tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55207676262266400452024-03-05T01:23:59.770-08:00Singapore Health & Wealth AdviceAnthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.comBlogger765125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-1926626937274452832013-04-07T20:43:00.002-07:002013-04-07T20:43:20.884-07:00National Environment Agency (NEA) has observed an increase in the number of dengue casesWe have seen recent report on the rise of Dengue Fever and the trending is hitting a high especially in the early part of the year.<br />
<br />
We like to highlight that Dengue Fever is a covered event in our Accident & Health plans.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wealthadvisersg.blogspot.sg/p/health-insurance.html" target="_blank">Contact me to find out more about our Accident & Health Plans</a> <br />
<br />
<table class="MsoNormalTable"><tbody>
<tr colspan="2"><td height="167"><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">Den-1 Risk Areas</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"> Residents living in the following nine areas with a higher risk of DEN-1 virus transmission are advised to step up dengue prevention measures by checking for stagnant water in their homes at least once a week. Our population has lower immunity of the DEN-1 virus serotype which could mean quicker transmission of dengue in these neighbourhoods if effort is not taken to remove all mosquito breeding habitats. NEA on its part will work together with members of the Inter Agency Dengue Task Force to step up checks in the public areas in these neighbourhoods. <br />
<br />
The areas are:</span> </td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-family: arial;"> • <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Jurong%20West.jpg" target="_blank">Jurong West Ave 1 / Jurong West Street 51</a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Fernvale%20Rd.jpg" target="_blank">Fernvale Road / Fernvale Link</a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Lor%205%20Toa%20Payoh.jpg" target="_blank">Lorong 5 Toa Payoh / Lorong 7 Toa Payoh</a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Claymore%20Hill.jpg" target="_blank">Claymore Hill</a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/River%20Valley%20Close,%20Rd.jpg" target="_blank">River Valley Close / River Valley Road</a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Serangoon%20Road.jpg" target="_blank">Serangoon Road </a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Bedok%20Reservoir%20Rd.jpg" target="_blank">Bedok Reservoir Road </a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Lor%206%20Geylang.jpg" target="_blank">Lorong 6, 8, 10, 12 Geylang </a> <br />
• <a href="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/Lor%2022-32%20Geylang.jpg" target="_blank">Lorong 22, 24, 24A, 26, 28, 30, 32 Geylang </a> <br />
</span> </td> </tr>
<tr height="20px"><td colspan="2"><br /></td></tr>
<tr> <td colspan="2"><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">Latest Dengue Data</span> </td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="3"><img alt="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/newgraph.gif" height="364" src="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/newgraph.gif" width="602" /><br />
<br /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="3"><div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img alt="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/MOHtable.jpg" height="269" src="http://www.dengue.gov.sg/cms/ehd/MOHtable.jpg" width="600" /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://wealthadvisersg.blogspot.sg/p/health-insurance.html" target="_blank">Contact me to find out more about our Accident & Health Plans </a>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-20445305255019431152013-02-09T21:14:00.002-08:002013-02-09T21:14:13.311-08:00Happy CNY 2013!Dear all readers,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wishing you all a Prosperous and Wealthy Year of the Snake!</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXKbncYThOm_mi3QUeIk-IvtNhb_dE83IEpGrHg8ylRplhjabTVw7cx1Qpo9N5izUff6X0ZPbINFY7c7tMG1q72FqUzonKpVxn8PGEev_qhZViw7fVJgJ1zCGMJ6W-6htIdL-D4sLR257/s1600/Chinese-New-Year-Card-2013-year-of-the-snake-05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXKbncYThOm_mi3QUeIk-IvtNhb_dE83IEpGrHg8ylRplhjabTVw7cx1Qpo9N5izUff6X0ZPbINFY7c7tMG1q72FqUzonKpVxn8PGEev_qhZViw7fVJgJ1zCGMJ6W-6htIdL-D4sLR257/s400/Chinese-New-Year-Card-2013-year-of-the-snake-05.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-25457458365810451082013-02-09T21:10:00.003-08:002013-02-09T21:10:58.527-08:00Newlyweds face CNY hongbao "heartache"<span id="editPageForm:contentsText"></span><br />
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Give too small a hongbao and you could look bad. Give too generously and you could feel the pinch.<br />
<br />
This is the dilemma some young Singaporeans face in their first
Chinese New Year as a newly married, hongbao-dispensing couple. Without
previous experience, some couples do not know "the market rate" or if
there is even such a thing at all.<br />
<br />
Couples tell SundayLife! that they decide the amounts based on what
their parents had given their relatives over the years, what they
themselves had received growing up and on their income.<br />
<br />
Total hongbao budgets are between $500 and $2,000 for each couple,
with individual red packets ranging from $4 for a child and $50 for a
younger sibling to $200 each for a parent or a grandparent.<br />
<br />
Newlyweds
Jacelyn Tan, 26, and Ng Kok Weng, 29, will give $18 and $28 hongbao to
nephews and nieces. Ms Tan, a civil servant who is Teochew, says her
Cantonese sales and marketing executive husband prefers sums ending with
the numeral 8 because it is an auspicious figure in Cantonese.<br />
<br />
The couple, who had a civil marriage last October, are still living apart and with their respective parents.<br />
<br />
Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan council member Tan Kian Choon says there
are "no hard and fast rules" on the amounts to give. Practices differ
from clan to clan. "Ultimately, how much to give depends on the
relationship between giver and recipient," he explains. "The closer the
ties, the more the couple may want to give to express their gratitude
for the care given."<br />
<br />
Sums for older folk should be "dignified, showing gratitude and care", the 68-year-old adds.<br />
<br />
For children of distant relatives, $6 may be an "acceptable minimum".
