15 Feb 2011
IN PARLIAMENT
AN EXPERT panel has been set up to look into the safety and selection criteria of a weight-loss programme following the recent death of a participant, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday.
Mr Khaw was replying to questions raised in Parliament over the death of human-resource executive Ong Joo Aun (right), 54, early last month.
The programme, Lose to Win, was a 12-week weight-management challenge started in 2009 by the Health Promotion Board. Segments of the programme were screened on television as a reality-TV show. The challenge has been suspended following Mr Ong’s death.
The review panel is chaired by Professor Ng Han Seong, chairman of the Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) medical board.
Mr Khaw assured the House that there were safeguards in place at various stages of the programme, including target weight loss of not more than 1kg per week, supervised exercises, and rigorous screening to pick up potential contestants with medical risks, who would then need medical clearance to take part.
“In Mr Ong’s case, although he had a heart bypass 10 years ago, his doctor had found his medical condition stable and that he was fit to exercise regularly,” said Mr Khaw.
Mr Ong collapsed after a 2km walk at Yishun Stadium. He was pronounced dead at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Dr Daniel Wai, director of SGH’s obesity and metabolic unit, who is not on the review panel, said such programmes are typically done in an artificial setting where participants spend much time losing weight.
It would be more sustainable for one to lose weight gradually, especially for those with a medical condition like heart disease, he said.
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Dept of Dietetics & Nutrition Services
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