Medics from Pulau Tekong who saved a man's life were yesterday singled out for praise by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
Last month, contractor Phua Yong Teck, 55, suffered a cardiac arrest while working on Pulau Tekong. He was rushed to the island's Rocky Hill Medical Centre for treatment.
Lieutenant (Dr) Yap Guan Hui and his medics, Third Sergeant Muhamad Nur Yassin Mohamed Hanif, Corporal Muhammad Zakaria Mohd Zaid and Lance Corporal Karuppiah Adiram acted fast by performing emergency resuscitation on Mr Phua while he was being taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Dr Ng wrote in a Facebook post.
Their speedy intervention saved Mr Phua's life, wrote Dr Ng, who was a consultant surgeon at SGH in the mid-1990s.
The contractor is now recovering at home, after spending the first week in the Intensive Care Unit.
Photos posted by Dr Ng showed the medical team visiting Mr Phua at his home. He wrote: "Doctors had told Mr Phua that he was very fortunate to have received prompt medical attention from the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) medical teams when he suffered the cardiac arrest. Mrs Phua and their son, Jordan Phua, said that the first four days when Mr Phua was in ICU were tortuous for them, as doctors were afraid that Mr Phua may never fully recover and might risk brain damage.
"Fortunately, Mr Phua pulled through and is on the way to full recovery."
Dr Ng also gave a glimpse of the training the medical team at Pulau Tekong receives. This includes regular drills, with a simulated casualty, that will help them respond quickly when a real incident occurs.
