News & Stories

More youth suffer sports-related injuries, risk long-term effects

​Sports and recreation-related injuries are increasingly common among young people, including fractures, dislocations, concussions, sprains, contusions, and superficial injuries. These injuries are often sustained during sports training or physical activities. Some injuries, such as overuse injuries like tendonitis or stress fractures, develop over time due to repeated stress on specific body parts.

According to Dr Han Fucai, Head of Division and Consultant at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, there has been an observed increase in the number of young patients presenting sports-related injuries after the pandemic. The hospital now sees approximately 50 such patients per week, which represents a nearly 50% surge compared to the pre-COVID-19 figures.

Re-injury in the same area is a common concern for young individuals who sustain sports injuries. It is crucial to provide proper treatment and rehabilitation to ensure optimal healing and reduce the risk of re-injury. Tan Ee Leng, a Senior Physiotherapist at Alexandra Hospital, emphasised that compliance and adequate rehabilitation is essential for preventing recurrent injuries.

In Focus: From SARS to COVID - how the sacrifices of healthcare workers 20 years ago helped guide Singapore's pandemic response

​Feature story on how SARS impacted those on the frontline mentioned that the outbreak started at TTSH, and later spread to SGH and NUH. The outbreak eventually shaped Singapore's COVID-19 response. From March to May 2003, Singapore reported a total of 238 SARS cases, resulting in 33 deaths.

Behind The Mask: Our Healthcare Story – Episode 3

​The last episode of this three-part documentary produced in partnership with the Ministry of Health shows how Singapore’s fight against COVID-19 was thrown into disarray by the Omicron variant, and sheds light on the exhaustion experienced by healthcare workers. It features interviews with NUH and NTFGH profiles.

Clin A/Prof Gerald Chua, Chairman, Medical Board, NTFGH, stated that although healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19 were not seriously ill, they were on medical leave and that resulted in a strain on the system. Dr Siow Wen Ting, Consultant, Division of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NUH, said that physicians across all ranks were doing odd shifts and going back to the hospital in the middle of the night to attend to patients. Dr Shekhar Dhanvijay, Senior Consultant, Department of Intensive Care Medicine, NTFGH, recalled the feeling of helplessness while taking care of a ICU patient, and Ms Thinn Su Su Swe, Senior Staff Nurse, NTFGH, talked about the appreciation messages and artworks prepared by students for healthcare workers.

More COVID-19 deaths in April, but infection rate appears to be falling

​The current wave of COVID-19 in Singapore has resulted in 54 deaths in April, surpassing the 30 deaths reported in the first quarter of 2023. A/Prof Hsu Li Yang from NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) warned that the number of deaths in May could be higher, especially among those in the 60-plus-year-old age group, which has seen a significant increase in cases and fatalities. A/Prof Alex Cook from SSHSPH explained that 54 deaths was not “a lot” compared with pre-pandemic times when Singapore had about two deaths from influenza a day, and when there were months with close to 300 deaths at the height of the pandemic in 2021. A/Prof Cook added that the best way to protect loved ones is to encourage them to stay up to date with both their COVID-19 and flu vaccines, especially if they are vulnerable.

• BH Online, 25 May 2023, Lebih banyak kematian COVID-19 tetapi kadar jangkitan berkurangan (More COVID-19 deaths but infection rate falls)
  

Behind The Mask: Our Healthcare Story – Episode 2

​The second episode of this three-part documentary produced in partnership with the Ministry of Health recounted the second year of Singapore’s fight against COVID-19, and how the Delta variant threatened to overwhelm the country’s healthcare system. Clin A/Prof Gerald Chua, Chairman, Medical Board, NTFGH, shared that staff who were normally not involved in patient-fronting duties volunteered to work alongside ward staff to take care of simple duties like serving meals. This helped to lighten the load placed on frontliners.

政府放宽防疫措施 仍有本地医院将确诊者隔离 (Government eases COVID-19 restriction, some hospitals in Singapore still isolate confirmed patients)

​In response to a query on the current COVID-19 measures in the hospital, NUH said that COVID-19 patients are clinically assessed upon arrival and are admitted when required. Patients suspected to have COVID-19 or presenting with symptoms of cough or sore throat are segregated from others. 

“疫后” 算账 (‘Post-pandemic’ evaluation)

​Lianhe Zaobao columnist Mr Giam Meng Tuck said that during the evaluation of Singapore’s COVID-19 response, he had often taken note of comments by Prof Paul Tambyah, Department of Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, National University Hospital, who praised Singapore for its good performance during the pandemic, especially in data tracking. Mr Giam cited Prof Tambyah for his professionalism, and noted that the latter had previously raised contentious questions about the cost of A class wards in public hospitals.

