Health Matters - Heart concerns when you turn SG60
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CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
With a dream and a dictionary, this nurse left everything behind to start a new life in Singapore
In the depths of Ms Miao Lan's mind, the island of Singapore – some five thousand kilometres south from her birthplace of Henan, China – had always been somewhat of a promised land. The city-state is extremely small compared to the colossal "Middle Kingdom", but her father made sure to point it out every once in a while on the world map that was mounted in her bedroom. "You were both born in August 1965," he would say. "It's a small country but it's a great one." It might have been the littlest connection, but it was all that was needed for the young girl to develop a profound desire to one day step foot on Singapore soil. "(August 1965) is a coincidence but it was a connection with me ... It became one of my dreams since then, (that) maybe in the future, I would search for a better life in Singapore," Ms Miao said. In 2006, at the age of 41, she finally did, to "step out of my comfort zone". She was offered the chance by a recruitment agency – first to study and obtain a nursing board license, then to work as a staff nurse in a community hospital. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for the senior staff nurse who spent more than a decade working for a hospital in Zhengzhou. Nurses in China seldom leave the first establishment that employs them, she said. It was now or never for the woman who dreamt of living and working in the Little Red Dot. Last month, at the modest three-bedroom flat in Clementi where she lives alone, Ms Miao told me that it was one of the hardest decisions she has had to make. "I left everything behind me – my home, my stable job, my family. It was not easy," the 60-year-old said. Her husband – also born in August 1965 – was not able to leave his job as a dentist at the time while their daughter was still in school. "But I felt I needed to step out and challenge myself overseas. Deep down, I knew I didn't want to live the rest of my life wondering, 'What if I didn't do it this way?'" THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART In 2010, she joined HCA Hospice as a palliative care nurse. It is Singapore's largest home hospice care organisation, which serves thousands of patients each year. Ms Miao's job entails providing specialised care for patients with terminal illnesses, managing their symptoms and providing emotional support during the last journey of their lives. However, she arrived in multiracial Singapore with little to no knowledge of how to speak English or any of the other vernacular languages, so it became quite a challenge when patients mostly understood English, Malay or Hokkien. It was a challenge she embraced, she told me. Over the course of our two-hour-long interview, she spoke slowly in English, paused often and furrowed her brow to find the right words to express herself, but I would not have minded at all if she just spoke in Mandarin. Yet she pressed on to speak in English, even when I posed questions in her mother tongue. She was determined to prove that she could be heard and understood in Singapore's lingua franca. "(There were) many things I needed to learn from my patients and my colleagues," she said of overcoming the language barrier. In her initial years here, Ms Miao's friends were limited to other nurses from China who had come to Singapore for work and she admitted that it often got lonely without the presence of her family. To fill her spare time, she often had a dictionary by her side, looking up words and practising their pronunciations. She had some help, too. "My Malay patients and teammates taught me the Malay language. The older people taught me Hokkien and Teochew," she said. She does not consider herself fluent in these languages, of course, but her working knowledge of key phrases have been invaluable in her job. "I can use some Malay to ask patients (about) their symptoms, like, 'Ada sakit?' (Are you in pain?), 'Banyak sakit?' (Is there a lot of pain?), 'Sini sakit?' (Is the pain here?)," she said. 'Sometimes, I cannot catch the words (they use), but I think when you use your heart and have compassion, the family and patients can understand what you are doing for them. Then they will trust you. "I feel that language is a connection bridge. It's a bridge to connect with the patient and their families." Ms Miao became a Singapore citizen in 2018 and through the years, she has amassed a photo album's worth of thank-you cards. At her home, I looked on as she took them out and perused the contents with a sense of nostalgia. One card from a family read: "Even though palliative care may seem a thankless job, the great compassion you have shown to patients and families will carry them a long way. Thank you for making a difference." Another woman thanked Ms Miao and the hospice in Chinese, informing them that she had donated S$7,500 in support of the centre "to continue serving society". I asked which patient left the most impression on her. Judging by her quick but pensive glance