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Singapore welcomed 374, 000 international patients in 2005, and the Health Ministry expects one million by 2012; the Lion City has truly risen to be one of the premier medical hubs in Asia
A look at a few milestones achieved by hospitals and doctors in Singapore makes it very easy to understand the high numbers of global patients that the island nation receives:
Singapore ’s focus on the most modern of medical technologies for its healthcare sector has earned it significant rewards –
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Asia saw the launch of a highly modern Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scanner in 2003, and Singapore was the first to acquire it. Doctors can now detect cancer cells with more accuracy and speed, which allows for early intervention and better chances of beating the disease.
One of Singapore’s most prominent hospitals is an Advanced Applications CT training hub for radiologists and radiographers, the very first in the region. Latest e-learning methods, hands-on practice and the opportunity to work with Toshiba Medical Systems’ modern CT machines makes this hub a great place to train in.
The use of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) technique for treating cancer was first introduced in Southeast Asia by a Singaporean hospital. The technique resulted in an increase in cancer control rates and a decrease in the rate of side effects, as it succeeded in giving high dose radiation to the specific tumor and lower dose radiation to the neighboring tissues.
Southeast Asia’s first heart transplant using an Electronic Heart Assist (Left Ventricular Assist Device) was performed in Singapore in 2001. The device has the approval of the FDA and helps seriously ill heart patients wait for an appropriate heart to be available to them.
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Mediscan R, a computerized data and image archival system launched by doctors in Singapore, enables the capture of high quality cervical photographs and videos. This novel system is the first of its kind in Asia.
Researchers in Singapore created the world’s first tumor volume measurement program aimed at head and neck cancers.
One of Singapore’s leading hospitals performed South East Asia's first minimally invasive robotic surgery for general cardiac and urology surgeries.
The first person in Asia to experience the benefits of a new stent that is claimed to be more able in keeping the arteries clear is a patient at a Singaporean hospital.
In 2004, a reputed Singaporean hospital launched the very first Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Centre in private healthcare in Southeast Asia.
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One of Singapore’s most prominent hospitals became the first in South Asia to acquire and treat cancer patients with a therapy that results in less side effects and more effective treatment -- the TomoTherapy HI·ART ® system.
A specialty hospital set up for women and children in Singapore is one of few centers in the world to use Doppler ultrasound, that looks for artery-artery anastomosis (AAA) in monochorionic pregnancies (where identical twins share the same placenta with blood vessels connecting the umbilical cords). Having AAA implies lower risk of developing Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), and also higher survival rate even if TTTS does develop. The technique enables doctors to decide on treatment.
Singapore was the first to acquire Southeast Asia’s first clinical 3T MRI scanner; it offers unmatched resolution and contrast, and is indeed a step ahead in medical imaging of the brain and spine.
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Singapore is the first in Southeast Asia to possess the OZil Torsional Handpiece , that is more effective in the fight against vision-impairing cataracts. The OZil Torsional Handpiece has an ultrasonic oscillatory movement and an angulated tip, which translates to increased efficiency, effectiveness and safety.
Singapore ’s largest hospital for women and children is the first in Southeast Asia to acquire the MR-guided Focused Ultrasound Ablation System that offers non-invasive and effective treatment against uterine fibroids.
Singapore possesses Asia’s first state-of-the-art Symbia TruePoint SPECT-CT that enables doctors to get speedier, more precise and reliable diagnosis of tumors and cardiac diseases.
Researchers in Singapore were the first to work on using the potential of human embryonic stem cells that could help generate cures for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Besides investing in modern equipments, Singapore has also carefully welcomed and nurtured highly skilled professionals who have always made their mark -
Doctors in Singapore performed a unicompartmental arthroplasty – the very first in the region – in 2000. The surgery helped many patients with arthritis in the medial compartment of the knee to avoid total knee replacement.
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Singapore 's Centre for Transfusion Medicine is recognized as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre and is globally known for its unrivalled standards in blood safety and management of transfusion services.
The world’s first successful peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor was carried out in 1995 on a five-year old Malaysian child with Thalassaemia Major.
The first Adult Living Donor Liver Transplant in Southeast Asia was carried out in Singapore in 2002.
T he first left ventricular assist device implantation, first biventricular assist device implantation, and first left ventricular assist device explantation in Southeast Asia was performed in Singapore.
The world’s first modified jaw advancement technique was performed by doctors in Singapore ; it is aimed at treating those with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
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Southeast Asia’s very first coronary artery brachytherapy , which uses radiation therapy to prevent re-blockage of coronary artery, was performed in Singapore.
In 2006, a Singaporean oncologist was awarded the prestigious Merit Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Georgia, USA. The award is in recognition of his work on targeted therapies for kidney cancer treatment.
One of Singapore’s most notable hospitals became the first in the Asia Pacific region to receive the Asian Hospital Management Award (AHMA) for Patient Safety and Risk Management.
Doctors in Singapore performed the world's first two cases of non-myeloablative cord blood transplants, one for a patient with multiple myeloma and the other for a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.
Doctors at a Singaporean specialty centre dedicated to the battle against heart disease have performed a revolutionary surgical technique that works by excluding the damaged heart muscle and reshaping the heart.
Singapore holds one of the world's first fertility clinics to produce a pair of twins from frozen eggs and frozen testicular sperm.
In 2003, a neonatal and developmental pediatrician from Singapore was awarded the Outstanding Pediatrician in Asia Award by the Association of Pediatric Societies of the Southeast Asian Region (APSSEAR)
Doctors in Singapore have been lauded for the first successful case of the Osteo-Odonto Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) ‘Tooth-in-eye’ surgery, the first of its kind in the region .
As international patients flock to this tiny Republic, its prominence and position as one of the most important medical hubs in Asia stands indisputable.
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