Mr Tan says: "It's a good number - not too stingy or too lavish for
young couples, bearing in mind the high cost of living."<br />
<br />
Hongbao giving is both an art and a science, says business
undergraduate Onson Li, 25, who married two months ago. "You want to
give enough so that you won't feel guilty but not too much that the
other party will feel guilty about it because he could have given you
much less."<br />
<br />
One of his methods to calculate the amount to give is to forecast
"inflow and outflow". He explains: "I would forecast the total inflow
based on the trends of what I had received in the past multiplied by the
number of children we have, then divide that by the number of children I
expect to meet to get the figure of each red packet."<br />
<br />
But he adds that his wife, analyst Zhang Yacong, 25, is "nicer and we'll err on the generous side".<br />
Ms Zhang says: "The hongbao is a blessing the giver wishes to bestow
on others, taking into account his circumstances. So $10 from a less
well-to-do aunt means more than $50 from a Ferrari-driving uncle."<br />
<br />
As they are just starting out as a family, Ms Zhang and Mr Li, who
live in a Yishun condominium, hopes the $6, $8 and $10 hongbao they plan
to give to friends' children will be well-received. They will also be
giving each of their parents a three-figure sum.<br />
<br />
For Mr Timothy Koh, 26, and his wife Christine Pang, 31, they intend
to carry on the practice in his family, which is to "upgrade" the amount
a child receives as he grows older.<br />
<br />
Red packets came in single-digit sums in primary school, "going up by
$2 every two or three years" till they were double-digit sums in his
secondary school years, says Mr Koh, a support team leader at a software
house. "I will also start with a single-digit sum for younger children
and increase it as they grow older."<br />
<br />
Ms Pang, who manages outpatient specialist clinics at a hospital,
says amounts from relatives "didn't change with age in my family because
the hongbao is meant as a token" but she will take her husband's lead.<br />
<br />
The couple, who wed last September, live with MsPang's parents in
their executive maisonette in Tampines. They will be contributing to the
hongbao kitty equally as both husband and wife are working.<br />
<br />
Other couples plan to do the same. But civil servant Joan Wu says her
analyst husband Emmanuel Wu will put aside about $800 from his kitty
for both sets of parents, grandparents, siblings and several nephews and
nieces.<br />
<br />
Both in their mid-20s, the couple, who have been married since
November last year, live in MrsWu's family home, a terrace unit, near
Bukit Batok.<br />
<br />
Mrs Wu says with a laugh: "We voluntarily offer our money, depending
on whose account has more then. This year, it's his account for the
hongbao."<br />
<br />
Newlyweds may want to take a leaf from second- year hongbao-givers
Jasmine Chua Huilin, 27, and her husband Vincent Ha Kwang Yuen, 28.<br />
<br />
Theirs is a four-tier system of "small, normal, bigger and special"
hongbao, says Ms Chua, a principal executive at the National Trades
Union Congress.<br />
<br />
The first lot at $8 each is for helpers and "kids of strangers" while
"normal" red packets of $10 go to nephews, nieces and younger or
unmarried cousins.<br />
<br />
She adds: "Our parents were generous even to domestic helpers and
they gave more to our elders and those from lower-income families. We
would do that too."<br />
<br />
In the third tier are $50 packets for children from less well-to-do
families and who are "very close".<br />
<br />
The "special" hongbao of between $100
and $500 will be set aside for parents and grandparents.<br />
<br />
Mr Ha is a co-founder and chief executive officer of Gushcloud, a
social media crowd-sourcing tool.<br />
<br />
The couple are living with his parents
in their terrace home in Bishan while waiting to move into their
executive condominium in Punggol at the end of the year.<br />
<br />
They spent $2,000 on hongbao last year. It will likely be half that
amount this year as Mr Ha is in San Francisco and Ms Chua will fly over
to meet him, spending two weeks in the United States over the festive
period.<br />
<br />
She and her husband each used to net four-figure "hongbao hauls"
every year before marriage, adds MsChua. She says in jest: "So it was
rather 'heart pain' to start giving out. We have a running joke that we
should have children soon to 'recoup'."<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-35315955568553093852013-02-07T18:56:00.001-08:002013-02-07T18:56:40.854-08:00Former S'pore Idol contestant on beating ovarian cancer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/khoo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/khoo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Singapore Idol contestant
Daphne Khoo reveals how she pulled through a series of health scares,
including a rare form of ovarian cancer last year.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 1.538em;"></span>SINGAPORE - <span style="line-height: 1.538em;">It is harder to recognise former Singapore Idol contestant Daphne Khoo, 26, these days with her chic pixie cut.</span><br />
<br />
The
third runner-up in the first season of singing contest Singapore Idol
in 2004 and former lead singer of indie band West Grand Boulevard had
long locks that the audience came to know her by.<br />
<br />
She snipped them off
in June last year in preparation for chemotherapy.<br />
<br />
