DR JOYCE HENG

Dr Joyce Heng joined CGH as its new Multiphasic Physician on 3 Jan 2005 covering Dr Janncy Wong who has accompanied her husband, an ENT surgeon, on his HMDP training overseas.

Dr Heng graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) with MBBS.

“I was in the same class as Dr Khoo Chooi Yong, the other multiphasic physician, and I was posted here between 1996 to 1998 as a Medical Officer.” said Dr Heng who enjoyed returning to the familiar environment.

Dr Heng has been working as a locum GP since she left government service upon completing her bond. It offered her a glimpse of what GP practice is like and a chance to see how different clinics function.

“Along the way, I also did health screening work. I find that health screening offers me more time with the patient which allows a more thorough discussion of problems and counselling on lifestyle changes, diet, exercise etc. Quite often, patients who come for general health screening actually have a specific medical problem which they want sorted out,” said Dr Heng.

Of course, there were also patients who thought they were healthy until problems were picked up during health screening which may not present otherwise.

"There was a patient who was well but decided to do health screening. This picked up a high cholesterol level and mild hypertension. More importantly, he had a positive result for his treadmill stress test. This patient actually had no symptoms before that and the health screening allowed us to refer him to a cardiologist for early intervention for his coronary heart disease"
said Dr Heng.

Similarly, some women who went for Ladies health screening packages found out that they have ovarian cysts or fibroids through the ultrasound scan of the pelvis. These women may be asymptomatic except for some vague abdominal discomfort so it was important for them to find out early through health screening especially if they are planning for children.

Dr Heng is happily married and enjoys good food, watching movies, reading, shopping and spending time with her family and her grumpy, demanding but lovable cat.

For Health Screening appointments, please call:
CGH Appointment Centre
Tel: 6850 3333.

DR ONG PUI SIM

A new psychiatrist joined CGH’s Psychological Medicine Division on 3 January 2005. Dr Ong Pui Sim, Consultant Psychiatrist, graduated with MBBS from NUS in 1984 and obtained MMed (Psychiatry) from her alma mater in 1991.

She chose to specialise in Psychiatry because of her interest in the study of the complex human mind and how it can influence one’s thinking, emotions, drive and behaviour.

She completed her HMDP training in Australia in 1995, and was attached to Psychogeriatric Units of the Bankstown-Lidcombe and Prince Henry Hospitals in Sydney. She was involved in dementia care programmes and some research work pertaining to dementia and depression as well as community mental health programmes.She also obtained a certificate in‘Psychiatry in Old Age’ from the Institute of Psychiatry, New South Wales, Australia, in the same year.

Her sub-specialty is in the field of Geriatric Psychiatry.“I find it more challenging to treat the older individual as it often involves holistic and multidisciplinary approaches and it is of increasing relevance in our greying society,” said Dr Ong.

"The practice of Geriatric Psychiatry requires one to be aware of the ageing process, its impact on illness presentation and response to treatment, and to be ableto recognise the close interplay between physical and mental health. You also need to be equipped with skills in the social sciences, know the health-care delivery system and address issues of financial and social support. In other words, it epitomises the science and art of medicine. "
said Dr Ong

Dr Ong sees a range of psychological problems especially depression, anxiety and stress disorders in all age groups at CGH. In the elderly, conditions like dementia, delirium and organic mental disorders are common. She also does medico-legal assessments such as evaluation for ones fitness to handle his or her personal or financial affairs and the ability to draw up a will.

 

Dr Ong Pui Sim, Consultant Psychiatrist, helps psychiatric patients on the road of recovery. (At CGH’s psychiatric ward’s therapy room).

Dr Ong is particularly interested in the area of elderly depression and suicide. Dr Ong had previously worked at the Institute of Mental Health where she was involved in a community mental health survey in 2003/04. The survey had revealed the prevalence of depression and dementia in Singapore for those aged 65 years and above to be 3.5% and 6% respectively. These figures go up to 3.9% and 13.9% for elderly aged 75 years and above. Hence, she strongly believes in the need for greater public awareness, early diagnosis and prompt intervention.

She sits in the committee of the Alzheimer’s Disease Association and her personal interest includes travelling, reading and back-up singing. She enjoys going for cooking classes and would have considered an alternative career if she could improve her cooking skills!

For appointments to see Dr Ong Pui Sim, please call:
CGH Appointment Centre
Tel: 6850 3333.