In the first 10 months of 2008
(January-October), there were a total of 382 reported new HIV cases
among Singapore residents. In comparison, there were 423 HIV cases
notified for the whole of 2007. It can be expected that the total
number of notified HIV cases in 2008 will exceed that of last year.
There has been an increase in the number
of HIV tests done in Singapore in 2008, compared to 2007. The total
number of HIV tests carried out for Singapore residents by local
laboratories from January through September 2008 was 124,559,
compared to 102,490 over the same time period in 2007. This
represents a 22% increase this year...
The Ministry of Health (MOH) will place
tuberculosis (TB) under the Sixth Schedule of the Infectious
Diseases Act (IDA) with effect from 1 December 2008, This will
further strengthen public health measures against the spread of the
disease, especially amongst air travellers...
There were 700[2]new cases of TB
notified among Singapore residents in the first 6 months of 2008, as
compared to 1,256 cases last year. The projected incidence of TB in
2008 is 38.4 per 100,000, which is higher than the 35.1 per 100,000
in 2007...
More than 10,100 Singaporeans have
signed Advance Medical Directives (AMDs). Over the years, 19 AMDs
have been revoked and 6 have been put into effect...
Our AMD rate of 0.4% is low. But this is
the experience in many other countries too. For example, in
Australia the sign-up rate is even lower, at 0.2%. The US is unique
in having a much higher sign-up rate compared to the rest of the
world. Their rate is around 20% in adult population...
Euthanasia is only allowed in Belgium
and the Netherlands. In Switzerland and the states of Oregon and
Washington in the U.S., doctor-assisted suicide is permissible, but
not euthanasia...
My Ministry is promoting Advance Medical
Directive (AMD) and palliative care. AMD is about letting nature
takes its course for the terminally ill at the last stage of their
lives; AMD is about not mindlessly postponing death through futile
medical interventions. AMD is not euthanasia or doctor-assisted
suicide. I do not think that Singaporeans are ready to accept
euthanasia...
The Termination of Pregnancy Act was enacted
in 1974, to provide for the safe termination of
unwanted pregnancies by trained persons in
appropriately equipped facilities.
It is to safeguard the health and well-being
of the woman who has, for various reasons, decided to
terminate her pregnancy. This is intended to ensure
that all children born in Singapore are wanted
children, who will be properly cared for, and will
have opportunities to develop to their full
potential...
The Ministry of Health will increase the
number of anonymous HIV test sites in Singapore from the current three -
Anteh Dispensary, Cambridge Clinic, and the Action for AIDS Anonymous
HIV Testing and Counseling Clinic - to seven, with
effect from 1 November 2008...
From 1 January 2008, all dental schools
accredited by the American Dental Association and the Canadian Dental
Association will be added to the Schedule of the Dental Registration
Act.
The addition of 48 American dental schools
and 7 Canadian dental schools will increase the number of recognised
foreign dental schools in the Schedule from the current 34 to 89. The
list of new and current dental schools can be found in Annex A...
Persons with congenital illnesses can join
MediShield to obtain coverage for medical treatment that is not related
to their congenital condition...
As for children attending special
schools or with special needs, the basis of coverage is the same as
the basis for other children, that is, they should be healthy at the
point of entry and have no pre-existing illnesses...
The outbreak of Salmonellosis linked to the
Prima Deli factory has ceased. There have been no new cases with
reported onset of illness following the factory closure on 4 Dec 07...
AVA will allow the company to resume its
factory operations in two stages under supervision.
With immediate effect, Prima Deli will
be allowed to produce food products that undergo high heat treatment
such as baked products and frozen dough to be baked in the outlets.
If there is no operational hygiene deficiency, full factory
operation may be resumed to produce the other products containing
ingredients not subjected to heat treatment such as cakes with
toppings...
Tattooing procedures carry the risk of
transmitting infectious diseases, like HIV, hepatitis B and C. However,
if sterilised or disposable needles are used and proper infection
control measures are followed, the risk of infection is very small...
In the past 30 years, there have been no
reports of infectious disease transmission or serious complications from
a body tattooing procedure in Singapore. There is no compelling need to
regulate the industry...
