Welcome to Singapore, world-class medical hub

A lot of us go to Singapore to shop, attend a convention, or do the sights. But did you know that more than 200,000 visitors come to Singapore yearly to seek medical help? Most of them have surgery. Some go for less invasive procedures. And others simply go for a consultation.

Says Dr. Jason Yap, "No patient comes to Singapore because of our good healthcare … they come because they don’t have good healthcare."

Josef Woodman can’t agree more. The author of Patients Beyond Borders, Woodman himself was an unsatisfied patient who left his home in the US to undergo dental treatment abroad. His book comes at the end of a three-year study, a compilation and a guide for those who want to know more about medical travel.

Medical travel refers to traveling done to obtain medical treatment and/or cure that would have cost a whole lot more back home. In the United States alone, as many as 150,000 people traveled abroad last year for this purpose. Woodman reports that this market (said to be currently worth USD$20 billion annually) is expected to double in value by 2010.

The reasons for this are many. Other than less-than-satisfactory insurance coverage to relatively high treatment costs, Americans as well as patients all over the world are taking charge of their health. And for a lot of them, Singapore is, more and more, becoming the place to be.

Indeed, Singapore has developed itself into a world-class medical hub. Singaporean authorities admit that Singapore has to care for international patients in order to take better care of their own people. Dr. Yap explains, "We need more cases than our own people can provide. We need a wider patient base to serve our own people better, providing them world-class healthcare."

By world-class healthcare, Dr. Yap may be referring to Singapore’s seven hospitals and two medical centers which have achieved international accreditations, which are the Joint Commission International (JCI)Accreditation and ISO certifications. Add to that a good number of Singapore’s medical achievements over the years, such as the world’s first peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor in 1995and the successful separation of a pair of Nepalese twins conjoined in the head during a rigorous 90-hour surgery in 2001.

Treating a wide spectrum of conditions, keeping up-to-date with the latest in medical technology, and putting itself at the forefront of clinical research, Singapore has certainly become many patients’ destination ofchoice worldwide. This I discovered as part of a media group who visited a number of Singapore’s world-class hospitals and centers recently.

All over the world, the fight against cancer rages on. But here in Singapore, cancer patients have a good reason to smile. "It’s a good time in cancer medicine. It’s like the show 24, by the end of the day, we’ll cure cancer," declares Dr. Steven Tucker, medical director of the newly built West Clinic Excellence Cancer Center, a place dedicated to making cancer less and less a life-threatening disease each day.

Opened last year, the West Clinic Excellence Cancer Center is a joint venture of the West Clinic, one of the leading cancer centers in the US with over 25 years of experience, and Excellence Health Care, a new Singapore clinic that combines multi-disciplinary medical and dental expertise with state-of-the-art equipment. Together, they aim to treat and, ultimately, cure cancer. Without a doubt, the center is ready to battle this disease head-on.

As cancer comes in various forms and stages, the West Clinic Excellence Cancer Center is dedicated to treating the disease in the most patient-specific way possible. As a patient, you will first be introduced to the center’s Patient Assessment Care & Education (PACE) System. This system allows doctors to know you and your cancer before the treatment even gets underway.

A big help to the center’s doctors is the PET/CT Scan, which combines the capabilities of PET and CT technologies in one machine. The center also houses a SPECT scanner, which is capable of taking 3D images of the body and its organs. This machine helps detect abnormalities and locate organ functions. While treating and curing cancer is the main goal of the center, it continues to pursue intensive cancer research. Here at the center, Dr. Tucker has partnered with Nancy Miles Bailey, the center’s director of oncology nursing and clinic operations and former director of the Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network (ACORN), which boasts more than 150 oncology investigators that hold clinical trials for cancer.

With the help of ACORN, Dr. Tucker hopes to develop a revolutionary kind of therapy for cancer. He wants clinical trials to be as patient-specific as it can possibly get, being able to tell how a certain drug can affect people with respect to their backgrounds.

Patient-specific treatment translates to highly personalized treatment and care at the National University Hospital (NUH). In fact, at the hospital’s International Patient Liaison Center, patients are greeted by their first names and even receive a surprise birthday cake and song on their birthday. The center’s general manager Kamaljeet Singh Gill also makes sure the place has a perfect ambiance. "Physical environment is important. No smell of medicine, just good coffee … Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf!"

Beyond good service (and good coffee), the National University Hospital has a lot more to offer.

The hospital is known for major advances in both medical technology and clinical expertise. It is recognized for a lot of firsts. Last year, the hospital was the site for Asia’s first middle ear implantation and first hip resurfacing procedure. In 2005, it made headlines when it did Asia’s first bone marrow and kidney transplant, Asia’s first application of NovaVision visual restoration therapy, Asia’s first Delta Reversed Shoulder Replacement as well as a stem cell clinical trial breakthrough.

Also the first to achieve a triple ISO certification (ISO9001, NUH belongs to the National Healthcare Group (NHG), a leading public healthcare provider made up of nine primary care clinics, five business divisions, four hospitals, three specialty institutes, and one national center. Operating since 1985, NUH is proud to remain as the only acute care tertiary hospital in Singapore. Liver transplants have been successfully performed in this hospital since 1990. To date, NUH has done liver transplants on over 102 adults and children. The hospital is also home to a wide range of specialty institutes, including the Children’s Medical Institute, Cancer Institute, Eye Institute, and Heart Institute.