That was also the year she had a most stressful experience battling wave after wave of debilitating illnesses.<br />
<br />
The 26-year-old was diagnosed with a form of ovarian cancer so rare that it affects perhaps one Singaporean a year.<br />
<br />
Yet,
she does not pity herself, telling Mind Your Body: "I see the illnesses
as part and parcel of life. When life knocks you down, you just roll
with the punches."<br />
<br />
The petite music student takes a light-hearted
approach to her hiatus from school, joking that the cancer was a welcome
break after four rigorous semesters at the Berklee College of Music in
Boston in the United States.<br />
<br />
But while she looks on the bright
side, she will not easily forget how she discovered her cancer. After a
morning gym session in March last year, she had an outbreak of hives
from her neck to her ankles.<br />
<br />
Her eyes swelled up "like golf
balls", so her Korean roommate whisked her off to the emergency
department at Brigham and Women's Hospital nearby, where she was given
antihistamines intravenously for close to eight hours.<br />
<br />
Though her symptoms were alleviated, Miss Khoo decided to consult an allergist.<br />
<br />
When
skin prick tests yielded no conclusive results, she underwent a
full-body check-up, which included a Pap smear of her cervix.<br />
<br />
<strong>10cm growth in left ovary</strong><br />
<br />
It was during this
physical examination that a nurse raised the alarm about Miss Khoo's
bloated abdomen, which Miss Khoo said she had had since she was 18.<br />
<br />
Back then, she had asked her mother to feel her abdomen, but there did not seem to be an abnormal mass.<br />
<br />
Unknown to them then, it was abnormal for a woman to have swelling of the abdomen without weight gain in other places.<br />
<br />
Miss Khoo said: "We just never thought it could be cancer as I felt no pain there."<br />
<br />
After a pelvic ultrasound scan, she was told there was a 10cm growth in her left ovary which had to be surgically removed.<br />
<br />
She
still held up well when told by a nurse over the phone that it might be
cancerous, but broke down when she was asked if any of her family
members were with her.<br />
<br />
She had lived alone in the US for the last
two years for her studies, and the bad news could not have come at a
worse time. Her parents, both 60 years old, and 30-year-old elder sister
were then on vacation.<br />
<br />
Miss Khoo first called her younger sister, a 25-year-old marketing executive, and then called her parents.<br />
<br />
Her
retiree father cut short his golf vacation in Atlanta and was by her
side three days later. Her mother, a treasury manager in her own firm,
steeled herself on her flight back to Singapore from Japan.<br />
<br />
Mrs Denise Khoo said: "I had no mood to enjoy being in business class. I just kept praying for Daphne."<br />
<br />
Mrs
Khoo had herself been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer at the
age of 49 and had had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.<br />
<br />
So it pained her to know that her daughter was faced with a similar ordeal.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rare form of ovarian cancer</strong><br />
<br />
Miss Khoo had
surgery on May 17 last year at Brigham and Women's Hospital while her
parents and then-boyfriend waited anxiously outside the operating
theatre during the four-hour procedure.<br />
<br />
The surgeon told them he
removed her left ovary and left fallopian tube, together with the tumour
which was, in fact, 13cm in diameter.<br />
<br />
A few days later, they learnt, to their relief, her cancer had not spread to other areas of the pelvis.<br />
However, it had spread to the tissue lining her peritoneal cavity or abdomen.<br />
<br />
Miss
Khoo had a rare type of germ cell cancer, known as dysgerminoma. The
Singapore Cancer Registry noted that there were nine such cases in a
decade, from 1998 to 2007.<br />
<br />
A spokesman from the Ministry of Health
said there was just one case between 2008 and 2010. Of every 100 cases
of ovarian cancer, only about five are cases of germ cell cancer, said
Dr Tay Eng Hseon, medical director of the Thomson Women Cancer Centre.<br />
<br />
Germ
cells are cells in the ovaries or testes that go on to form eggs or
sperms. Most germ cell tumours are not cancerous, though the testicular
cancer suffered by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong was a form of germ
cell cancer.<br />
<br />
The other, more common, types of ovarian tumours are
those of the epithelium (tissue covering the ovaries) and sex cords
(structures that develop into ovarian follicles where immature eggs
grow).<br />
<br />
Dr Tay said dysgerminoma can grow rapidly, from being impalpable to a large tumour in the span of a few months.<br />
<br />
The
typical symptom, therefore, is a fast-enlarging abdominal mass
associated with pain. The cancer tends to strike women between 15 and 25
years old.<br />
<br />
Dr Tay said this cancer was highly fatal until the late 1970s, when the platinum group of chemotherapy drugs was introduced.<br />
<br />
The
disease is highly sensitive to this class of drugs, to the point that
almost no one will die from it now. The exception is a small group of
patients with an even rarer and highly aggressive form of germ cell
cancer which is still difficult to treat, Dr Tay said.<br />
<br />
<strong>Obstructed bowels</strong><br />
<br />
A few days after her
surgery, Miss Khoo was racked with such pain she could hardly lay still.
