IN THE NEWS
Heart to Heart
with our New Chairman, Medical Board
We welcome Associate Professor Lim Yean Teng as the new Chairman of the Medical Board (CMB).
Taking over the reins from Professor John Wong since 1 January 2003, A/Prof Lim is no stranger in NUH
having served as Chief of Cardiac department for the last three and a half years. He is also Co-Director of
The Heart Institute, National Healthcare Group; Senior Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor
with the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
What are your thoughts of your
new appointment?
A/Prof Lim: It is an honour to be appointed
to this job but it comes with heavy
responsibilities. The main reason for taking up
this appointment is because I hope to make
a difference – to our patients, our staff and
the hospital.
What is your vision for NUH?
A/Prof Lim: For our patients, NUH will be
the place where they will receive high quality
and evidence-based medical/dental care,
provided by caring and professional staff. In
addition, I hope to build on our reputation
as a tertiary university hospital at the cutting
edge of technology with modernised facilities.
To establish the hospital as one that is known
for its excellence in patient care, education
and research and be a workplace of choice
– one that our staff are happy and proud to
be associated with.
What are some initiatives you will
implement as CMB?
A/Prof Lim: Firstly, I will continue to improve on
the quality and safety of patient care in NUH. Coordination of healthcare delivery is also high up on
my agenda. Reducing turnaround time for
investigations and improving patients’ access to
healthcare will be certainly looked at. Our staff are
our most important resource and I will continue
to focus on staff development and upgrading.
What advances in the medical arena would
you like to see in the near future?
A/Prof Lim: Currently, we are focused on the
treatment of established medical conditions. My
hope for future breakthrough is that we can be
more effective in terms of disease prevention. To
have the ability to diagnose and treat diseases in
sub-clinical or very early stages when they first
occur. Also, newer and less or non-invasive
treatments with higher success rates. and low
risks/complications.
Honour to Singapore!
Congratulations to Mr Tyrone Goh, Director of
Operations/Children’s Medical Institute, NUH, for his
election as President of the International Society of
Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT) at
the World Congress in Amsterdam (September 2002).
The second Singaporean to be elected as the society’s
President since its establishment, Mr Goh is also General
Manager of NHG Diagnostics.
He says, “All countries, no matter how poor or
underdeveloped, should have at least a basic radiological
service. ISRRT will be there to support the
efforts of the local governments and
international organisations to make this
happen.” Formalising the accreditation of
more overseas qualifications for
radiographers, increasing training
opportunities for local radiographers, oneto-one teaching in countries that lack basic
radiological services are just part of his
plans to raise the standards of medical
imaging in Asia and the rest of the world.
Radiation Oncologists
Bag Research Prizes
NUH’s radiation oncologists from The Cancer
Institute (TCI) won two out of the four
research awards presented at the Royal
Australian and New Zealand College of
Radiologists (RANZCR) Annual Scientific Meeting
held in Adelaide in October 2002!
Congratulations to Dr Thomas Shakespeare,
Consultant, who received the prestigious
Novartis Prize for Best Scientific Research for
a first ever-study on patient involvement in
decision-making for palliative radiotherapy!
ck.
d Dr Michael Ba
espeare (left) an
Dr Thomas Shak
Cheers to Dr Michael Back, Consultant, who won the Dr Chris Atkinson Award
for Best Presentation in Quality Assurance in Radiation Oncology.
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Award for Excellence
Congratulations
to Dr Adrian Low,
Registrar with
the Cardiac
department, for
winning the "CCT
2002 Award for
Excellence" at the
Complex Catheter
Therapeutics
Meeting in Kobe, Japan
(November 2002)!
CUT IT OUT
Caring for Your Voice
The Must-Knows
By Sarah Lovell, Senior Speech Therapist
Our voice acts as the melody of our speech. It provides
expression, feeling, intent and mood to articulated words.
It is an integral part of our lives and yet we often neglect
to care for our vocal cords. This may result in voice disorders.
A voice disorder exists when a person’s (voice) quality, pitch
and loudness differs from those of similar age, gender,
cultural background and geographical location (Harris, 1998).
Voice disorders can happen to anyone and are proportional
to an individual’s voicing needs.
