02 May 2010
The man, an Indonesian engineer who was working in Sarawak, arrived at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) with hands that had been crushed by a three-tonne generator. To save them, the SGH Hand Surgery team operated on him for more than 10 hours, using metal plates, screws and wires to piece his hands together.
He eventually recovered and went back to work within a year, although he never regained the full range of hand movements. “He was very grateful to us and brought us Indonesian goodies at every outpatient visit,” said Associate Professor Agnes Tan, Director, Medical Affairs, and Senior Consultant, Department of Hand Surgery, SGH.
Another case involved a 12-year-old boy, whose right hand was mangled in a meat grinder. Doctors had been unable to save his hand, which meant that the righthander had to learn to use his left hand. As Assoc Prof Tan is left-handed, she helped him learn to write with his left hand and encouraged him by reminding him that he had to forge on as he needed to take his PSLE that year. The process was painful and difficult for the boy, as he had to learn how to write from scratch.
These stories are among the cases documented in A Consistent Cut Above – Surgery Through The Years… – a coffee table book published by SGH’s Division of Surgery to commemorate its 20th anniversary in 2009. The book comprises a collection of personal stories, told from the perspective of surgeons and medical workers who have worked tirelessly to advance medicine and surgery in SGH and in Singapore. It also traces the history of surgery and anticipates the challenges that lie ahead.
The book, available for sale at SGH Museum, costs $50, and $10 from each book will go to the SGH Needy Patients Fund. The fund regularly receives donations from staff, grateful patients and the public, and to donate, please call 6326-6378.
Embracing hope
The story of the late Dr Bobby Woo was the most popular article in the Mar/Apr issue of Singapore Health, according to feedback from readers. Dr Woo was a cardiologist in private practice who had acute myeloid leukaemia and eventually succumbed to complications related to the disease.
Even when he was ill, Dr Woo constantly thought about the plight of less fortunate patients who may not be able to afford treatment. His widow, Dr Chua Lay Hoon, donated $50,000 to SGH to support haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patient welfare, the treatment that Dr Woo underwent, as well as research and education to further the understanding of this treatment.
Part of this donation has been used to produce a collection of stories drawn from the experiences of patients who have undergone HSCT, and includes insights and interviews with doctors, caregivers, medical social workers and others involved with HSCT patients.
Embracing Hope: Chronicles of Blood Stem Cell Transplants, published by SingHealth Academy, is for sale at $19.90 from Kinokuniya, the NUS Co-op bookstores, SGH Haematology Centre (SGH Block 7, Level 2) and the Office of Student Affairs, SingHealth Academy (Postgraduate Medical Institute, SGH Block 6, Level 1). Net proceeds will go to the Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Research Fund, to benefit patients going through HSCT as well as related education and research programmes.
To make a donation to this fund, individuals can make a cheque payable to “SingHealth Foundation – SGH” and post it to: Director, Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Programme, Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608.
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