TIE UP WITH CGH TO BOOST MILITARY SPORTS MEDICINE IN SAF

Soldiers who sustain joint and muscle injuries during military training can look forward to shorter rehabilitation time with a new pact inked between the Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps (SAFMC) and Changi General Hospital (CGH).

In a ceremony at Selarang Camp on 29 Nov, the SAF's Chief Army Medical Officer Colonel (COL) (Dr) Chua Wei Chong and CGH Chairman of Medical Board Associate Professor Low Cheng Ooi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It was witnessed by Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Ravinder Singh and CGH Chief Executive Officer Mr T. K. Udairam.

One key initiative from this MOU is the development of a set of treatment guidelines by the SAF Soldier Performance Centre and specialists from CGH to help SAF Medical Officers better assess and treat servicemen with muscle and joint conditions.

The SPC and the Changi Sports Medicine Centre (CSMC) in CGH will also jointly conduct military sports medicine workshops for SAF medical officers to diagnose and treat muscle conditions more effectively. In addition, Regular SAF medical officers specialising in Sports Medicine will be able to tap on the professional knowledge of experts in CSMC through clinical attachments.

With better trained medical officers and guidelines to assist them in treating soldiers with joint and muscle conditions, this ultimately translates to faster recovery periods for soldiers.

In his address prior to signing the MOU, COL (Dr) Chua noted that joint and muscle conditions account for about a third of all consultations at the SAF medical centres.

Highlighting that CSMC is the practice leader and the only accredited training centre for sports medicine in Singapore, he said: "CSMC's experience and expertise in sports medicine will help the SAF further develop initiatives such as identifying potential risk factors for muscle and joint injuries that servicemen can be aware of even before they commence their training."

On the collaboration with SAFMC, Assoc Prof Low said: "We see this as part of our national duty to help ensure our soldiers are well taken care of as they defend our country."

Head of the SPC Major (MAJ) (Dr) Noreffendy Bin Ali spoke about how this MOU contributes to his area of work in the SAF: "We're able to leverage on the professional knowledge of CMSC and its training opportunities to improve the medical capabilities of the SAF Medical Corps. In turn, this will help us to better manage the musculoskeletal health of our soldiers."

Third Sergeant Xu Zhiyang, a section commander in 1 Guards Battalion also shared about how he benefited from the enhanced clinical care and rehabilitation after injuring his knee cap during a 7km run four months ago.

"Initially, I thought I'd take more than six months to recover, but the SAF physiotherapists taught me exercises to strengthen and condition the muscles in my thigh, and that helped to shift my knee cap back to its original position in just four months," he said.

The MOU highlights the excellent working relationship between the SAF and CGH, and strengthens their commitment to collaborating in the field of Military Sports Medicine. It also marks a milestone in SAFMC's medical capabilities, as it seeks to continuously provide optimal medical care to servicemen.