Speech by Director of Medical Services, Prof K. Satkunanantham, at the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Singapore Trauma Conference 2013, 13 April 2013

Dr Chiu Ming Terk, Chairman of the Organising Committee 7^th Singapore Trauma Conference and Chairman of the National Trauma Committee,

Distinguished Guests,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning.

Introduction

It gives me great pleasure to join you at the opening of the 7^th Singapore Trauma Conference. Let me begin by extending a warm welcome to all and a special welcome to our guests who have come from abroad.

Burden of Trauma

2             Trauma causes a significant health burden both globally and in Singapore, and affects the young disproportionately. In 2011, in our population, accidents and violence was the fifth leading cause of death, contributing to 6% of deaths in Singapore. In persons below the age of 45, it was the leading cause of death, accounting for about more than a third of deaths in this group.

Singapore Trauma Conference

3             However, improved trauma care has reduced mortality and morbidity arising from accidents. In this respect, I would like to congratulate the pioneering group of trauma surgeons, who I see many here today, who in 2007 saw the need to improve trauma care in Singapore, and conceiving the idea of a Singapore Trauma Conference.

4             This annual event has brought together trauma specialists from many disciplines, including emergency medicine, general surgery, neurosurgery anaesthesiology and nursing. Every year, we have the privilege of hearing from experts, both ours and those who have come from abroad who share their experience and learning with us. And in the seven years since the inception of this conference, much has been achieved for Singapore.

National Trauma Care Plan

5             In 2008, recognising the importance of work of these pioneers in trauma management, the Singapore Ministry of Health appointed a National Trauma Committee, to oversee the development of an integrated trauma care system for Singapore. The Committee has since given an initial report to move Singapore towards excellence in world-class trauma care.

6             As part of this National Trauma Care Plan, the National Trauma Registry was set up to capture trauma-related data. In September last year, the Registry compiled its first report on trauma data for Singapore. The 2012 report will be out soon as well. This continuing injury surveillance will support trauma management system planning and performance evaluation, as well as injury prevention and research.

Achievements and Ongoing Efforts of the NTC

7             Another major achievement of the National Trauma Committee has been the development of benchmarks for acute hospitals to deliver good care for our patients. These standards detail the medical capabilities necessary to manage acute trauma cases effectively and achieve the best clinical outcomes.

8             This Committee went ahead in 2012 and conducted a peer-review validation exercise on our public hospitals to assess their compliance with the standards. All the hospitals were found to have generally met the standards for trauma care. Nonetheless, the Committee reported there were certain areas such as training and rehabilitative services that can be improved upon and my Ministry will pay attention to these areas that have been pointed out to us.

Trauma Prevention

9             As clinicians, we tend to be focused on treating the condition at hand. But even as we strive to improve trauma care in Singapore, we must recognise that trauma prevention is integral if not the most important part of a robust trauma management system.

10          As healthcare professionals, we should actively engage our stakeholders in trauma prevention, especially if in the course of our practice, we observe injuries and patterns that can be avoided through preventive measures. Our personal experience with the cases we see, gives us the added edge to convince our non-medical colleagues and drive them to cooperative action.

11          Let me illustrate this with what has been done to reduce the number of injuries resulting from road traffic accidents, which still remains the leading cause of serious injury in Singapore. To ensure that motorists do not pose a danger to themselves or other road users, a committee, led by the Singapore Medical Association, comprising doctors from relevant disciplines and representatives from the Traffic Police Department and Land Transport Authority, had helped establish a set of medical guidelines for determining the fitness of a person to drive. In addition, there are other preventive measures also being introduced. The Land Transport Authority enhances the safety of road infrastructure, such as by introducing raised zebra crossings and installing safety bollards at bus stops.

12          An area on which we should increasingly focus our attention is falls among the elderly. Falls among the elderly is the second major cause of serious trauma accounting for about 25% of serious injuries.

13          The Health Promotion Board and our healthcare institutions, including Tan Tock Seng Hospital, have introduced falls prevention programmes for the elderly. Seniors who sign up for these programmes are screened to assess their fall-risk, and may have their home environments assessed for safety. There are also fall-prevention talks and workshops organised for the elderly and their caregivers.

14          Given our ageing population, the number of falls among the elderly is expected to rise. We will expand these falls prevention programmes so that more seniors may benefit and so that we can contain this emerging healthcare burden.

 Working Together to Reduce Burden of Trauma

15          Let me on this note take the opportunity to express the Ministry’s appreciation for the National Trauma Committee’s invaluable contributions to the health of Singaporeans. The National Trauma Committee is currently working towards a restructuring of the national trauma management system in Singapore. I understand that it is in the last stage of preparing the second report to the Ministry and it will include how we may go forward to improve the care for our patients. And I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the organising committee of this conference for bringing together experts to help us overcome many of the problems we encounter in the management of trauma.

16          I wish you all a productive and meaningful conference. Thank you.