Also serving patients with a wide range of specialties while guided by the mission of providing patient-centered care is the Mount Alvernia Hospital. Founded by a group of Catholic women from the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood in 1961, this non-profit hospital provides surgical, clinical, and care services while using their earnings to either improve hospital facilities or assist in charity and missionary work.

Mount Alvernia Hospital has invested in a number of medical technologies, including a 64-slice CT scan for CT coronary angiography. It also has a high-powered lithotripter that can blast away stones in the kidneys and urinary tract, doing away with open surgery. The lithotripsy is also used to treat a number of orthopedic and sports injury conditions as it is also capable of performing extracorporeal shock wave therapy .

The hospital is well known for its Sports Medicine and Sports Surgery Center. The hospital currently services the clinical needs of the Singapore Football Association.

Mount Alvernia has two other specialty centers, the HeartCenter and the Brain Center.

The hospital is also the place chosen by a lot of mothers to deliver their babies in. This is perhaps due to the tender loving care that expecting mothers can expect pre- and post-delivery. The mothers are even fed a special tonic soup after delivery, which helps them recover their strength after delivery. There is also a childbirth education program, which comes in six sessions. Mommies and their newborns also get to go home with a care package, containing various baby necessities, including a baby bath tub, diapers and other toiletries.

Dedicated to serving the medical needs of women and children since 1924 is the KK (Kandang Kerbau) Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Architects from the Akitek Tenggara firm built a tower each for the Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital. The KK Women’s Hospital is well known for its Gynaecological Cancer Center, Urogynaecology Center, and Breast Center.

Cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery are another of the hospital’s strengths, having performed as many as 250 pediatric cardiac operations on patients that are low-birth-weight premature neonates or even young adults who have complex structural heart defects. And so far, the hospital has done these successfully, with just a 0.8 percent mortality rate.

Another specialty of the KK Hospital (KKH) in the surgical area is that which concerns children with craniofacial abnormalities. Established in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation’s Children’s Medical Fund(NKF CMF), the NKF CMF-KKH Cleft and Craniofacial Center is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. It treats various craniofacial-related conditions, including congenital cleft lip and palate, craniofacial syndromes, congenital craniofacial anomalies, craniomaxillofacial trauma, dentofacial deformities, vascular malformations, and pediatric plastic surgical cases. KKH’s cleft and craniofacial specialist also works closely with a neurosurgeon, orthodontist, otalaryngologist/ ENT surgeon, geneticist, ophthalmologist, and psychologist to provide further medical assistance to patients.

KKH’s Children’s Cancer Center, one of the largest in Southeast Asia, boasts an 80 percent cure rate for children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The center also performs bone marrow transplants and direct cord blood harvesting.

Outside the hospital, another KKH team is also actively at work. They belong to the KKH’s Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport Service (CHETS) unit. CHETS is capable of road, air, and sea transfers, always equipped with an extensive range of mobile intensive care unit facilities.

Taking off to discover your path to wellness may be just as simple as becoming "Red, White and Pure." This is a new lifestyle concept store located at the second floor of Vivo City, Singapore’s newest mall. Owned by leading Asian consumer healthcare brand Eu Yan Sang,Red, White and Pure draws inspiration from the wisdom and benefits of traditional Chinese medicine. It invites all to take part in a holistic wellness experience, something that will fill your life with good health, balance, and harmony.

According to Red, White and Pure managing director Thomas Yasuda, the store has grouped customers’ needs according to four categories: de-stress, detox, weight care, and skin care.

Your Red, White and Pure experience may begin with a refreshing drink. The Tonic bar mixes up some of the most delicious and good-for-you drinks you can ever get your hands on. How about some "Get the Power"(a cold tonic made with revitalizing red currant tea)?

From here, head on to Taste, the store’s dining area that looks right out into the Singapore harbor. Here, you can feast on a number of culinary delights by chef Raphael Gamon and his team. Back home in Los Angeles, chef Gamon is also the chef of choice for Hollywood celebrities like Cher, Madonna, and Steven Spielberg who appreciate flavorful, well-balanced meals. Back here at Taste, you can try Chef Gamon’s Salmon Paupiette, Cordon Bleu Chicken, Noble Abulon, Seafood Strawberry Essay, Lamb Cutlet Provencale, and Bird’s Nest Ice Cream on a SwissMeringue.

Meanwhile, at White and Pure’s Treat area, you can be pampered and soothed with a number of treatments, including acupuncture and aromatherapy massages. The nearby Touch area lets you participate in health and spiritual exercises, such as hatha yoga, meditation, and qigong.

Author Josef Woodman once remarked that he has always been impressed by how accessible Singapore is. Andindeed, he’s right. It’s accessible to fun, accessible to hope, and accessible to cure.

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For more medical breakthroughs and miracles happening in Singapore, visit www.singaporemedicine.com.whips up well-balanced, flavorful meals at Taste.