on the floor, I sensed that she knew who it was immediately. Mrs Koh was a home hospice patient in her 90s who lived alone and Ms Miao Lan used to care for her at her residence. One day in 2018, the older woman was hospitalised. "She called me to say, 'Miao Lan, can you come and see me? I know my time is quite short, I probably will be leaving tomorrow'. "I couldn't believe it because she was still able to talk to me, but I still felt that I needed to visit this patient." So she rushed to the hospital the moment her shift at the hospice ended. When she got there, all Mrs Koh asked her to do was to sit beside her and hold her hands. Few words were exchanged. "At the end of the visit, she told me, 'Thank you for coming. I'm not afraid anymore'," Ms Miao recalled. The next morning, Ms Miao received a phone text message from Mrs Koh's sister informing her that she had died. At this point, Ms Miao's voice quivered slightly during our interview: "I know some patients treat me like family … Usually, patients ask their family members to visit them, (so) if they call you, it means you are a very important person to them." EMBRACING ALL THINGS THAT MAKE ONE SINGAPOREAN This year, the management at HCA Hospice promoted Ms Miao to the position of nurse manager – a role she believed would have been "impossible" back in China due to her age. Such leadership roles are normally given to younger nurses, she explained, so she was surprised when the hospice had put its trust in her. It was a show of warmth and recognition for the work she had done for nearly two decades. It felt like the embodiment of the culture of acceptance and harmony that she had come to experience and love about the nation, and that is her favourite thing about Singapore. "People from different cultures, different races, different religions – they can work and live together side by side," she said. She recalled how heartwarming it was when her Muslim neighbours offered her homecooked food to eat during their Hari Raya Puasa celebrations. To her, being "Singaporean" transcends where one was born. "It's about showing your kindness, respecting differences and showing strength in unity. "It's being hardworking, practical … and contributing to society." It is also about a shared language, something she knew intrinsically would be key to her integration into society here. Singlish quips such as "cannot tahan" (cannot bear it) and particles such as "lah" and "lor" now come naturally to her. Then, of course, there is the food culture: growing to love curry puffs, laksa, and chilli crab – dishes she once could not fathom enjoying. On one of his visits to Singapore, when her husband expressed puzzlement at her liking for those dishes, she said to him with amusement: "People can change all the time." Ms Miao will celebrate her 60th birthday just two weeks after Singapore celebrates its 60th year of independence. And to the naturalised citizen, it feels very much like it is a joint celebration of a milestone together. Asked if she has any retirement plans, she said she was hoping that she and her husband would spend the rest of their days in Singapore eventually. Their daughter, now in her early 30s, has started her own family in Australia. For now though, Ms Miao is looking forward to becoming a better nurse and hopes that Singapore retains the modern exuberance that made it the shangri-la of her youth. "We go through the same things, experience all (sorts of) changes and challenges, but it's not too late to keep improving. I'm still growing up with Singapore."
Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Construction worker rescued from 30m tower crane after becoming unwell while working at height
SINGAPORE: A construction worker was rescued from a 30-metre-high tower crane on Wednesday night (Aug 6) after falling ill while working at height and becoming unable to descend on his own. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at about 9:40pm. According to a Facebook post shared by SCDF, the man had been operating on a tower crane when he began feeling unwell. Given his position at a significant height and his inability to return to the ground safely, a high-angle rescue operation was activated. Responding to the emergency, SCDF deployed firefighters and a specialist team from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART). A four-person DART crew scaled the crane's access ladder to reach the stricken worker. Once there, they secured him to a stretcher using safety harnesses before carefully lowering him to the ground. Paramedics on site assessed the man and transported him to Changi General Hospital for further medical attention. In a 45-second clip posted by SCDF, the night-time rescue can be seen unfolding under floodlights, with rescue personnel manoeuvring along the narrow framework of the crane before lowering the stretcher to safety. SCDF confirmed that the worker was conscious during the rescue. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore 'at risk' of chikungunya transmission: CDA