She was constipated and vomiting bile.<br />
<br />
She had fallen prey to an
uncommon complication of abdominal surgery. Adhesions, or internal scar
tissue, forming as part of the healing process, were creating blocks in
her bowels.<br />
<br />
The obstruction prevented her intestines from functioning properly.<br />
<br />
Back
at the hospital, Miss Khoo had a tube passed through her nose, down the
oesophagus, and into the stomach to remove the contents that had
accumulated since the bowel obstruction.<br />
<br />
She said: "It felt like someone was stabbing me in the throat. It took everything in me to stay calm during the insertion."<br />
<br />
Five
days later on her mother's birthday on May 29, Miss Khoo finally had
the tube removed. By that time, her intestinal obstruction had somehow
resolved on its own. She was able to move her bowels.<br />
<br />
The problem
recurred a week later but, fortunately, the obstruction cleared on its
own. Then there was also the trauma of losing her hair, for which Miss
Khoo had been mentally prepared by her mother.<br />
<br />
Two weeks before
she began chemotherapy at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in
New York, she had her chest-length hair cut in an avant-garde style with
a bob on one side and the other shaved bald.<br />
<br />
She said with a grin: "I felt it was a fun way of preparing myself for hair loss. I wanted to do it in style."<br />
<br />
She also had her eggs retrieved and frozen to preserve fertility.<br />
<br />
<strong>Don't brush off complaints</strong><br />
<br />
That was the
positive part. After three cycles of chemotherapy that lasted nine
weeks, Miss Khoo lost 7kg to weigh 45kg, though her body mass index (a
measure of body fat based on weight and height) showed that this was
still normal for her 1.52m frame.<br />
<br />
The food lover tried to stimulate her appetite by viewing pictures of
food, and tried to swallow the soup her mother cooked lovingly for her
but nothing helped.<br />
<br />
She joked that the upside to chemotherapy drugs was that they helped to clear her eczema and gave her baby-smooth skin.<br />
<br />
She
has since gone back to college, where she is completing her final
semester to graduate in May. She has also switched her major from
songwriting to professional music.<br />
<br />
The past year has been hard for her as she loathes being dependent on others for her needs and kept indoors mostly.<br />
<br />
When
asked what she missed most during her illness, she said it was her
hearty appetite, before adding softly: "I also appreciated my mum more."<br />
<br />
Mrs Khoo said parents should take note.<br />
<br />
"When
young girls say they feel bloated, don't brush it off as nothing. Bring
them for ultrasound scans because this could save lives."<br />
<br />
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Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-73606454139506020362013-02-07T02:59:00.000-08:002013-02-07T02:59:06.668-08:00Can Sabah Snake Grass cure cancer?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/TNP_SnakeGrass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/TNP_SnakeGrass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
SINGAPORE - Its leaves look like shoots of wild grass and its stem appears plastic-like.<br />
<br />
Nothing about this fruitless plant stands out. And it's not surprising if most people mistake it for something worthless.<br />
<br />
Yet this unassuming plant - called the Sabah Snake Grass, or Clinacanthus nutans - is highly prized in Singapore.<br />
<br />
Sabah Snake Grass - named for its initial use in treating snake bites
- is worth its weight in gold because its claim to be a cure for
cancer.<br />
<br />
Despite these claims, which come amid anecdotes of its
curative properties, there has not been any scientific proof that the
herb has any actual effect on cancer.<br />
<br />
One nursery owner in Pasir
Ris in particular has watched with amazement as demand for the plant has
slithered upwards in just four years.<br />
<br />
Mr Alan Loh, 67, tells The New Paper on Sunday: "More than five years ago, nobody asked for it."<br />
<br />
Only a small group of people with kidney problems bought the Sabah Snake Grass initially from Mr Loh.<br />
<br />
He
says: "At its peak two years ago, the demand grew from almost zero to
about 10 customers each day asking or wanting to buy the plant from me. I
often ran out of stock."<br />
<br />
Mr Loh said the popularity of the herb
can be traced back to the story of a Malaysian's miraculous recovery
from Stage 4 thyroid cancer.<br />
<br />
The man, Mr Liu Hui Lian from Perak, was told by doctors in 2008 that he had only three months to live.<br />
<br />
Every
medical treatment he tried proved futile until he found out about Sabah
Snake Grass. After five months of consuming the leaves, he claims that
his cancer had disappeared, he tells TNPS in a telephone interview this
week.<br />
<br />
Mr Liu, 58, says in Malay: "This March will be the fifth year that my
cancer has not returned. It's a bonus for me and there's a good chance
I'm totally cured."<br />
<br />
After Mr Liu's story was covered by several Chinese newspapers and a TV station in Malaysia, the plant's popularity soared.<br />
<br />
A
website - www.sabahsnakegrassfarm.com - by another farm owner in
Seremban, Malaysia, documents Mr Liu's medical history from diagnosis to
an apparent improvement shown in a medical examination taken in 2009.<br />
<br />
To date, that site has garnered 97,000 views from 90 countries.<br />
<br />
Malaysians
make up 56 per cent of those who had visited the site while
Singaporeans, the second largest group, make up 18 per cent.<br />
<br />
Now,
Mr Liu runs an eight-acre farm - about the size of eight football fields
- that grows the herb. He usually gives away small samples to cancer
sufferers.<br />
<br />
He also teaches them how to replant the herb in their gardens.<br />
<br />
Mr
Liu says: "If you believe (that you can be cured after consuming the
herb), half the battle is won. You're on the way to being cured like
me."<br />
<br />
Yet, some medical professionals here remain unconvinced. Medically, there's no "magic bullet" for cancer, they say.<br />
<br />
Still,
Mr Liu's story has led to a healthy demand here as well, said the
general manager of Hua Hng Trading, a plant and tree wholesale centre
off Sembawang Road, who gave her name as Madam Ang.<br />
<br />
The woman, in her 50s, says: "Five years ago, I stocked 50 small pots of Sabah Snake Grass at any one time.<br />
<br />
"Today, I stock close to 1,000 pots."<br />
<br />
Smaller nurseries, like Mr Loh's outfit in Jalan Loyang Besar, have also hopped on the bandwagon.<br />
<br />
At his nursery, roughly the size of two basketball courts, seven small plots are devoted to Sabah Snake Grass harvesting.<br />
<br />
He sells three pots for $10 while its leaves can be bought for $30 per kg.<br />