From January 1, 2008, non-PR foreigners will
not receive any healthcare subsidy. PRs will continue to be subsidised
for hospital services, but at 5 percentage points less than citizens.
From July 1, 2008, another 5
percentage-point reduction will be applied...
By the first quarter of 2008, over 4000
patients yearly at the community hospitals will be able to enjoy better
patient care, improved drug safety, fewer repeat tests and hence lower
costs with the extension of the Electronic Medical Records Exchange (EMRX)...
The extension marks the first step in the
Ministry of Health's plans to extend the EMRX beyond the public
sector...
MOH and theAgri-Food & Veterinary Authority
(AVA) conducted joint inspections of Prima Food Pte Ltd which produces
the chocolate cakes for all Prima Deli retail outlets.
Food and environmental samples were taken
for laboratory analysis. Preliminary results on 03 December 2007 for the
food samples are suggestive of Salmonella as the likely causative agent...
As at 03 December 2007, there were a total
of 106 cases including six hospitalised cases, all of whom have been
discharged. Six cases tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis. The
last case had onset of illness on 26 November 2007.
Out of the164
Singaporeans detected to be HIV infected in the first six months, about
93% of the new cases detected this year were males and 7% were females.
Sexual transmission remains the main mode of HIV
transmission among Singaporeans. Of the 164 cases reported in the first
6 months of 2007, 155 cases acquired the infection through the sexual
route, with heterosexual transmission accounting for 67% of infections,
homosexual transmission 24% and bisexual transmission 3%. Intravenous
drug use (4 cases) accounted for 2%...
Part II of the Bill establishes the
National Registry of Diseases and sets out its functions. These
include the collection of information on reportable diseases,
establishment of registers, compilation and publication of
statistics, and the provision of information for supporting health
services and national public health policies...
Clause 6, in Part III of the Bill,
makes the notification of reportable diseases mandatory for
managers of all healthcare institutions. The burden is placed on
the manager as he has the management and control of the
institution. Very limited data will be required to make a
notification...
As the general review into Ren Ci’s past
transactions also disclosed other gaps in corporate governance and
internal controls, MOH commissioned EYA to carry out a more in-depth
evaluation.
The follow-up reviews have since identified
some possible irregularities in certain financial transactions involving
Ren Ci and certain external organisations. Hence, MOH is commencing an
Inquiry into Ren Ci to establish a fuller and better understanding of
these irregularities...
MOE and MOH have jointly agreed for NUS and
NHG to establish a new governance structure for the NUS School of
Medicine (NUS-SoM) and the National University Hospital (NUH)...
Under the new governance structure, NUH and
NUS-SoM will be repositioned as a joint operating entity. This new
NUH-SoM entity will be governed by one Governing Board which will
include senior members from NHG, NUS, MOH and MOE...
MOH is building a regional hospital in
Yishun to better serve residents from the Northern region of Singapore.
Spanning over 3.4 hectares, the 550-bed hospital will offer a
comprehensive range of medical and healthcare services.
The new public sector hospital will be named
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, following the promise of a donation of $125
million from the family of the late banker and philanthropist Tan Sri
Khoo Teck Puat...
HSA is adopting a phased approach in
implementing the new regulations to minimise the impact to the
supply of medical devices and to provide sufficient time for the
industry to meet the new standards and requirements. The control
measures will be implemented in three phases, starting from 1
November 2007:..
Therefore, we propose to amend the IDA to
empower the Director of Medical Services (DMS) to obtain left-over
samples, and send them for the tests and examinations for the purpose of
monitoring the infectious disease situation in Singapore...
The Ministry proposes to expand the IDA to
empower DMS to close any premises as non-food establishments may also be
the source of an outbreak...
We propose to amend the IDA so that when
required, the DMS may require medical practitioners as well as other
categories of health care workers (e.g. TCM practitioners, dentists,
pharmacists, etc.) to obtain disease related information from their
patients...
