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The Ministry of Health (MOH) recently announced the shelving of plans for Jade Circle, a pioneering model of care for dementia patients that proposes to house them in single or twin rooms. All subsidised beds and nursing homes in Singapore currently have six- to eight-bed dormitories for patients, and the only instance for a subsidisedRead more

A commemorative book on Singapore’s experiences in overcoming infectious diseases over the past 50 years was launched on 28 December 2015 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The book, titled “Overcoming Infectious Diseases in Singapore: Past, Present and Future” is authored by Dr Vincent Pang and Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public

Responding to a Q&A feature on how to avoid carcinogens and reduce the risk of getting cancer, Associate Professor Rob van Dam advised readers staying away from cigarettes and alcohol, and that it is important to cultivate healthy eating habits. In the case of french fries, many consider them a common source of acrylamides, a

Women who have given birth once have 44% lower risk of lung cancer, regardless of their smoking habits, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National University of Singapore and National Cancer Centre Singapore. The teams looked at records of more than 28,000 women who participated in the Singapore Breast Cancer Screening Project

Singaporeans are not just living longer, but also remaining healthy for more years. Between 2004 and 2010, the life expectancy for men rose 2.1 years to 79.2, while their healthy years increased by 2.7 years. In females, the life expectancy and healthy years rose by two and four respectively. Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of

A new smartwatch, the FitSight, may help prevent myopia in children. The gadget, aimed at children aged six to 12, tracks light intensity of the wearer’s surroundings, which is then translated into hours and minutes. Prof Saw Seang Mei from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and head of myopia research at the

Outbreaks and epidemics are often recognised by an explosion of sudden infections and high mortality rates, as seen in the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa or the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. The recent outbreak of Hepatitis C at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is different, from its mode of transmission to

Having a couch potato lifestyle increases the risk of heart disease among men aged 50 and above, a study of about 400 people has found. The participants who were Chinese men aged 50 and above, and had never had heart failure or a heart attack, were found to a higher body fat percentage, an indicator

Ageing is an inevitable process, but by adopting various lifestyle habits, we can ensure we age gracefully and healthily, said Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, speaking to Nee Soon South residents at a talk on ‘Overcoming Ageing’. Prof Chia highlighted that to manage the ageing process, we should accept

In a recent article in The Straits Times ‘Bring back house calls’, Dr Sandeep Jauhar called for the return of house calls in the United States, owing to lack of continuity of care for patients post-discharge and resulting in costly unplanned hospital readmissions. However, according to Associate Professor Gerald Koh from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of