A delegation of Singapore’s top doctors – including experts in ‘fusionless’ technology, stem cell research, robotic surgery and the treatment of thalassemia – are set to arrive in Dubai this weekend for a range of meetings and to participate in the region’s largest medical exhibition.
The delegation will be headed by the Senior Minister of State for Health of the Republic of Singapore, Dr. Balaji Sadasivan.
Ever since they successfully separated the Nepalese twins who were joined at the head in a milestone operation that lasted nearly 90 hours in 2001, Singapore’s doctors have been at the forefront of many new and innovative medical breakthroughs.
Within Singapore’s healthcare sector, there is significant interest to deepen the relationship with the Middle East by forging new links and partnerships.
“We have a cultural affinity with the Middle East as around 15 percent of our own population is Muslim. Singapore’s specific appeal to patients from the region lies in its ability to provide a safe and comfortable environment for patients and their families,” says Dr. Jason Yap, Director, Healthcare Services, Singapore Tourism Board, who is part of the delegation.
Singapore is Asia’s leading destination for international medical services. In 2004, more than 320,000 international patients traveled there for a whole range of medical care, including health screening, eye, heart and brain surgery, and cancer treatment.
A group of Singaporean healthcare providers is looking forward to participate in Arab Health 2006 from 22 to 25 January 2006, to be housed under the SingaporeMedicine pavilion.
“Arab Health is an important platform for our healthcare providers to network with key medical officials and professionals, and to promote their services and new developmental efforts in the region,” says Dr. Yap.
SingaporeMedicine will be showcasing many of Singapore’s medical strengths, demonstrating how Singapore manages and maintains its efficient healthcare system, how the country’s healthcare companies work with regional and international partners to provide a holistic approach to healthcare; and how cutting-edge IT applications and integrated solutions are optimizing Singapore’s healthcare operations and providing better quality in healthcare delivery.
“Whether their needs are basic or complex, patients find reassurance in a world-class healthcare system where the most advanced treatments are delivered by the region’s leading medical professionals,” continues Dr. Yap.
The hospitals and specialty centers in Singapore provide an integrated focus in areas such as neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology and oncology.
For example, the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), an international specialist center for treatment, education, training and research into the neurosciences, provides unparalleled services to several leading hospitals in Singapore.
Dr. James Tan Siah Heng, a consultant in the Department of Neurosurgery at the NNI, has pioneered ‘fusionless’ technology to treat degenerative spine diseases, where the traditional technique to fuse segments of the vertebrae together is avoided.
The Haematology Department at Singapore General Hospital has been at the forefront of treatment for a variety of blood disorders since it carried out its first haematopoeitic stem cell transplant 20 years ago. Since then, doctors have carried out more than 700 such transplants at the centre, including the world’s first successful peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor on a five-year-old Malaysian child in 1995.
At the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Singapore General Hospital, the results for bone marrow transplants for the common blood diseases such as leukemia are comparable to other major transplant centers. In addition, the unit headed by consultant surgeon Dr. Goh Yeow Tee has embarked on a variety of innovative measures in order to reduce transplant complications and improve overall results.
A significant component of Singapore’s world-class healthcare is its pool of medical expertise. Dr. Susan Lim is a prime example. She is widely known in Asia for being the first surgeon to have performed a successful liver transplant in 1990.
She was voted ‘Spirit of the Century’ by the Singaporean public in a national contest held to identify the role model for the 21st century.
She is in general surgery practice in the two premier hospitals in Singapore (Mount Elizabeth and Gleneagles Hospitals) with special focus on breast cancer and surgery, such as abdominal and gastrointestinal surgery, liver, gallbladder and pancreatic surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, transplantation, colon and rectal diseases, cancer, and robotic surgery.
Together with her colleague Dr. Kum Cheng Kiong, a consultant surgeon at the Centre for Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, they pioneered robot-enhanced general surgical procedures with the Da Vinci Surgical System, incorporating the use of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) as a replacement for traditional open surgical techniques in many fields of surgery. Laparoscopic exploration of the common bile duct (CBD) has the advantage over other methods of treating CBD stones in that it is a ‘one-treat-all’ procedure requiring a shorter hospital stay.
The anatomy and blood supply structure of the colon and rectum make it very feasible for MIS. Benign diseases such as diverticular disease, rectal prolapse, familial polyposis coli, inflammatory bowel disease and large benign polyps are all eminently suitable for laparoscopic surgery.
Controversies surrounding laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer have largely been settled by recent randomized controlled trials showing similar recurrence and survival results compared to open surgery, with less pain and discomfort. The advent of better instruments has also made MIS faster and more cost-effective. The combination of these factors will make colorectal surgery the next growth area of MIS.
Doctors Tan, Lim, Kum and Goh will all deliver presentations in their specialist fields at Arab Health 2006.
Singapore’s cosmopolitan, friendly society also ensures that international patients feel at home and receive treatment which is sensitive to their cultural or religious needs.
Specialized facilities include a wide variety of halal food, same gender doctors upon request, prayer rooms and directional signs for prayer at some of our healthcare establishments, female nurse chaperones and translators, interpreters and Arabic-speaking staff.
About SingaporeMedicine
SingaporeMedicine is a multi-agency government initiative which aims to develop and promote Singapore as a medical hub, and to make Singapore’s world-class healthcare services easily accessible to international patients. The initiative is driven by the Economic Development Board, Singapore Tourism Board and International Enterprise Singapore, with support from the Ministry of Health, Singapore.
SingaporeMedicine’s Participation in Arab Health
Visitors to Arab Health will be able to learn first-hand how Singapore and its companies can play a vital role in advancing the global healthcare community. The SingaporeMedicine Pavilion will highlight the healthcare value chain, connecting the medical community in the Middle East to a value-added one-stop healthcare solution. Participants at the SingaporeMedicine pavilion will include companies providing medical services (SingHealth, NHG Gulf, Parkway Group Healthcare and Susan Lim Surgery); consultancy/training and medical equipment/products (Health Management International, Neotec, Eu Yan Sang and Leung Kai Fook Medical Company); and IT health solutions (MatrixView).