Behind The Mask: Our Healthcare Story – Episode 1

​In this three-part documentary produced in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Clin A/Prof Gerald Chua, Chairman, Medical Board, NTFGH, shared that during the COVID-19 outbreak at foreign worker dormitories, the men required more than just medical attention. They needed assurance because besides being anxious for their own health, they were also worried for their families back home. He also stated that hospital administrative staff volunteered to work alongside the healthcare team to care for foreign workers during the dormitory operations.

Exclusive! 8th Annual Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum 2023 (Day 1)

​At the 8th Annual Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum, Mr Peter Forbes, Group Chief Digital Officer, National University Health System, spoke about National University Health System’s work on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in the finance department, which significantly improved operational efficiency, addressed resource limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and facilitated timely completion of essential tasks. Automation was also extended to other operational areas such as the pharmacy department's home delivery processes. He also shared how National University Health System worked with the IT office to provide more agility in funding automation initiatives amid budgeting challenges.

Duo win in sports, thanks to their husbands’ organ donation

​Two Singaporean transplant recipients, Jamie Yeow and Galina Ivanova, won medals in tennis at the World Transplant Games held in Perth in April 2023. In Singapore, the Society of Transplantation (Singapore) and the SGH and NUH (NUCOT) transplant centres organise the Singapore Transplant Games once every two years. The next edition of the Games will be held in 2024, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living with COVID-19: Some parents stopping vaccine boosters for children, others will ‘wait and see’

​Some parents in Singapore are holding back on taking their children to get booster jabs, even though infectious diseases experts said that a booster shot is still useful in the current endemic phase for COVID-19 in Singapore. A/Prof Natasha Howard from NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said it ensures that people are protected against the virus given their waning immunity, helps to protect against new virus strains and reduces the spread of the virus as more people travel.

Commentary: COVID-19 vaccine deaths a reminder that benefits of vaccination must outweigh risks of side effects

​A commentary co-authored by Prof Paul Tambyah from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine said that COVID-19 vaccination is not the only cause of myocarditis, after the occurrence of two tragic vaccine-associated deaths in Singapore. The writers recommended that boosters should be encouraged for those who remain at risk of severe COVID-19 despite vaccination, such as the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

Median wait time for admission to hospital wards has gone up to 7.2 hours: MOH

In response to a CNA query, Ministry of Health said that the median waiting time for hospital ward admission has increased from about five hours to 7.2 hours due to higher volumes of COVID-19 and non-COVID patients with complex medical needs, leading to higher bed utilisation rates.

A spokesman for National University Health System (NUHS) said that hospitals under NUHS – National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Alexandra Hospital (AH) – have been implementing measures to improve wait times. NUH has created additional beds by converting existing spaces and inpatient wards to help alleviate the high attendance and patient traffic, such as the new set-up of the second Acute Medical Unit. Operating hours of allied health support services, including radiology and physiotherapy, have also been extended during weekdays as well as over weekends to manage the increased workload. More beds at NTFGH in the ambulatory ward for day surgery patients are being used for inpatients, while more basic care assistants have been recruited. AH, which had the lowest median waiting times during the week of 9 April to 15 April, has also been taking in patients from the other two NUHS hospitals.

The spokesman added that NUHS hospitals have been offering alternative arrangements for their patients where clinically appropriate, such as teleconsultation, tele-rehabilitation, tele-monitoring, remote prescribing, and medication delivery.

Work-from-home arrangement among measures some firms are taking amid Singapore’s COVID-19 wave

​Infectious diseases experts said it is important for companies to continue practising good public health. A/Prof Alex Cook from NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health supports the idea that sick employees should be allowed to work from home as a default even if it is not COVID-19. Prof Dale Fisher from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine said companies could try to redesign rosters and infrastructure to stop crowding and ensure the workplace is well-ventilated. He noted that rather than mandate, workplaces need to understand that they would have to act in a different and sustainable way to keep their staff healthy.

With masks now optional, are respiratory infections amongst young kids rising?

​Dr Rie Aoyama, Consultant, Division of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, KTP-NUCMI, NUH, said that while the lockdown, social distancing and mask wearing did not necessarily “affect, compromise or make significant changes to our immune system, it does result in an immunity debt”. She explained that there was reduced exposure to viruses when the children were younger and they are currently ‘catching up’ on the exposure to all the circulating viruses that they were not exposed to. 

Prof Paul Tambyah, Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, NUH, also noted that there is no evidence to suggest that the measures used against COVID-19 have blunted the innate immune response.

The article mentioned a caregiver whose child was admitted to NUH intensive care for Influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus in November last year.