MOH proposes to expand the IDA to
address the situation where an individual who, although unaware
that he is HIV-positive, has reason to believe that he has been
exposed to the risk of contracting HIV or AIDS (e.g. by having
unprotected casual sex with multiple partners)...
The Ministry of Health and the Singapore
Medical Council (SMC) will be including an additional 19 leading
international medical schools to the Schedule of the Medical
Registration Act with effect from 1st October 2007...
Included are 6 medical schools from China, 4
from India, 4 from Japan, 2 from Taiwan and 1 from South Korea. 2 more
medical schools from Europe have also been added...
Singaporeans graduating from any of the 159
international medical schools can also come back to Singapore, to
supplement the number graduating from our own medical schools...
In July this year, Parliament passed the
Optometrists & Opticians Act. The Act which aims to raise the standard
of eye care in Singapore will come into effect on 1 January 2008...
Applications for registration by the
Optometrists and Opticians Board have just started. Optometrists
and opticians are advised to apply for registration before 15
December 2007, in order to continue practising as optometrists or
opticians from January 2008...
Employers may now apply for the FDW Levy
Concession (Persons with disability) from 15 September 2007.
The FDW Levy Concession (Persons with
disability) will help families of persons with disability reduce costs
of caregiving where a full-time caregiver is needed...
Employers applying for the levy concession
will need to obtain a medical assessment on the functional ability of
the person with disability in performing his/her activities of daily
living...
First, their traditional diet: they eat more
pork, more tofu (bean curd), more dark green vegetables and
more seaweed than other Japanese...
Second, they are physically active. They
exercise a lot and keep active all their lives. They work for as long as
there is work available.
Third, their active daily life in turn
benefits their sleep at night. They sleep easily and while they do not
sleep long, they sleep soundly with little interruptions.
So this is the Ogimi secret to longevity: a
healthy diet, an active life and good quality sleep...
End-of-life issues are deeply emotional. But
at the Ogimi village, I did not find the villagers squeamish when
talking about it. They laughed and joked about it.
They realise that treating death as taboo
does a disservice to both the dying and the living, adding to
loneliness, anxiety and stress for all. They are grateful for a healthy
life and pray for a good, dignified and discreet death, a “pokkuri”
moment.
It takes humility to acknowledge that
medical science, however advanced, has its limits. For the most
vulnerable group of patients at the close of their lives, for whom
curable treatment is no longer an option -- their last moments matter...
"As of 1 Aug 2007, the Ministry of Health (MOH)
is allowing HIV testing with rapid HIV test kits to be offered in
medical clinics. Rapid HIV tests are screening tests that produce very
quick results, in approximately 20 minutes...
"Rapid HIV testing can only be conducted in a medical clinic by trained
clinic personnel, and only clinics which have participated in an MOH
training workshop on Rapid HIV Testing are allowed to offer rapid HIV
testing..."
MOH is setting up two new specialty centres
for cancer and heart disease at the National University Hospital to meet
the rising demand for tertiary care in these specialties...
Cancer and heart disease are the top
two killers, with cancer taking 4000 lives in Singapore each year.
They will remain the major causes of death and morbidity. New
cancer cases are projected to increase from 9,000 per year to
13,000 by 2015. For cardiology, outpatient attendances are
projected to grow from 200,000 per year to 320,000 by 2015. We
must ramp up our capacity and capabilities to meet this rapidly
growing demand...
"The drug addiction situation in Singapore
is under control, even though 999 drug abusers were arrested in the
first half of this year, compared to 446 over the same period last year.
"Of the total number of abusers arrested,
Buprenorphine abusers formed the majority, at 41%, with heroin abusers
at 30% and synthetic drug abusers at 25%.
"One reason for the increase of 553 abusers
is that the Central Narcotics Bureau gazetted Buprenorphine as a
controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in August last year..."
"Following the recent ruling by the Fatwa
Committee of MUIS that Muslims can be included under the Human Organ
Transplant Act (HOTA), the Ministry of Health intends to amend HOTA to
improve the access of Muslim patients to donated organs...
"MOH proposes to amend the HOTA to include,
upon death, Muslims who are Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents
(PR) between the ages of 21 and 60 years, who are of sound mind, and who
have not opted out...
