Dr Annabelle Chow on vaping in Singapore
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
22 minutes ago
- CNA
Commentary: Must I tell my story again? That's what many fear when seeking help for a mental health crisis
SINGAPORE: One of the most overlooked aspects in mental healthcare is how difficult it is for someone who is suicidal or in distress to pick up the phone and ask for help. What makes that even harder is having to tell their story repeatedly to different professionals across different systems. Over the past year or so, Singapore has made mental health and well-being a key priority in its national agenda, amid rising concerns over psychological stress, particularly among young people. But until recently, those in crisis faced a patchwork of helplines. The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) operated its own helpline. The Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) ran an important suicide prevention hotline. ComCare supported those in financial crisis, while Tinkle Friend catered to children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the National CARE Hotline received more than 76,000 calls over about two and a half years. Alongside those, there were also helplines run by community organisations. While each serves a purpose, the number of options can undoubtedly be confusing for someone in distress. Singapore's new 1771 national mental health helpline, launched in June, is designed to change that. One number. 24/7 access. Call, WhatsApp, webchat. This is the first time Singapore has brought these options together in one national helpline. It is meant to be the first stop where trained counsellors can listen, assess and help people figure out what comes next. This is a useful idea. For people in distress, such guidance is valuable. But as someone who has worked in this field for over two decades, including having overseen the IMH mental health helpline and currently serving on the board of SOS, I also feel it is important to be clear about what this helpline can, and cannot, do. 'YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US. PLEASE HOLD' The nature of crisis helpline work is intense. It can wear down even the most dedicated professionals. High turnover and fatigue are real risks that can erode the quality of the entire service. Empathetic, experienced leaders who understand what it feels like to take these calls can make all the difference. From what we know so far, the counsellors are experienced and have training in mental health support. But the real test will be whether staffing levels, training standards and clinical supervision are strong enough to meet the volume and complexity of calls. If the service is well-publicised, and it should be, it will likely see demand surge. That was the experience in the United States when they launched the 988 crisis line in 2022. In its first year, call and text volume jumped by more than 30 per cent. Even with significant funding, many centres were overwhelmed. We need to consider: What happens when the call lines are jammed? What happens when a caller presents with complex trauma or imminent risk of suicide? When I was overseeing the IMH helpline, we were always worried about dropped calls and unanswered messages. We wondered who we might have missed and what might have happened to them. Some of the calls that did get through were from people who were moments away from harming themselves. 'CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED AGAIN?' This is why training and supervision are so important. One of the strengths of the IMH helpline was the clear clinical oversight and protocols. Counsellors had structured supervision and access to experienced psychiatrists if they encountered high-risk situations. The government has shared that 1771 counsellors can escalate cases to different responders. In a crisis, the call might be transferred directly to IMH or, in some cases, the police. That is appropriate. But protocols alone are not enough. There must be assurance that every 1771 counsellor has consistent, in-depth training in suicide risk assessment, de-escalation and trauma-informed care. In a crisis, words can save lives or endanger them. A rushed conversation or a dismissive tone can push someone away from seeking help forever. This brings up another critical point: If a caller needs escalation, will they have to repeat their story again to each person they are handed over to? When someone is suicidal, anxious or disoriented, having to recount the same painful experience to multiple strangers can feel unbearable. Ideally, with the caller's consent, the 1771 counsellor should be able to relay the critical details to the next professional, so that access to help is as simple and seamless as possible. 'I'll PUT YOU ON THE WAITING LIST' Another point that deserves attention is what happens after the call ends. Many people who call helplines need more than one conversation. They may need therapy, social support or medical treatment. But referrals only work if the services they're sent to have the capacity to help. Singapore has made progress in building more community mental health services. But there are still gaps. Right now, wait times for subsidised treatment in the public healthcare system can stretch into months. Not everyone can afford to go private. Referring a caller to an overstretched or under-resourced service does not solve their problem. It can make them feel even more alone if they are told to call back later or to join a long waiting list. This is why we must keep asking questions. Are there enough trained professionals in the system to absorb the referrals? Are community services prepared for increased demand? Are the services offered consistent in quality and evidence-based? It is not enough to increase the number of services. We must also look closely at their quality and sustainability. Otherwise, the helpline will function mainly as a triage desk, helpful but ultimately limited. 'WHO HAS ACCESS TO MY INFORMATION?' Another issue is public trust. It is not unusual for people to be wary about sharing their most vulnerable thoughts with any official service. The fear is that what they say may be recorded or used against them in employment, insurance or other areas of life. Singapore has tried to pre-empt this by stating that 1771 is anonymous. You do not have to give your name or identification. Still, some may still worry that their number can be traced or linked to their identity. Sometimes, there is no choice but to involve emergency services, for example, when there is an imminent safety risk of harm to self or others, or when time is critical and police can reach the scene faster than a small IMH team. But those situations should remain the exception, not the norm. If people come to see the helpline as a backdoor to police involvement, they will hesitate to use it. I am hopeful about 1771's potential. It is no small task to launch a national helpline that meets a wide range of needs. But let us also keep asking the hard questions about staffing, training, trust and the quality of care that follows the call.