Greenlink Medical Clinic

25/08/2025

ear ALL,

Dr Hong will be on leave on 26/08/2025 Tuesday Night.

There will be NO Relief Doctor.

He will be back to work on 27/08/2025.

18/08/2025

Dear ALL

Dr Hong will be on leave on 20/08/2025 Wednesday Night.

There will be NO RELIEF doctor.

He will be back to work on 21/08/2025.

21/07/2025

Dear ALL,

Please take note.

Dr Hong will be on leave on

Friday 25/07/2025.

And from

Monday 28/07/2025 ​to Thursday 31/07/2025.

There will be NO Relief doctor.

Clinic will resume normal operations on 01/08/2025.

06/06/2025

Health Screening, Colorectal Cancer, a Positive Outcome….

Quite some time ago, I used to be an active Tennis Player. Good enough to play competitively during school days.

After starting work, I stopped playing tennis.

But then some years ago, I started playing with some SIA Cabin Crew at the SIA Sports Club.
I have since stopped due to lack of time.

I recall one of the cabin crew asking me one day what I did. They were all mostly Pilots and Cabin Crew with some office staff.

I told him that I was a doctor, and his reaction was quite interesting.

He said something like this, “wah! Your job very negative man. How you tahan…”

I replied, “ yah, come here and hit some balls and de-stress lor hahaha….”

But then I asked him hmm, why do you say that?

His reply was that in my line of work, I just listen to problems the whole day long.

I am surrounded by negativity.

I never looked at it that way before but as I thought about it, he had a point.

Not all patients we see are ill. In fact many well patients come in for routine things like Health Screening, Vaccinations and general consultation for their health and administrative stuff.

But it is true, a large part of my day is spent listening to problems.

So when good things happen, I guess it is also important to take some time to appreciate and maybe, also to share.

So here’s something with a somewhat positive outcome.

Recently, we had a patient in her late 60s who had Health Screening done at our clinic.

A Basic Health Screen was ordered consisting of blood tests for Diabetes, Cholesterol, Liver Function, Kidney Function, Calcium and Uric Acid levels, Blood count test and a Urine test.

MOH offers a subsidised screening for Colorectal Cancer for those above 50 years old. We ordered this test as well.

This stool test is known as the Faecal Immunochemical Test - we just call it FIT KIT.

What this does is test for the presence of blood in the stool. If there is blood in the stool, it can come from piles which is very common but it can also come from things which are not good.

It was fortunate for this patient that Health Screening was done.

She was found to have Diabetes - Newly diagnosed, her blood glucose was very high and needed treatment immediately.

When she came back for review, I explained to her the results.

We discussed about her diagnosis of Diabetes and we agreed on starting medication to bring her condition under control.

Her FIT KIT result came back as Positive - 2 samples were sent and both showed the presence of blood.

Such a result requires a further evaluation in the hospital setting.

After some discussion with her family, they decided to be referred to a private hospital.

I referred her to a senior and experienced surgeon at Mt Alvernia Hospital. She was seen by the surgeon who ordered a Colonoscopy. This was done in late February.

I received a phone call from the surgeon after the Colonoscope and he informed me that he had found a tumour in the colon and it looked cancerous and that Biopsies was taken to confirm the diagnosis.

Results later confirmed that the tumour was arising from a colorectal cancer.

At the same time, he told me he was ordering CT Scans to check for spread to other organs and thankfully once these were done, it showed that there was no spread.

As the patient and family were comfortable with the surgeon, they proceeded to plan for surgery to remove the cancer.

Surgery was successfully performed in March this year. The doctor wrote back to me and his opinion is that the prognosis is good.

Post operatively, she recovered well and recently came back for follow up with me for her Diabetes just last month..

I ordered blood tests and her diabetes was under control.

She will require regular medication and follow up with the clinic but otherwise there was no other issue.

Now this is a case where Health Screening made a difference.

A simple FIT KIT test led to a diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer and the tumour was removed before it could spread and cause other damage.

Blood tests diagnosed the Diabetes and it is now under control.

This is just a sharing to show that simple Health Screenings like this can make a positive difference to you and your family member’s health.

DrH

05/05/2025

Dear All

Please take note:

Dr Hong will be on leave from Monday 5/05/2025 to Wednesday 07/05/2025.

There will be No Relief doctor.

12/03/2025

Dear ALL,

Please take note.

Dr Hong will be on leave from

17/03/2025 to 20/03/2025.

There will be NO RELIEF doctor.

Clinic will reopen on Friday 21/03/2025.

27/01/2025

Dear ALL,

Our Clinic will be CLOSED during Chinese New Year from:

Tuesday 28/01/2025 to

Saturday 01/02/2025.

Clinic will reopen on Monday 03/02/2025.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

15/01/2025

15/01/2025

RSV Vaccine - Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine

“...this is not the same father that I had brought to hospital before his admission…”

Last Saturday after finishing up the morning session clinic, I attended a medical lecture session for doctors.

Most doctors attend lectures and training after office hours and many Saturday afternoons and sometimes Sundays are spent going for updates and training.

The topic that day was on the RSV Vaccine - Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine.

First off, RSV is nothing new.

Seated next to me was a much older doctor. He said he didn’t know much about it other than what we were taught during our uni days. That it was mainly a disease affecting babies and young children. He was there also to find out more about what has been going on.

Yes, to parents, you might remember your child having been ill when they were very young. Some had wheezing and had to be admitted to hospital. You might have heard about this condition called Bronchiolitis, which is basically an inflammation of the small airways caused by the RSV.

That day, the prof from KK Hospital told us that by 2 years of age, virtually all children have been exposed to the RSV.

