Reading such articles as well as others that boast that Singapore is the first in Asia, or South-east Asia, to try this medical device or that procedure always leaves me with the nagging thought: 'Why didn't we invent this here in the first place?'

Reports about Singaporean medical research achievements all too often come with the vague tag line: 'Some day, this may help cure some disease.'

Significant amounts of money are spent on medical research here. While I appreciate that not all research bears immediate fruit, I do hope that one day, we can start to be leaders in the field of medicine, rather than just the first among the followers.

Wong Weng Fai