To manage voice disorders successfully, it is important to
be aware that there is a problem and change poor vocal
habits. People in vocally-demanding professions (eg. teaching
and sales) should take steps to prevent the possibility of
developing voice disorders.
Possible Causes of Voice
•
Systemic diseases (eg. effects of medication, endocrine
disorders and infectious diseases).
•
Structural abnormalities (eg. vocal fold nodules, polyps,
cysts and congenital airway anomalies).
•
Disorders of voice use (eg. muscle tension, vocal
fatigue, vocal abuse and misuse).
•
Neurological conditions (eg. nerve damage, Parkinson’s
disease and stroke).
•
Poor lung function.
•
Surgical procedures (eg. head and neck surgery).
Tips for Good
Vocal Health
Instead of...
Habitual coughing or throat clearing.
Shouting habitually to get attention.
Prolonged talking to someone far away.
Talking in noisy environments.
Using vocally abusive habits when nervous.
(eg. holding your breath, talking too fast or using too low a pitch)
cut & keep
Disorders
You should...
• Sip water.
• Swallow slowly.
• Yawn to relax your throat.
• Use non-verbal means to get attention.
• Move closer to the person whom you are talking to.
• Learn to project your voice without strain.
• Reduce the noise if possible.
• Move closer and face the person you are speaking with.
• Use non-verbal means to get attention.
• Be aware of these bad habits and try not to practise them.
✃
Talking during exercise.
•
•
Using too low a pitch; allowing your voice to ‘drop’ and
become rough; talking in monotone.
Continuing to speak when out of breath.
•
•
•
•
Talk after exercising.
Fitness instructors should use amplification aids and nonverbal commands.
Vary your pitch when speaking.
Put some energy into your voice.
Speak slowly and pause to take your breath.
Sip some water.
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CUT IT OUT
More Do’s & Don’ts
for Good Vocal Health
• Don’t be over demanding on your voice. • Don’t dehydrate your throat. To soothe
Rest your voice frequently throughout
the day.
• Don’t continue using your voice when
you feel strain. Recognise voice strain,
fatigue, tension and dryness and take
steps to prevent them.
• Don’t ignore prolonged hoarseness or
changes in your voice. Consult a doctor
if the change persists for more than a
few days.
• Avoid polluted, smoky and dusty places.
your throat, drink plenty of water
constantly throughout the day or suck
sugar-free sweets.
• Get advice and treatment if you have
gastric problems, indigestion or
heartburn (acid reflux can irritate the
sensitive lining of your throat and cause
voice problems).
• Seek advice and treatment if you have
sinus problems and allergies (they can
strain your voice).
MAKE A DATE WITH US
CME Programmes
cut & keep
NUH conducts CME programmes regularly. Look out for more programmes in the next issue of Lifeline!
For registration/enquiries, please call Jenny (6772 5423), Stella (6772 4829) or fax: 6777 8065.
Date/Time
Topic
1 Mar 2003, 2pm – 4pm
(Lunch: 1pm – 2pm)
Management of Thyroid Diseases
8 Mar 2003, 2pm – 4pm
For Clinic Assistants
15 Mar 2003, 2pm - 4pm
(Lunch: 1pm – 2pm)
Current Treatment Strategies
for Liver Tumours
22 Mar 2003, 2pm – 4pm
(Lunch: 1pm – 2pm)
Molecular Pathology for
General Practitioners
29 Mar 2003, 2pm – 4pm
(Lunch: 1pm – 2pm)
New Therapies for Erectile Dysfunction
Venue
NUH Auditorium
(National University Hospital,
Kent Ridge Wing, Level 3)
CME programmes are accredited
with 2 CME points by SMC.
✃
Advisor: Mr Chua Song Khim (Chief Executive Officer) Editor: Mrs Eunice Toh (Head, Endowment Fund & Corporate Affairs)
Editorial Team: Desiree Wong & Pauline Kheng, Corporate Affairs
To update your mailing address or send feedback, please direct to: The Editor, Lifeline c/o Corporate Affairs Department,
National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074.
Tel: 6772 4693 Fax: 6779 5678 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nuh.com.sg
Contents are not to be quoted or reproduced without the permission of National University Hospital.
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