"The inclusion of Muslims under HOTA is
expected to provide up to five additional organ donors per year
(yielding up to 10 kidneys, 10 corneas, 5 livers and 5 hearts)..."
"Currently, under the Mental Disorders and
Treatment Act (MDTA), the High Court can appoint a Committee of Person
or Committee of Estate to manage the personal welfare of or make
property related decisions for a person who is incapable of managing
himself or his affairs. However, the appointment can only be done after
a person has lost his mental capacity.
"One of the key features of the draft Mental
Capacity Bill is that it will provide a statutory framework to allow a
person to voluntarily make advance plans for his financial and personal
welfare..."
"Norovirus was confirmed in the stool
of six food handlers. These findings highlight the importance of
good food and personal hygiene. In particular, symptomatic persons
should refrain from handling food when they are not well.
"The six infected food handlers have
been issued orders prohibiting them from working until they are
certified free of infection. MOH has also advised the school on
the necessary prevention and control measures to avoid future
outbreaks.
"Pioneer Primary School recorded a
total of 147 Norovirus gastroenteritis cases, comprising students,
staff and food handlers, during the recent outbreak. The illness
is self-limiting and most recovered within 1-3 days. None was
hospitalised..."
"The aim
of the treatment and rehabilitation regime is to give
first and second time abusers a chance at
rehabilitation without the stigmatisation of a
criminal record...
"Recalcitrant abusers with two previous records for
consumption of cannabis or cocaine or that of opiates,
synthetic drugs or buprenorphine who are arrested
again for the consumption of any of these drugs would
be liable for long term imprisonment under the Long
Term (LT) Imprisonment Regime, if convicted..."
"IDAPE is
fully funded by the Government: those who are eligible
for IDAPE benefits are not required to pay premiums.
IDAPE is means-tested as it is targeted at helping the
low-income elderly who are severely disabled...
"The claims criteria for
IDAPE are the same as ElderShield. IDAPE claimants are
those who are unable to perform at least 3 out of the
6 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). They receive $100
to $150 per month depending on their monthly per
capita household income..."
"Our preliminary computations suggest that
the total ElderShield rebate amount is likely to exceed $60 million.
When confirmed, it will be distributed to the existing policyholders
numbering some 770,000.
The rebates, when confirmed, will be given
out in proportion to each policyholder’s contribution during the 5-year
period..."
"Only temporary medical registration for service provision is being
phased out by 31 Dec 2007.
"Existing temporary registered doctors brought in as service providers
before 1 Jan 2008 can still continue to work here until they either
become conditionally registered (acquired recognized postgraduate
qualifications) or they have completed their 4-6 years of service in
Singapore..."
"The Malaysian Department of Veterinary
Services (DVS) informed the Agri- Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) this
morning (6 Jun 2007) that it had detected an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu
in chickens in a village household in Sungei Buluh, Selangor.
"About 60 chickens had died as a result of
the outbreak. Although the poultry and layer farms in Selangor that have
been approved to export to Singapore are bio-secured, AVA is suspending
poultry and egg imports from Selangor as a precautionary measure with
immediate effect..."
"The
4-storey purpose-built facility comprising 2 homes,
Sunbeam Place and Evergreen Place, was completed in
May 06 and commenced operations a month later.
"Sunbeam Place is a group home for children
and young persons run by Singapore Children's Society. Evergreen Place
is a home for the aged run by Singapore Amalgamated Services
Co-operative Senior Citizens Home..."
"Our current bed situation is tight,
particularly in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital as it is the only hospital
serving the large population in the north besides its own catchment
area.
"The over-crowding in TTSH in turn causes spill-over to the other
hospitals, especially National University Hospital and Changi General
Hospital. There will be relief when the new general hospital in Yishun
opens in 3 years time..."
"Hosted at the Central Lending Library in
Basement 1 of the National Library at 100 Victoria Street, the
exhibition will be open to the public from noon of Thursday 24 May until
Sunday 8 July from 10am to 9pm daily...