SINGAPORE: Singapore is at risk of chikungunya transmission, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Friday (Aug 8), as the number of cases detected in the country rises. The presence of the Aedes mosquito vector, as well as importation of the virus by travellers, are risk factors for the disease transmission in Singapore, said CDA, adding that it is monitoring the situation closely. A total of 17 chikungunya cases have been detected from the start of the year to Aug 2, according to the agency's weekly infectious disease bulletin. This is more than double the eight cases found during the same period last year, and is higher than the 15 cases detected for the whole of 2024. CDA said that out of the 16 chikungunya cases reported as of Jul 31, 13 had recently travelled to affected areas abroad. The other three are local cases that are sporadic in nature and unlinked to one another, it added. "Should new information surface that suggest an increased public health risk to Singapore, the CDA will review the need for additional public health measures," said the agency. The chikungunya virus is spread via the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, and those infected may present symptoms similar to dengue, such as an onset of acute fever, joint pain, rash and headache. Joint pain caused by chikungunya can, however, last for weeks to months, said Professor Ooi Eng Eong, deputy director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases programme at Duke-NUS Medical School. 'Although chikungunya is not as life-threatening as dengue, it can be very debilitating.' CONCERNS OVER RISE IN CASES The increase in chikungunya infections in Singapore is concerning, said infectious disease experts. 'Chikungunya is a disease of public health concern,' said Prof Ooi, pointing out that patients can develop chronic joint pain that can limit daily activities. Dr Paul Tambyah, former president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said the rise in cases could indicate that ongoing outbreaks in the Indian Ocean region - particularly in Sri Lanka - and in China had reached Singapore. More than 7,000 chikungunya cases had been reported in China as of Wednesday, with the US issuing a travel advisory warning citizens against visiting Guangdong province, the city of Dongguan, and several other business hubs. Countries such as Bolivia and island nations in the Indian Ocean were also included on the list of places to avoid. The rise in cases in Singapore is 'not surprising', given the country's position as a global travel and trade hub for centuries, said Dr Tambyah. 'What is positive is that the cases are being diagnosed in Singapore. This means that general practitioners are alert to what is going on and notifying the authorities.' This will allow the National Environment Agency (NEA) to take action to control mosquitoes, which is the most effective way to contain the spread of the virus, he added. CNA has contacted NEA to ask if Singapore has observed an increase in its Aedes mosquito population. SAFEGUARDING AGAINST CHIKUNGUNYA According to CDA, chikungunya outbreaks are rising in the Americas, Asia and Europe this year, and temperate countries which were previously unaffected by mosquito-borne diseases now face a higher risk due to climate change. While vaccines for the disease have been licensed elsewhere, they are currently not available in Singapore, experts noted. This is probably because the risk of infection is "relatively low" and the vaccines are new, so Singapore's regulators are waiting for more safety data from overseas, said Dr Tambyah. 'Until a safe and effective vaccine is widely in use, the best approach is to avoid getting bitten by Aedes mosquitoes.' Dr Tambyah advised the public to use mosquito repellent, especially at dawn and dusk, and to ensure workplaces or homes are not breeding Aedes mosquitoes. 'If you get bitten near a construction site, let NEA know as they track construction sites where Aedes breeding is detected and can issue stop-work orders,' he added. CDA also advised those visiting chikungunya-affected areas to take precautions against mosquito bites. Besides applying effective insect repellent, individuals can wear clothing that covers most of their body and stay in rooms that are well-screened against insects. Travellers who feel unwell should seek medical attention promptly and inform their doctor of their travel history and any mosquito bites. They should also continue using effective insect repellent to avoid infecting mosquitoes, which could then spread the disease to others. Doctors and laboratories are also legally required to notify CDA if they detect any suspected or confirmed chikungunya cases, said the agency. WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE INFECTED Like dengue, there is no antiviral drug that can shorten the duration of a chikungunya infection, said Prof Ooi. 'Treatment is thus directed at alleviating the symptoms, such as analgesics for the joint pain.' Those infected should also seek medical attention to ensure that they do not have dengue in addition to chikungunya, said Dr Tambyah. 'From a public health point of view, individuals should check their workplaces and homes to make sure that they are not breeding Aedes mosquitoes so that no one else at home or work gets infected.'