<br />
Mr Loh isn't the only one peddling the plant.<br />
<br />
There
are other herb farms and several online "agents" here selling the Sabah
Snake Grass. About four other nurseries here supply the plant at
wholesale quantities, says Mr Loh.<br />
<br />
Those who consume the Sabah Snake Grass usually blend the leaves with green apple juice.<br />
<br />
"You could also eat it raw," says Mr Loh, handing this reporter a leaf he had plucked from a potted plant.<br />
<br />
There wasn't any nasty aftertaste.<br />
<br />
How much to consume depends on which stage of cancer the sufferer is in, says Mr Loh.<br />
<br />
"European tourists have visited me asking how to grow the plant in their gardens."<br />
<br />
He
claims: "One old man, a cancer sufferer, came in a wheelchair but three
weeks later, after consuming the Sabah Snake Grass, he walks into my
garden without any help.<br />
<br />
"I'm not a doctor but I see that they've regained their strength and appear more comfortable."<br />
<br />
<strong>Snake grass may bring false hope to cancer patients</strong><br />
<br />
What do you tell a child when her life may be cut short?<br />
<br />
That's the question plaguing a mother whose daughter suffers from stomach cancer.<br />
<br />
To Niki Ng, seven, and her mother, Mrs Ng from Taiping, Perak, the Sabah Snake Grass is a godsend.<br />
<br />
Speaking
to The New Paper on Sunday over the phone from Mr Liu Hui Lian's farm,
Mrs Ng, 38, says in Malay: "I just want her to lead a normal life like
other children. The herb represents hope for us."<br />
<br />
Niki was diagnosed with the gastric carcinoma in September last year, and had undergone chemotherapy without success.<br />
<br />
After consuming Sabah Snake Grass in November, Niki's 5cm polyp began to shrink, claims Mrs Ng.<br />
Yet, such herbal treatments aren't all proven remedies, say medical professionals here.<br />
<br />
Says
Ms Joanna Liew, 28, a registered physician at Bao Zhong Tang TCM
Centre: "The danger here is that what works for one person, may not work
for another.<br />
<br />
"There is also no 'magic bullet' in the treatment of cancer."<br />
<br />
Dr
Wong Seng Weng, Medical Director & Consultant Medical Oncologist at
The Cancer Centre says that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
had previously approved a herbal treatment for advanced prostate cancer.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately the approval was withdrawn.<br />
<br />
This was due to serious problems with the quality control in the
production of the herbal preparation including contamination with
arsenic, says Dr Wong.<br />
<br />
He adds: "No alternative therapies for cancer has been approved by FDA since."<br />
<br />
Some of Dr Wong's patients have tried the Sabah Snake Grass. However, his findings may be hard to swallow.<br />
<br />
He
says: "All (his patients who consumed the Sabah Snake Grass)
experienced worsening of their cancers. Hence my personal observation of
the effects of Sabah Snake Grass has been very negative."<br />
<br />
Similarly,
the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) says that it is "not aware of any
scientific evidence that substantiates the medical use of Sabah Snake
Grass in the treatment of cancer."<br />
<br />
Like Dr Wong, HSA reminds cancer patients to exercise caution.<br />
<br />
Says
Dr Wong: "Patients with an incurable disease may be in a state of
emotional desperation and can be very vulnerable to people peddling
false hope."<br />
<br />
What's important in the treatment of cancers is its early detection, says Ms Liew, 28.<br />
<br />
"I have heard of many horror stories of people delaying cancer treatment," she says.<br />
<br />
She adds that the longer the patient waits in making a treatment decision, the lower the chances of success.<br />
<br />
<strong>Snake gall bladder</strong><br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
The
gall bladder of a snake, believed to help cleanse blood and detoxify
the body, can be found in traditional Chinese medical halls here.<br />
<br />
"It
is not popular with locals, but mainland Chinese, especially those from
Fujian and Xiamen, seem to like it," says a Thye Shan Medical Hall
spokesman.<br />
<br />
It is also known to alleviate rheumatism, she adds.<br />
<br />
Snake
gall bladder is mostly imported from countries such as Indonesia,
Thailand, and India, and is typically consumed after soaked in wine.<br />
<br />
The
teardrop-shaped ingredient, which is sold in a dried form at medical
halls, can also be sliced and cooked before being eaten.<br />
<br />
It costs a hefty $200 to $400 per 100g, depending on the grade, says the spokesman.<br />
<br />
<strong>Snake fruit</strong><br />
<br />
Also known as salak, this fruit has reddish-brown, prickly skin that resembles that of a snake.<br />
<br />
The skin breaks away to reveal lobes of white, juicy flesh, which tastes like a combination of honey and pineapple.<br />
<br />
The
fruit grows in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. Finely sliced, it makes
a great ingredient in salads, and packs a big dose of vitamin C.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-89321892866135552652013-01-31T18:25:00.000-08:002013-01-31T18:25:13.850-08:00Tampines St 45 dangerously accident-prone, say residents<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ride.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image/public/original_images/Jan2013/junction_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://ride.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image/public/original_images/Jan2013/junction_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
TAMPINES - A day after the horrific accident, people were still jaywalking.<br />
<br />
Pedestrians at Tampines Street 45 were seen ignoring traffic lights
as they crossed the street, casually strolling with their earphones
plugged in.<br />
<br />
Some students even ran across the road.<br />
This, despite the fact that the street is infamous among residents there.<br />
<br />
"The area is dangerously accident-prone," claimed Mr Michael Seet, 60, a retiree.<br />
<br />
The resident of Block 491C did not witness Monday's tragedy, but
claimed to have seen other accidents happen on Street 45, such as one
involving a woman early one morning two years ago.<br />
<br />
On Dec 6, 2011, Madam Mislia Ahmad, 65, was killed by a car turning
right from Street 45 into Tampines Avenue 9, reported The Straits Times.<br />
<br />
<strong>Near misses</strong><br />
<br />
Many residents also told The New Paper about their near misses with speeding vehicles there.<br />
<br />
Mr John Tan, 64, claimed he was almost hit by a lorry at the junction
of Street 45 and Avenue 9, when the traffic lights had been in his
favour.<br />
<br />
"Many lorries speed here," said the retiree, who lives in Block 489.