"Through text panels, photographs, artefacts,
interactive displays, video clips, documents and news reports, visitors
to the exhibition will be able to learn how and what they can all do to
fight and prevent diseases, individually and as a nation..."
"We support the stand that personal
information identifiable to an individual participating in human
biomedical research should be safeguarded.
"Proper rules governing the access and use of
personal information and a secure system of information protection would
re-assure research subjects on the confidentiality of personal
information.
"In this connection, MOH is drafting a
National Disease Registry Bill to provide an overarching legal framework
for the collection of epidemiological information on key diseases for
public health policy and planning purposes..."
"A higher
subsidy of $300 will be given to patients below per
capita family income of $300 per month.
"Approximately 550 more patients will stand to benefit
from the revised scheme. The new framework will apply
to new patients who seek dialysis treatment at the
VWOs..."
"Right now, it is one Singaporean,
multiple medical records, stored away in different clinics and
hospitals in different formats, and not connected or consolidated.
As a result, when patients visit different doctors, they have to
have tests repeated and scans redone. This adds to unnecessary
cost.
"We are moving towards this target of
'One Singaporean, One EMR'. Because of legacy systems, we cannot
achieve it in one step. But we have made progress...
"However, this is a complex national
project - very few if any countries have successfully implemented
a system that links up public, private and the charity sector..."
"MediShield coverage among active
workers is not bad, at 90%. But 390,000 Singaporeans below 20
years of age are not insured. The premium at their age is
inexpensive, only $30 per year.
"And
young parents can use their Baby Bonus to pay the
premium. So cost is not the issue...
"We will introduce an
opt-out scheme for infants to be automatically covered
under MediShield from the time their births are
registered.
"Premiums can be deducted
from their fathers' Medisave or alternatively their
mothers'. Parents who do not want such coverage can
opt out any time by informing the CPF Board. We will
get this done later this year..."
"The heaviest patient attendances were
seen at Ang Mo Kio (27,041) and Jurong (24,275), more than double
the volumes seen at polyclinics such as Queenstown (9,345), Marine
Parade (10,393) and Outram Polyclinics (10,550) - the lowest in
attendances among polyclinics..."
"From October 2007, PRs will
continue to be subsidised for hospital services, but at 5
percentage-points less than Singapore citizens.
"From October 2008, another 5
percentage-point reduction will be applied. This way, Singapore
citizens will enjoy greater subsidy than PRs, by a total of 10
percentage- points.
"As for the other foreigners, there
will be no more healthcare subsidy from October 2007.
..."
"MOH has investigated into the Ang Mo Kio
Secondary School outbreak which occurred on 25-28 Sep and established
the cause as norovirus gastroenteritis. Investigations into the cause of
outbreak at Stamford Primary School are still in progress although
norovirus has also been identified.
"As at Friday, 6 Oct, two other schools [ACS(I)
and Maris Stella (Primary)] have reported 20-30 cases of students and
staff falling ill with similar symptoms. These cases are also being
investigated to determine their cause..."
"There has been an increase in the number of
persons attending the polyclinics for acute diarrhoea over the past
three weeks...
"However, in view of the recent outbreaks of
norovirus gastroenteritis in two schools affecting a large number of
school children, the Ministry would like to advise the public to be
vigilant about diarrhoeal illnesses..."
"The 2005 data show that public
hospitals are affordable. This is especially so for
the Class B2 and C wards.
"The average B2 and C bills are below
$1,100. 95% of all B2/C bills are below $3,500.
Considering the high standard of clinical care
provided in our public hospitals, this is quite an
achievement..."
"While some heroin addicts appeared to have
benefited from Subutex, many others seem to have merely shifted their
addiction from heroin to Subutex.
"In addition, many more who have never tried
drugs before have become new addicts. Within 4 years of introduction, we
now have at least 3800 Subutex users, 45% of them Malay, 43% Chinese and
10% Indian...."
"This large scale exercise will involve over
1,000 personnel from MOH, the Ministry of Education (MOE), home-front
and related agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS),
Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA), Maritime Port Authority (MPA)
and the People's Association..."
