan, kedua-dua klinik mengakui bahawa Thailand semakin agresif dalam memberikan rawatan pergigian di rantau ini.

'Namun, dengan mutu khidmat dan layanan yang baik, serta kos rawatan yang berpatutan, kami dapat mengekalkan dan menarik minat pelancong asing untuk terus mendapatkan rawatan di sini.'

'Usaha pemerintah Singapura untuk mempromosikan negara sebagai hab kesihatan juga memainkan faktor penting,' kata Dr Rashid.

Dengan nilai pasaran pesakit asing di sini berjumlah hampir $1.3 bilion pada 2006, klinik-klinik swasta ini turut gigih mempromosikan diri mereka, melalui iklan di Internet, Yellow Pages dan majalah-majalah kesihatan dalam dan luar negara.

Malah mereka turut menyediakan khidmat tambahan seperti membantu menempahkan penginapan serta penerbangan selain menyediakan pengangkutan.

Semuanya bagi membantu dalam menyumbang ke arah matlamat 1 juta pesakit asing, serta menggandakan nilai pasaran kepada $2.6 bilion menjelang 2012 - lantas menambahkan sekitar 1 peratus kepada hasil kasar dalam negeri (GDP) negara.

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Ekstra! : 7 Mei 2008         
         
PUSAT-PUSAT NEUROVISION

Program NeuroVision untuk membaiki myopia bukan saja sesuai untuk kanak-kanak, malah orang dewasa.

Di sini, terdapat beberapa pusat bertauliah yang menyediakan program itu untuk membaiki penglihatan seperti berikut:

# Pusat Mata Nasional Singapura (SNEC)

# Hospital Raffles

# Jerry Tan Eye Surgery di Pusat Perubatan Camden

# ClearVision Eye Clinic di Nutmeg Road

# Eye Associates di Pusat Perubatan Mount Elizabeth

# Eye Care Clinic di Pusat Perubatan Mount Elizabeth, Bukit Batok dan Bishan.

# Eye Specialist Clinic di Pusat Perubatan Mount Elizabeth

# Fan Mei Yeen di The Adelphi

# Integrated Eyecare Centre di VivoCity

# Specialist Eyecare Centre di Great World City

# 13 cawangan Capitol Optical di Singapura.

Program NeuroVision untuk kanak-kanak mengenakan bayaran sekitar $980 termasuk teknologi rawatan dan pemeriksaan mata sebelum, semasa dan sesudah rawatan.

Keterangan lanjut boleh didapati di laman web < www.neuro-vision.com >

SweetCandy

wah.. baguslah gini.. kawasan Jurong akan dtg ada hospital.. convenient untuk penduduk2 Jurong..