SAF launches one-stop NS cardiac screening centre

SINGAPORE — A one-stop cardiac screening facility that will halve cardiac screening time for pre-enlistees and servicemen was launched today (Jan 16) by Second Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Housed in the National Heart Centre, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Cardiac Fitness Centre (SCFC) is one of the several improvements to the SAF’s medical facilities and procedures following an internal review conducted after a spate of deaths involving full-time national servicemen (NSFs) in recent years. In 2012, three NSFs died in as many months while training.

The centre 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 with red-flags that indicate cardiac abnormalities. Such abnormalities include heart murmur or cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as diabetes and high cholesterol.

All pre-enlistees and servicemen are screened before they are deployed for military operations. About 800 to 1,000 enlistees and servicemen are referred for specialised tests each month, the SAF said.

The facility, said Mr Chan, would allow doctors to share expertise and stay current with the latest health care standards.

In the past, those who required further cardiac examination were referred to different restructured hospitals. A centralised facility with standardised protocols has meant specialised tests now take three months to be completed instead of six.

The SAF said it has also been able to determine medical fitness for operational and training activities more efficiently, allowing it to minimise deployment downtime and waiting time for enlistment.

SAF Chief of Medical Corps Rear-Admiral (Dr) Kang Wee Lee said the SCFC not only enables faster medical clearance, but also allows the SAF to conduct research on the health profiles of Singapore’s military population.

“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 Dr Kang.

Other enhancements that followed the review, which started in May 2011, include a tightened screening criteria and the introduction of calcium scoring for servicemen with specific risk factors, allowing the earlier detection of heart disease.