In Singapore, the number of HIV-positive
people has climbed steadily from the first case detected here in 1985 to
2,641 by December 2005. Three out of four (74.77%) who are infected are
actively employed...
In 2005, out of the 255 new cases reported,
a great majority (87%) comprised the age group of 20 - 59 years old,
with those aged 20 - 49 years accounting for as much as 70% of all new
cases...
Charges Filed against Richard Yong and Loo Say San
CAD has
completed its investigations into the affairs of the
NKF and presented its findings to the Attorney
General's Chambers. After considering the
investigation report and the evidence, the Public
Prosecutor has decided to proceed with one charge each
under Section 157 of the Companies Act against Mr
Richard Yong Kun Da and Mr Loo Say San for failing to
exercise reasonable diligence as directors of NKF. The
offence carries a maximum penalty of a fine not
exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding one year.
On
the basis of the evidence available, CAD will not be
filing criminal charges against any other person.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
18 April 2006 @ 9.30 am
"As a result of direct Government subsidies,
the average Class B2/C bills are relatively modest. In
2004, the average bill size for Class B2 and C wards
were around $1,050 and $800 respectively...
"As at end-December 2004, the average
Medisave balance for all active accounts was $17,321. This is enough
to cover more than 20 times the average Class C hospital bill or 10
times the 90th percentile Class C bill..."
"Ever
since September 11 and the arrest of the Jemaah
Islamiyah members in Singapore, we have stepped up our
security measures...
"Exercise Northstar V is the largest scale
exercise we have conducted so far. We simulated a scenario with multiple
bomb explosions and a chemical agent release in 4 MRT stations and 1 bus
interchange, to stretch ourselves and test our capabilities..."
"Q2: Whether the NKF made or caused to be
made misleading claims as to patient numbers, patient subsidies and
treatment costs?
"KPMG found that figures relating to the
number of kidney patients, patient subsidies and treatment costs were
inflated or misleading in its press releases and fund raising
promotional materials.
"In the amount of funds that was
raised and used for dialysis. KPMG found that based on the financial
statements for the year ended 31 December 2003, approximately 10 cents
out of every charity dollar went towards subsidizing patients’ direct
treatment costs.
"In the NKF’s Investment Report 2004,
it was reported that “out of every dollar NKF raised in 2003, $0.52 went
to our beneficiaries and programmes for the year,…”
"Previously, some wives were not aware of
their spouse's HIV status and so they were at risk of the HIV infection.
Since July this year, we have informed the wife when the infected
husband had not informed her of his positive HIV status.
"Over the last 5 months, 41 women have been
informed by hand-delivered letters that their partner is infected and
that they should go to CDC for testing..."
"This brings the total number of HIV infected
Singaporeans including 25 children to 2584 as of Oct 2005. Of
these, 999 are asymptomatic carriers, 631 have full-blown AIDS and 954
have died.
"Heterosexual transmission has been the most
common mode of HIV transmission among Singaporeans since 1991.
Most of these cases contracted the infection through casual sex and sex
with prostitutes in Singapore and overseas..."
"Over the last 5 years, my Ministry
investigated an average of 188 complaints of alleged child abuse each
year. Only in 40% of cases did our investigations reveal real evidence
of abuse.
"Granted, the number of cases with evidence
of abuse increased by about one and a half times from 61 in 2000 to 90
in 2004. This is due largely to greater awareness among those who have
regular contact with children and who reported the incidents to the
authorities for intervention..."
There has been an increase in
the number of outpatient attendances for conjunctivitis
(red eyes) at the polyclinics in the first four weeks of
August 2005. About 1,300 cases per week were treated for
the condition compared to the average weekly figure of 610
cases per week from January to July 2005.
Conjunctivitis is usually
caused by a viral infection. The commonest complaint is a
sudden onset of red, itchy eyes. There may also be fever,
headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough and muscle aches.
The disease is usually mild
but it is infectious. It spreads easily from
person-to-person, especially those living in the same
household and in crowded places. Therefore, family members
should avoid sharing common household articles, such as
face and bath towels, handkerchiefs, pillows or bed linen
with infected persons.