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Cancer biotech firm Hummingbird Bioscience to target inflammatory diseases with precision drugs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Hummingbird Bioscience recently received an award from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the UN agency dedicated to innovation and creativity. SINGAPORE – Singapore-headquartered biotech firm Hummingbird Bioscience, known for developing antibodies for cancer, is turning its sights to drugs for immunology and inflammatory diseases, such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease. It will be adapting antibody-drug conjugates which it developed for cancer treatment to target these diseases. It is now about 12 months to 18 months away from filing regulatory approvals in Asia, Europe and the US to start clinical trials for an undisclosed number of these drugs. These consist of antibodies that have the missile-like ability to seek out specific targets, along with a payload, which is a drug intended to treat a disease. Hummingbird recently received an award from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo), the United Nations agency dedicated to innovation and creativity. At the 2025 Wipo Global Awards held at the organisation's headquarters in Geneva on July 11, it was among 10 small and medium -sized enterprises worldwide that were celebrated for commercialising their intellectual property (IP). 'Hummingbird Bioscience exemplifies how innovative companies can thrive with a well-crafted IP strategy. The company has built a robust IP plan with a strong patents portfolio and a successful licensing-based business model,' said Mr Fu Zhikang, director of IP strategy solutions at Ipos International, a subsidiary of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. The biotech firm is looking to expand its pipeline of products. Its chief scientific officer and co-founder Jerome Boyd-Kirkup told The Straits Times: 'Our mission has been to build the next generation of potentially transformative therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. 'A large part of that is to have a strong IP portfolio which can underpin that development and ensure that the innovations that are done here in Singapore can be translated globally.' The company's focus for the future will be on immunology and inflammation, said Dr Boyd-Kirkup. These diseases are a group of chronic conditions characterised by a dysregulated immune system leading to inflammation and tissue damage. It is generally believed that up to 10 per cent of the world's population is affected by these conditions, though estimates vary. The therapeutics for immunology and inflammatory diseases have seen keen interest from biopharma companies worldwide – the global market size for this area is projected to grow from US$103 billion (S$132.4 billion) in 2024 to US$257 billion by 2032. In the context of immunology and inflammatory diseases, the target for Hummingbird's antibody-drug conjugates may be immune cells that have become overactive or destructive, and a drug is selected to block the harmful response. Dr Boyd-Kirkup said that current treatments for immunology and inflammatory diseases are usually small molecule drugs such as corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. But the drawbacks of these drugs include concerns around side effects from long-term usage, and a short half-life, which means a drug needs to be taken more often as it does not stay long in the body. These two factors limit the efficacy and long-term treatment that is necessary for the treatment of many of such diseases. 'Antibody-drug conjugates offer a promising solution by enabling the targeted delivery of small molecule drugs, including immunosuppressives, directly to immune cells, thereby improving safety profiles and optimising exposure duration,' said Dr Boyd-Kirkup. The company, which has leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) in its discovery and development cycle for cancer drugs, will also be doing the same for immunology and inflammatory drugs. Immunology and inflammatory diseases are complex and involve many different cell types. In many cases, the places where the damage is occurring are not linked to the cells or processes happening in the area, said Dr Boyd-Kirkup. AI is being used to understand the biological processes involved in such diseases, he added. 'We have used AI to accelerate identification of key target cells and antigens involved in immunology and inflammatory diseases. The immunology and inflammatory antibody-drug conjugates we are working on are targeting key immune cell types involved in disease,' said Dr Boyd-Kirkup. He added that based on the clinical indications and antibody-drug conjugates that the company is looking into, there is a significant unmet clinical need. 'Clinical trials and commercialisation for therapies generally take around a decade. We are also open to the possibility of accelerating the process to the clinic through partnerships and licensing, which may bring in revenue for the company,' said Dr Boyd-Kirkup. In 2026, the company is also set to release results from its Phase 1B clinical trials for one of its key cancer drugs in development, HMBD-001. It is an antibody that targets the HER3 protein driving tumour growth and resistance against cancer drugs, currently being studied in a number of countries, including Singapore. Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we referred to the company's chief scientific officer and co-founder as Mr Boyd-Kirkup. This is incorrect. His correct form of address is Dr Boyd-Kirkup.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Tuberculosis screening for children at two preschools after staff tests positive
Children at two Singapore preschools — MindChamps at East Coast and MapleBear Toa Payoh — are being screened for tuberculosis, after a staff member who worked at both centres tested positive. The case was reported in July and the staff was immediately placed on medical leave. Authorities say tuberculosis is treatable and not easily spread. Those with tuberculosis usually become non-infectious within two weeks after treatment begins. Nikhil Khattar reports.
