RSN, SGH CONDUCTS SECOND HYPERBARIC AND UNDERWATER MEDICINE COURSE

Following positive feedback from last year's inaugural Singapore Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine Course (SHUMeC), the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Medical Service and the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine Centre (HDMC) jointly organised the second edition of the course from 13 to 17 Sep.

Held at the SGH Postgraduate Medical Institute, the course is attended by 33 local and foreign doctors. It includes lectures on diving medical regulations and the use of hyperbaric medicine, which is the treatment for illnesses caused by pressures higher than normal atmospheric pressure.

Practical sessions at the SGH HDMC and Naval Hyperbaric Centre in Sembawang Camp are also part of the curriculum.

On what the course aims to achieve, Course Director and Chief Naval Medical Officer Colonel (COL) (Dr) Kang Wee Lee said: "It's to promote education and training so that more people understand what hyperbaric and underwater medicine is about, and to improve the standards of care in this very specialised area of medicine.

"For almost 40 years, the Navy has been treating both military and civilian divers, and we have a lot of experience in this field. By combining this with SGH's clinical expertise in critical care and multi-disciplinary approach in patient management, we hope to share our knowledge with the general medical community."

He added that this year's course places greater emphasis on practical sessions that deal with diving medical screening, a procedure which certifies if a person is medically fit to dive.

"That's why we have a half-day practical session at Sembawang Camp, which has a dedicated diving medical screening set up, because we want participants to look at how the screening is done, and the equipment that's needed."

This will be particularly useful for course participant Dr Imteyaz Ahmad, a doctor in the Four Seasons Resort in the Maldives, where 70 to 80 percent of guests at the resort are there for recreational diving. "Through this course, I hope to gain more knowledge on how to determine if a person is fit to dive, as well as to treat decompression sicknesses," he said.

Decompression sickness is a medical condition that arises from rapid changes in pressure.

Dr Koh Eng Hoe is looking to provide medical examinations and screening for divers in the course of his work.

Another participant Dr Koh Eng Hoe, the Medical Director at AKC Medical Centre, added: "As the client base at my centre comprises industrial workers such as construction workers and divers, I'm looking into ways of providing medical examinations and screening for some patients. From this course, I hope to take away knowledge about medical screening requirements."

Other participants like general practitioner Dr Colin Koh hope to glean knowledge about the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which will also be covered during the course. This involves administering pure oxygen to a patient at pressures higher than that of normal atmospheric pressure to improve or correct certain clinical conditions, such as chronic non-healing wounds.

Said Dr Colin, who is also the Chief Operating Officer in Asiamedic Limited: "My focus is in the area of wound care, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used to treat chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, so I want to get a better insight into the science of hyperbaric oxygen therapy."

Upon completion of the 5-day course, local medical practitioners will be able to register as a Designated Factory Doctor (Compressed Air Works) with the Ministry of Manpower.

In addition, graduates of the course will be certified to conduct medical fitness examinations for commercial divers employed by companies who follow the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) diving regulations. IMCA is the international trade association representing offshore marine and underwater engineering companies.

The SHUMeC is a collaboration that follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both the RSN and SGH in October 2008 to further develop and advance the field of diving and hyperbaric medicine in Singapore.