Hand-to-eye contact is another
common route of spread. The public should avoid rubbing
their eyes and wash their hands after touching their eyes.
They should not share eye drops and eye washes.
Persons with conjunctivitis
are advised to seek treatment from their family doctors
and continue to practise good personal hygiene and proper
disposal of contaminated items.
"Young people are vulnerable to AIDS. Locally, 1 teenager under
19 years was tested positive for HIV in first 6 months of 2005
bringing the total number of young people in the 10-19 age group
who are HIV-positive to 19 as of June 2005. In addition, there are
also 458 young people in the 20-29 age group who are infected.
"The increasing numbers of HIV positive young people are a
worrying trend. It is tragic for a young life, so full of
potential, to be limited by a positive diagnosis of HIV. It is
even more tragic when the infected person unknowingly spreads HIV
to other young people, like himself or herself, by engaging in
casual sex or sex with multiple partners. However, we believe no
one can help young people more than themselves. Young people have
the ability and courage to take difficult issues head-on and come
up with bold and innovative solutions..."
Deaths of SAF
Servicemen Due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac death or SCD results from
sudden cardiac arrest in a person who is
usually in a state of normal health. In
other words, the person may not exhibit any
warning symptoms or signs prior to the
attack.
In the SAF, over the period from 1996 to
2005, for these nine years, there were 19
cases of sudden cardiac deaths, that is
about 2.1 cases a year.
Of these, five had collapsed during
training; the others were not during
training. There is no comparative data for
the Singapore male population. However, the
National Heart Centre study showed that
there were 261 cases of sudden cardiac
deaths among the Singapore male population
aged 18 to 45 over the period 2001 to 2003,
that is over a three year period, or an
average of 87 cases per year.
To put the issue in perspective, allow me to
share some pertinent information on the
chances of surviving a sudden cardiac
arrest.
Dr Lim Swee Han, Senior Consultant and Head
of the Singapore General Hospital Accident
and Emergency Department, reported in a
January 2005 paper that there was a 4.1%
survival rate in 968 non-trauma cardiac
arrest cases in a five year period, from
1994 to 1999.
Dr Marcus Eng Ong Hock, in a cardiac arrest
and resuscitation epidemiology study in 2003
reported that from a total of 548
out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in
Singapore, only 2.0% survived to discharge.
Even among patients who suffered cardiac
arrest in tertiary hospitals, that is while
they were already in hospital where the best
care is available, the survival rate to
discharge ranged from 18 to 32%, according
to studies from various countries.
Unfortunately, death as a consequence of
cardiac arrest is the most common outcome
even with optimal management.
Statement by
Minister for Defence Mr Teo Chee Hean in
Response to Parliamentary Question on Deaths
of SAF Servicemen Due to Sudden Cardiac
Arrest - An Excerpt
"...Judging by
the hundreds of e-mail messages, letters and phone calls
that have flooded The Straits Times since Monday, donors are
upset by the size of Mr Durai's salary and bonuses and his
travel perks...
"What many
ordinary people know of the NKF are its heart-rending
fliers, the plaintive pleas by its telemarketers and
watching sick children on television.
"They remember
digging into their pockets to give.
"...Unlike the past when practically every
Singaporean was born in a public hospital, Medisave made it affordable
for many mothers to deliver their babies in private hospitals.
"The combined effects
of these two structural trends have resulted in the
new KKH being under-utilised. Bed
occupancy is about 65%, below average. Number of babies born is
one-third what it used to do...
"As a government, we should be pleased that
Singaporeans are finding private obstetric care
affordable. Then our limited resources can be
re-deployed to serve more pressing needs, like
oncology and geriatrics, where patients may not be
able to afford private hospital care. Time to
Change.."
"Just
last month, in a small shopping centre in Hougang, I
saw someone approaching a teenager who was puffing away in the air-conditioned
lobby of the place, just outside a lan-gaming shop. When he told the young man
not to smoke there, the boy retorted, 'I like it, leh!'..."
