NUHCS's Women's Heart Health Programme held the Go Red Community Heart Health Carnival at Bukit Batok Pavilion on 16 September 2018. Graced by Mr. Murali Pillai, Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok Single Constituency, the event was organised as part of our programme's community outreach initiative to increase public awareness of cardiovascular diseases in women.
Residents from Bukit Batok came together to join in various heart health activities, which included screening for cardiovascular risks, chronic disease and functional screening (vision, hearing, oral hygiene). A screening for atrial fibrillation was also conducted for the first time. 12 lead-electrocardiograms were performed for residents with irregular heart rhythm picked up from the blood pressure machine during screening.
Ms. Janice Kee, Senior Nurse Educator, NUHCS, and Ms. Adeline Teo, Nurse Clinician, NUHCS, held the first public cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) relay to educate and empower the public with knowledge of CPR skills in a fun and interactive way. Mr. Pilai and Prof. Tan Huay Cheem, Director, NUHCS, kicked off the relay followed by the residents. In total, 68 residents, including nine children as young as six years old, participated in the CPR relay. The session clocked a total duration of 180 minutes.
Our team also conducted a series of talks and educational activities. Dr. Jade Kua, Programme Director of the Dispatcher-Assisted first REsponder (DARE) Programme; Dr. Ida Suzani Binti Ismail, Consultant, National University Hospital; Asst. Prof. Lim Toon Wei, Senior Consultant, NUHCS; and Asst. Prof. Low Ting Ting, Consultant, NUHCS delivered talks in both English and Mandarin, with topics on CPR; screening for gynaecologic cancer, atrial fibrillation and dstroke prevention; and the importance of cardiovascular disease prevention, respectively.
The event ended on a high note with a cooking demonstration and a "supermarket tour with a dietitian" from the Health Promotion Board.