"They are really too fast.<br />
<br />
Accidents like that (Monday's accident) can
be avoided if they weren't so fast."<br />
<br />
TNP understands there is a construction site beside Block 491E. Two
blocks of flats and a multi-storey carpark are being built there.<br />
<br />
Residents also complained about how there were too many heavy vehicles on the narrow road.<br />
Street 45 is a two-lane road that runs to the four-lane Tampines Avenue 9.<br />
<br />
Opposite the road is All Saints Home, a nursing home for the elderly.<br />
<br />
There is a zebra crossing just outside Dunman Secondary School, with
signs warning motorists of crossing students. The speed limit for Street
45 is 50kmh.<br />
<br />
When The New Paper went to the junction at 1.30pm yesterday, many school buses were turning into the narrow road.<br />
<br />
They were there to drop off students after school and when they turned, they took up nearly half of the street.<br />
<br />
We also counted a total of 34 heavy vehicles between 5pm and 6pm, including buses, cement trucks and other construction trucks.<br />
<br />
Monday's accident had happened at around 5.50pm.<br />
<br />
"The turning is so narrow that when the heavy vehicles turn, there is
no space for the children to stand. It's very dangerous for them," said
Mrs Priya Senthil, 32, who lives in Block 498B.<br />
<br />
The mother of two claimed that children often walk along the road
from Dunman Secondary School or from Tampines North Primary School.<br />
<br />
Others, like Mr Muhammad Adanan, 23, blamed the traffic lights.<br />
<br />
Mr Adanan, a tow-head driver who moves containers around shipyards,
claimed that during peak hours, only four or five cars can drive through
the Avenue 9 junction each time before the light changes.<br />
<br />
"I often see people try to speed up, to beat the lights," he said.<br />
<br />
Between 5pm and 6pm yesterday, we witnessed at least six vehicles trying to beat the red light.<br />
Mr Adanan lives in Block 494 with his family. In the six months he
has lived there, he has heard of three accidents there, he claimed.<br />
<br />
"It's quite a scary place, quite dangerous. I hope something can be done," he said.<br />
<br />
Many residents are now calling for a change.<br />
<br />
"We need more speed bumps and more traffic police here," said a resident, who wanted to be known only as Madam Koh.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-26447941405490614412013-01-25T20:35:00.004-08:002013-01-25T20:35:36.456-08:00Compare Travel Insurance & Instant Quotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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His life expectancy may be less than the average person's, but
Branden Lim's family are determined to make the most of his remaining
years.<br />
<br />
It is a perfectly average domestic scene set around the family dining table.<br />
<br />
Mother
Yap Sook Yee, 38, is keeping an eye on five-year-old Jaden to ensure
that he doesn't get so distracted by his iPad game that he doesn't eat
his lunch, and Branden, two, is demanding his father Edmund Lim's
attention by repeatedly calling out "Pa! Pa! Pa!" from his baby chair.<br />
<br />
There are only two things to disturb this pretty family picture: the
nasogastric tube going into Branden's left nostril, and the two blue
support cushions tucked in snugly on either side to help keep him
sitting upright.<br />
<br />
Life has not been easy for the Lims ever since
they discovered that Branden is suffering from a genetic disorder called
spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).<br />
<br />
<strong> Unsuspected disorder </strong><br />
<br />
With
firstborn Jaden being a regular, healthy kid, and no known history of
genetic diseases in either family, Yap and Lim, 39, had no inkling that
they were actually carriers of a defective, recessive copy of the SMN1
gene.<br />
<br />
This gene is in charge of producing a protein called
survival motor neuron (SMN), which, as its name states, is crucial for
the survival of motor neurons.<br />
<br />
Motor neurons are nerve cells
located within the central nervous system, which control both voluntary
and involuntary muscle movement.<br />
<br />
The lack of the SMN protein leads
to the early death of these motor neurons; and as neurons have very
limited regeneration capacities, this spells very bad news for the
affected person.<br />
<br />
While carriers of the defective gene are not
affected physically, each offspring of two such carriers has a
one-in-four chance of inheriting two recessive copies of the SMN1 gene,
resulting in them developing SMA.<br />
<br />
<strong> Warning signs </strong><br />
<br />
Yap shares that while her
pregnancy with Branden was normal, the first intimation that something
might be wrong came during his birth.<br />
<br />
"When Branden was delivered,
he was immediately admitted to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit)
because he didn't really cry - there was fluid in his lungs." she says.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
Lim, a commercial manager with a multinational company, recalls
that Branden had to be put on continuous positive airway pressure
(CPAP) at that time, in order to help him breathe.<br />
<br />
However, he
recovered enough to be discharged eight days later, although the doctor
advised that he be kept away from crowded places.<br />
<br />
The next few months passed by uneventfully, until Branden reached three months of age.<br />
<br />
Yap recalls: "He was able to turn at three months, but that was the first and last time he ever did it."<br />
As
the months went on, Branden started missing more milestones, like
sitting up and crawling, but his parents thought that he was just a more
"relaxed" baby. He also developed trembling fingers.<br />
<br />
Then, at five months, Branden's paediatrician found him to be hypotonic, ie his muscles had less tone or strength than normal.<br />
<br />
"He said it was a general symptom, which could indicate multiple different conditions, from simple to complex," says Lim.<br />
<br />
"Branden was then started on physiotherapy, which worked for awhile, but then, it stopped having any effect."<br />
<br />
However, the alarm bells really started to ring when Branden was about a year old.<br />
<br />
"At one year of age, he had only gained 100g (from six months)," says Yap.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
Lim adds: "That was one of the key indications that something was wrong; he was missing more milestones."<br />
<br />
It was then that Yap started researching Branden's condition, and soon realised that something was not right with him.<br />
<br />
With
a few conditions in mind, she took Branden to his paediatrician, who
agreed with her on the possibilities, and referred them to a paediatric
geneticist. "He did multiple tests, then confirmed that the diagnosis
was SMA."<br />
<br />
<strong> Immediate reaction </strong><br />
<br />
Initially,
Yap had kept quiet about the tests to Lim, as he was working in London
on an overseas assignment. But he arrived back in time for them to
receive the results together.<br />
<br />