"...We do not know the reasons for the sharp increase
of HIV in the gay community. An epidemiologist has suggested that this may be
linked to the annual predominantly gay party in Sentosa - the Nation Party
-which allowed gays from high prevalence societies to fraternize with local
gay men, seeding the infection in the local community. However, this is a
hypothesis and more research needs to done.
"The reported new cases are only the tip of the
ice-berg. In total, we have more than 2,000 HIV/AIDS patients. But for every
AIDS patient we have diagnosed, there are possibly 2 to 4 undiagnosed patients
with HIV in Singapore. That means there could be, anywhere between 4,000 to
8,000, undiagnosed HIV patients in Singapore..."
"These are doctors who have devoted many years of
their lives to public service; good doctors and dedicated teachers. I have
expected them to retire in public sector. Why are they now in private
practice?
"Within the Ministry, there seems to be a view
that the "loss of doctors to the private sector is not a loss, for as long as
they continue their practice in Singapore". I do not agree with this view.
The loss of good teachers and clinicians from the public sector is a big loss
to Singapore...
In a few months, the Ministry of Health will
set up a unit that will focus on prevention
of AIDS. New HIV cases this year are set to
hit a peak of 300. More than 2,300 people
here have so far been infected, of whom 874
have died.
"According to WHO, there are about four thousand
people in Singapore with HIV. We have only diagnosed less than half of them.
"If we do not act, by 2010, we may have more than
15,000 HIV persons in Singapore. Then, sometime in the next
decade, Tan Tock Seng may very well
become the AIDS hospital..."
A recent
survey of more than 2,000 people by the Singapore
Urological Association found that half of the more
than 600 men in their 50s or older who had erectile
dysfunction were also diabetic. 47.3 per cent also
had coronary heart disease, 38.9 per cent had high
blood pressure and 42.1 per cent had enlarged
prostate.
AVA has
concurrently imposed a suspension on imports of poultry and
poultry products from Malaysia with immediate effect (18 Aug
2004).
AVA would like to
assure the public that poultry and poultry products in Singapore
are safe for consumption.
Majority
of Singaporeans trying to lose weight
About 80
per cent of 537 Singaporeans polled in a recent
survey by AC Nielsen in May 2004 said they were
trying to lose weight. 45 per cent said they
considered themselves overweight.
The
survey polled 9,500 people in 13 countries in Asia
Pacific.
Women are now
15 per cent more likely to get cancer than in the
five-year period from 1978 to 1982, according to the
latest five-year figures from the National Cancer
Registry. Top on the list is breast cancer whose cases has
doubled from 27 women per 100,000 each year then to 55
women in recent times. The latest 5-year figures which
cover the years from 1998 to 2002 also show the risk of
getting cancer for men has dropped by 8 per cent compared to
20 years ago.
Source:
Straits Times 21 Jun 2004 (1)
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
New graphic
health warnings for cigarette packs
New graphic
health warnings will be displayed in half of the front and
back of cigarette packs sold here from 1 Aug 2004. Health
Promotion Board statistics show that the consumption of
cigarettes per capita decreased from 1.28 in 1999 to 1.03
in 2003. However, women smokers aged 18 to 24 form a
growing group which grew from 5.9 per cent of the group in
1998 to 8.2 per cent in 2001. In the youth group aged 18
to 25, the percentage of smokers grew to 16.2 from 15.8.
Source:
Straits Times 15 Jun 2004 (H7)
More
elderly people left in nursing homes
More old
people who are well enough to live at home and attend
daily rehabilitation have been left in nursing homes run
by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Checks
with 14 VWO-run homes showed every one had at least one
such patient. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH),
there were a total of 6577 residents in 53 nursing homes
at the end of March 2004, compared with 5,955 in 54
nursing homes in 2003, and 4529 in 48 homes in 2000.
Source:
Straits Times 3 Jun 2004 (H1)
Scientists working
for the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France,
have discovered evidence that points to oral sex being a cause
of mouth cancer. They studied more than 1,600 mouth-cancer patients
from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and the Sudan, and more than
1,700 healthy people. The researchers think oral sex performed on
men and women could infect people's mouths. (Straits Times 26 Feb
2004) (3)
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