Mobile clinic to benefit diabetes patients, Others news, Health News, AsiaOne YourHealth
SINGAPORE – A new clinic on wheels is taking health screenings and advice to patients so they can get better care for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure – almost at their doorsteps.
An estimated 150,000 people in this region may have diabetes. Yet up to half may not know they suffer from the condition and a significant number do not follow up with proper screenings, said National Healthcare Group’s (NHG) director for regional health Pamela Ding.
NHG’s health centre hopes to change that by taking diabetic eye and foot screenings closer to patients’ homes. “Some patients with eye and foot problems find it inconvenient to travel to hospitals and polyclinics for these checks,” she said.
“The life expectancy of Singaporean women and men at birth today is 85 years and 80 years respectively,” he said. “We must help ourselves keep healthy… by having a balanced diet, exercising regularly, not smoking and going for appropriate health screening and follow-up.”
The mobile centre – the size of a 24-seater bus – will be staffed by a nurse and an assistant to provide diabetic retinal photography and diabetic foot screening for patients.
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in Singapore, which can often be prevented by early detection and monitoring of the eyes, while foot problems are common causes of chronic disabilities in patients with diabetes. Early identification and intervention of those at risk prevents complications and helps reduce the number of amputations.
Curated from Mobile clinic to benefit diabetes patients, Others news, Health News, AsiaOne YourHealth
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