"It was like the whole house had fallen down around us; we were totally shocked by the diagnosis," he recalls.<br />
<br />
And if that weren't bad news enough, three days later, Jaden came down with chickenpox.<br />
<br />
Yap had to move with Branden to her sister's house as a quarantine measure, while Lim took care of Jaden at home.<br />
<br />
This
meant that the shock and heavy weight of Branden's SMA diagnosis had to
be borne separately for the mother and father, on top of caring for
each son. "We went through the stages of grief separately," Lim shares.<br />
<br />
Those 14 days of quarantine also gave them time to research the condition.<br />
<br />
"We quickly signed up with Families of SMA, who reached out to us and sent us a care package on SMA immediately," says Lim.<br />
<br />
Families
of SMA is an American-based non-profit organisation formed by parents
of children with SMA, which aims to support families affected by SMA,
and to fund research, which could lead to a treatment, and eventual
cure, for the condition.<br />
<br />
They also decided to inform their family
and friends via a Facebook note and email of Branden's diagnosis. "After
all, we had nothing to be ashamed of," says Lim, who adds that sending
out that message also helped them to move on from their initial shock
and grief.<br />
<br />
<strong> Emotional support </strong><br />
<br />
While medical help and
expertise were readily at hand, what Yap and Lim wanted was emotional
and practical support from parents who are, or have been, in their
position.<br />
<br />
"We knew that time was not on our side; SMA is a genetic killer, so
we had to be really quick in finding other people who also have it.<br />
<br />
"We wanted to reach out to other parents to learn from them and also, for emotional support."<br />
<br />
Their paediatrician had told them about a local 16-year-old SMA patient, whom they were eager to get in touch with.<br />
<br />
Coincidentally,
two days after they had posted their Facebook note, one of their
friends realised that she knew this girl and her family, and was able to
put the two families in touch.<br />
<br />
"It gave us hope, to see someone with a fairly bad case of SMA, still able to live until her teens," says Yap.<br />
<br />
<strong> Prioritising needs </strong><br />
<br />
The
scares were not over though, as Jaden contracted hand, foot and mouth
(HFM) disease about a month after his chickenpox, which promptly got
passed on to Branden.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the disease hit the younger boy harder, and he had to be hospitalised for five days.<br />
<br />
Following that, the Lims' Cambodian maid got a belated case of the chickenpox, and had to be sent off to Yap's mother's house.<br />
<br />
"Our hearts never stopped beating really fast that whole time," Yap recalls, with a smile.<br />
<br />
Their
maid's chickenpox fortunately, turned out to be the last of the two
months of bad news and domestic chaos, allowing them to finally settle
down and prioritise what needed to be done for Branden's condition.<br />
<br />
Yap, who had worked part-time in the fashion and beauty industry
prior to Branden's birth, and had intended to go back to work after he
turned one, now gave up that idea to remain a fulltime homemaker.<br />
<br />
Lim, being of practical mind, immersed himself in research for solutions to Branden's multiple problems.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
SMA can be divided into four categories based on age of onset
of the disease, with Type I being the most severe form, and Type IV, the
least severe.<br />
<br />
Branden's symptoms and age of onset place him between Type I and Type II.<br />
<br />
At
his current two years of age, he is able to sit up with support, move
his arms and legs, and eat solids. However, he gets physically tired
easily, and does not have enough strength to press a piano key down.<br />
<br />
Nutrition has been a major concern for Yap, as Branden is underweight for his age.<br />
<br />
"That's
my biggest headache - I don't know if it is because he is in his
terrible twos, but because he can't talk properly, it's difficult to
tell if he is full or doesn't like the food," says Yap.<br />
<br />
Lim adds: "We have to figure out what are the most 'power-packed' foods to give him, for example, juice versus water.<br />
<br />
"And now that he's getting fussy, we have to figure out what he likes, which is also nutritious enough for him."<br />
<br />
Like Yap, most people are unlikely to realise the sheer number of muscles involved in the digestive process.<br />
<br />
From
chewing and swallowing, to the involuntary muscles that prevent food
from coming back out the stomach, and those involved in passing motion,
every muscle that participates in this process is affected by SMA.<br />
<br />
<strong> Living in fear </strong><br />
<br />
Thus, Branden frequently gets constipated because he doesn't have the strength to push out his stool.<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
He also vomits fairly often, as the involuntary muscles of his
stomach are not strong enough to hold in too much food, which ends up
being regurgitated.<br />
<br />
Because of this, aspiration pneumonia is a
major source of concern. In fact, pneumonia is one of the main causes of
death for SMA patients.<br />
<br />
In aspiration pneumonia, food that is
regurgitated up the oesophagus gets diverted into the trachea and down
the lungs. Once in the lungs, it results in pneumonia.<br />
<br />
Branden has
already been hospitalised for pneumonia once last August. That is where
he obtained his nasogastric tube, which his parents are using to
supplement his nutrition.<br />
<br />
"We were so happy with the tube, but we
didn't know the flow rates. We thought that we could give him as much
milk as he needed through it, but then it all just came out again, like
the Merlion in Singapore," says Lim with a laugh.<br />
<br />
"That's where
support is so important," says Yap. "We called a friend in Singapore who
is an SMA mother, and she advised us on the best way to use the tube."<br />
<br />
Lim adds: "Maintaining his calorie intake, and trying to track whether he has silent aspiration, are our current priorities."<br />
<br />
<strong> Continuing challenges </strong><br />
<br />
Breathing is another major concern for SMA patients.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
While Branden can currently breathe on his own, he does need
help clearing out the secretions from his lungs, and his parents are
careful to monitor his oxygen levels both day and night.<br />
<br />
However,
Lim acknowledges that at some point in the future, Branden may be unable
to breathe on his own, and will need some sort of mechanical
assistance.<br />
<br />
A further complication is likely to be the onset of scoliosis, which tends to develop in SMA patients at the age of seven or so.<br />
<br />
Branden's range of movement will also becoming increasingly limited, as he grows older and his muscles, weaker.<br />
<br />
In
order to give him a shot at as regular a life as possible, he will need
items like custom-made wheelchairs, bath equipment and special
