Facility in Nee Soon South will provide health checks, feature self-help kiosks

The war on diabetes is starting to establish a foothold at the constituency level, with Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency becoming the first to open a one-stop centre to provide health checks and raise awareness of the disease.

The new Diabetes Resource Centre at the Wellness for Life centre at Block 839 Yishun Street 81 will allow residents to use its self-help kiosks to check the state of their health, such as monitoring their blood pressure.

A nurse will be stationed there to conduct blood tests and refer residents to general practitioners and polyclinics, if necessary. Health talks will also be held in partnership with these nearby healthcare institutions.

Speaking to the media after the launch event yesterday, Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah noted that a four-month-old National Kidney Foundation dialysis centre in Nee Soon South — located next to the new resource centre — was already reaching full capacity. “We’re very worried, looking at this trend,” said Ms Lee, adding that prevention is important in tackling diabetes.

There are plans to open similar centres in the GRC’s other divisions. And Nee Soon South’s Active Ageing Committee chairman Ng Kian Swan said his team is looking to set up a database of diabetic residents to help them manage their condition.

At the constituency’s annual Active Ageing Carnival earlier, Ms Lee said a diabetes prevention and management programme will also be launched to get residents to learn more about the disease, its complications and how to prevent it.

Early screening and intervention efforts will be strengthened to detect diabetes among undiagnosed, at-risk residents aged 40 and below in particular, such as those who are obese or have a family history of the condition, she added.

With about a third of Singaporeans likely to have diabetes in their lifetime, the authorities announced in April a war on the disease, one of the biggest drains on the healthcare system.

A national strategy spanning several years will promote good eating habits and exercise among children, as well as encourage early screening and better disease management.

Now that a resource centre is located near her home, resident Alice Lau, 72, said she will try to visit it for more regular health screenings, instead of only relying on her annual health check-up at the polyclinic.

Ms Lau, who was screened by a nurse at the centre yesterday, said the visit helped her become more aware of her most recent health situation, and also showed her the foods she should take in moderation.

“My father has diabetes, so I’m afraid that I might get it as well. Diabetes is quite a troublesome condition to manage,” she added in Mandarin.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by SIAU MING EN

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