Now, we have an ageing population in Singapore.
There are more and more older people compared to younger ones. It is estimated that by 2030, 1 in 4 adults will be above 65 years old.

The elderly are more vulnerable and when they come down with something like the RSV infection, their health takes a turn for the worse.

The first speaker that day began his part of the lecture by taking us through a real life case of a patient that he had treated in hospital.
This was an elderly gentleman who had a few chronic medical problems such Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Problems.

He had developed symptoms of a Cough and Fever and went to see his family doctor. The doctor had assessed him and started him on 2 antibiotics to fight the infection.
However his symptoms continued to worsen until he developed shortness of breath and went to the hospital.
There at the hospital, tests were run and he was found to have the RSV infection.

Unlike influenza, there is no specific medication to treat RSV infection.
Treatment is largely supportive, to provide enough oxygen and rest for the patient with close monitoring.

The Specialist talking to us told us this.

The patient after admission developed a “cascade of complications”.

From the RSV infection, he went on to develop a secondary infection in the lungs - Pneumonia, which worsened his oxygen levels. He had to be admitted to the ICU and then his heart was affected and he had to be given some medication for the heart. However he developed some other complications from the medicine used to treat the heart and on it went......

Long story short. He had many complications during his admission for RSV infection.

He survived but his body was severely deconditioned after this hospital admission and he was a lot weaker than before.

Upon discharge, the daughter said these words to the Specialist,

“...this is not the same father that I had brought to hospital before his admission…”

The point of this story to was illustrate that for the Elderly, the RSV infection can cause significant complications. There is no specific treatment but now a vaccine is available in Singapore.

For the Elderly, it is recommended for those who are healthy and above 75 years old.

For those who have Chronic Lung (eg. Asthma, COPD) or Chronic Heart Conditions, then it should be done after the age of 60 years old.

A vaccine is also available for for Pregnant ladies and it can be done between 32 to 36 weeks or pregnancy. The purpose of the vaccine is to protect the baby for the first 6 months after birth.

You can drop by for a discussion on the different vaccines that might be relevant to you, based on your age group and medical status.

Dr H

RSV Vaccine protects against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). It is available at Greenlink Medical Clinic in Yishun, Khatib. Singapore

21/12/2024

Dear ALL,

We will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on 24th to 25th December 2024.

For New Year, we will also be closed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day,
31st December 2024 and 1st January 2025.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

12/11/2024

Dear ALL,

Dr Hong will be on leave from

20th November to 1st December 2024.

There will be NO RELIEF doctor.

Clinic will reopen on 02/12/2024.

18/09/2024

Dear ALL,

Dr Hong will be on leave from Monday to Wednesday

23 - 25/09/2024.

There will be NO RELIEF doctor.

He will be back to work on Thursday 26/09/2024.

27/08/2024

Some of you might have seen this reported in the news recently about the RSV Vaccine that is now available in Singapore.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-vaccine-for-virus-that-causes-respiratory-disease-approved-for-singaporeans-over-60

We have received the Vaccine in our clinic.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a common and contagious virus that affects the respiratory tract.

It tends to be more severe in young children and the elderly, leading on to Pneumonia (Lung infection).

Some parents might remember the diagnosis of Bronchiolitis (an inflammation of the small airways) when their children were very young and required admission to KK Hospital.

In a study in 2020 done in Singapore, it was reported that for children under 6 months, it was calculated that the RSV was responsible for 708 hospitalisations and for those 6 months to 29 months, 1096.1

Likewise RSV infection is responsible for many hospitalisations in the elderly, especially those who are immunocompromised or have chronic medical conditions (eg. Chronic Lung Disease, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Kidney Disease), RSV can cause Pneumonia (Infection in the lungs).

In another study from 2020 in Singapore, it was found that for those with Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) presenting to clinics from 2014-2018, 2 groups were identified to be of higher risk of RSV infections, those above 65 years old and young children below 5 years old. And the peak incidence was around the middle of the year. 2

As some may already know, these 2 groups have been recommended to do Influenza Vaccine every year.

Now with the RSV Vaccine being made available, this will be something additional to consider.

For now it is approved in Singapore for those above 60 years of age.

There is no vaccine for children but there is one that has been approved for pregnant mothers. It is not available in Singapore yet (word is that it will be avaliable towards the end of the year), but if done during pregnancy, it will confer protection to newborns due to the transfer of antibodies from the mother.

RSV Vaccine Recommendations:
It is recommended for those above 75 years old if they are Healthy, or those above 60 years old who have certain chronic medical conditions such as Chronic Lung Disease (eg. Asthma, COPD), Chronic Heart Disease etc.

As we age, it is only natural that our immunity will wane. We want to maintain good health for as long as we can.
This involves a healthy lifestyle of eating properly and exercising as well as getting adequate rest.
Vaccination is also one of the ways to help prevent disease or reduce the risk of severe disease/hospitalisation.

Drop by for a discussion about what vaccines might be relevant to you.

References:
1. Tam CC, Yeo KT, Tee N, et al. Burden and Cost of Hospitalization for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Young Children, Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jul;26(7):1489-1496. doi: 10.3201/eid2607.190539. PMID: 32568036; PMCID: PMC7323550.

2. Ang LW, Mak TM, Cui L, Leo YS, Lee VJM, Lin RT. Characterisation of respiratory syncytial virus activity in children and adults presenting with acute respiratory illness at primary care clinics in Singapore, 2014-2018. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2020 Jul;14(4):412-419. doi: 10.1111/irv.12730. Epub 2020 Feb 24. PMID: 32090482; PMCID: PMC7298310.

Arexvy protects against the respiratory syncytial virus, which poses greater risks to older adults. Read more at straitstimes.com.