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New one-stop cardiac screening facility for NS personnel launched

SINGAPORE — A one-stop cardiac screening facility, which will halve screening time for pre-enlistees and servicemen who are referred for specialised cardiac screenings, was launched by Second Defence Minister Mr Chan Chun Sing today (Jan 16).

Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing, taking a brief look at how SAF servicemen undergo Exercise ECG (treadmill) test at the new SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing, taking a brief look at how SAF servicemen undergo Exercise ECG (treadmill) test at the new SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — A one-stop cardiac screening facility, which will halve screening time for pre-enlistees and servicemen who are referred for specialised cardiac screenings, was launched by Second Defence Minister Mr Chan Chun Sing today (Jan 16).

Housed in the National Heart Centre, the SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre (SCFC) features dedicated consultation rooms and testing stations for specialised cardiac screening — such as treadmill tests, echocardiography and CT scans—used to screen pre-enlistees and servicemen who are red-flagged for cardiac abnormalities such as heart murmur, and cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes and high cholesterol.

About 800 to 1,000 enlistees and servicemen are referred for specialised tests each month, said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Officiating the centre's opening this morning, Second Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing said the SCFC is another example that "brings to fruition the concept of closely intertwined military healthcare system and national healthcare system...(allowing us to) take good care of our servicemen and make better use of our finite healthcare resources."

All pre-enlistees and servicemen have to be screened at the SAF Medical Centre before they are deployed for military operations. In the past, those who require further cardiac examination will be referred to different restructured hospitals.

With a centralised facility and standardised protocols, the SAF said it is can now determine medical classification and medical fitness for operational and training activities more efficiently, which allows it to minimise deployment downtime and waiting time for enlistment.

By halving the period between point of referral and screening outcome from six to three months, the SCFC enables faster medical clearance for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test, said SAF Chief of Medical Corps Rear-Admiral (Dr) Kang Wee Lee.

He added that the SCFC allows amass and study the health profiles of Singapore’s military population, which allows SAF to maintain robust screening protocols.

“We are now able to accrue large amounts of data, and that will allow us to perform meaningful analysis on some of the trends and areas of concern that we may potentially develop,” said Rear-Admiral Kang.

The SCFC is one of several improvements to the SAF’s medical facilities and procedures following a May 2011 review, which had come after three deaths involving full-time National Servicemen in as many months that year.

Other enhancements include tightening screening criteria and the introduction of calcium scoring for servicemen with specific risk factors, which allows earlier detection of heart disease.

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