utensils; intensive and ongoing physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
speech therapy and hydrotherapy; and home-schooling, among others.<br />
<br />
Lim
laments that while many of these things are provided for, and even
taken for granted in the United States, Malaysia is lagging far behind
in terms of appropriate and available home equipment, and educational
opportunities.<br />
<br />
No insurance company here covers SMA, and while
medical treatment and adjunct therapies are available in public
hospitals for a minimal fee, the Lims have to provide for the various
equipment Branden needs at home.<br />
<br />
And there is also his older brother, Jaden.<br />
<br />
"The
other challenge is having a sibling - teaching him to care for his
sibling, and also, a lot of attention has to be given to Branden, so he
is also being challenged emotionally," says Yap, adding that they try to
allocate time for herself and Jaden, Lim and Jaden, as well as couple
time for herself and Lim.<br />
<br />
Lim adds: "We always try to think of activities we can do as a family, things that Branden and Jaden can do together."<br />
<br />
<strong> Thankful </strong><br />
<br />
They are also fortunate to have a good support system.<br />
<br />
Lim says: "Family support is very important and so helpful. All we need to do is ask, and they will help us.<br />
<br />
"Support from our friends has also been invaluable, although some have not known how to react to the news.<br />
<br />
"My company and my boss have also been very understanding and supportive."<br />
<br />
Even
their neighbours are very helpful, being ever willing to help provide
meals, or even lend their maid when needed, says Yap. (Their own maid
has returned to her country, and they now cope alone with the help of
Lim's mother, who stays with them.)<br />
<br />
Because there are so many
bodily functions affected by SMA, which develop at different times, Yap
and Lim are focusing on one step at a time.<br />
<br />
"We will follow Branden's development, and react accordingly," Yap says.<br />
<br />
Although Branden may not live a normal lifespan, his parents are determined to enjoy him in the time that they have.<br />
<br />
"We accept that it is not going to get any better, but we are going to make the best of it," she says.<br />
<br />
"Branden
is such a happy boy, he brings us a lot of joy, and there's really a
lot to celebrate about him. We want to enjoy him in the present, as he
is."<br />
<br />
<strong> SMA Facts </strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Some basic information on the genetic disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA): </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> It is a rare autosomal recessive disease affecting one in 6,000 - 10,000 individuals. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> It is the leading genetic cause of death in children under two years of age. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Around one in 40-50 people are carriers of the defective SMN1 gene. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> There is no cure. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <strong> Type I (Infantile; Werdnig-Hiffmann disease) </strong> </span><br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
<strong> Age of onset: </strong> 0 - 6 months<br />
<strong> Characteristics: </strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">
Ususally exhibits floppy baby syndrome, a weak sucking reflex,
difficulty breathing and sucking, and is unable to stand or sit without
help. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Has a poor prognosis, with most patients dying before two years of age from pneumonia-induced respiratory failure. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <strong> Type II (Intermediate Dubowitz disease) </strong> </span><br />
<strong> Age of onset: </strong> <span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> 6 - 18 months </span><br />
<strong> Characteristics: </strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Has delayed motor development, usually unable to crawl or stand, but can sit unsupported. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> At higher risk of respiratory infections </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Often live into their teens, but with significant motor impairment </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <strong> Type III (Juvenile; Wolhlfart-Kugelberg-Welander disease) </strong> </span><br />
<strong> Age of onset: </strong> <span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> </span> <span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> After 18 months </span><br />
<strong> Characteristics: </strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Characteristics: Symptoms can appear any time from 18 months to adolescence. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">
Can usually stand and walk independently, but may eventually lose these
abilities as their condition progresses. Fingers and hands may tremble.
</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Life expectancy is near normal </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <strong> Type IV (Adult) </strong> </span><br />
<strong> Age of onset: </strong> <span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> </span> <span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Adulthood </span><br />
<strong> Characteristics: </strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Symptoms usually appear after the age of 35, although they can manifest as early as 18 years of age. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> The least common type of the disease. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Shows progressive muscle weakness and tremours. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> Life expectancy is normal. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-87376653062951192082013-01-23T19:48:00.000-08:002013-01-23T19:48:09.643-08:00 COE premiums mostly down after latest bidding exercise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=496750" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=496750" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE:
Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums were mostly down at the end of
the latest bidding exercise at 4pm on Wednesday.<br /><br />For small cars, the premium fell S$1,090 to S$91,010.<br /><br />The premium for big cars closed down S$709 to S$95,501.<br /><br />In
the goods vehicles and buses category, the premium was down S$2,949 to
end at S$57,051, while COE premiums for motorcycles ended at S$1,781,
down S$152.<br /><br />The only category where premiums rose was the open category, which went up S$1,788 to S$97,889.<br /><br />While the changes are not significant, some car dealers are advising consumers against holding out on buying.<br /><br />Mr
Raymond Tang, a car dealer, said: "If you carry on waiting, because of
the next quota premium, the COE is getting less, it is definitely not
going to benefit you. But of course, you have to see your own financial
status. If you don't want to spend so much, you can actually go to the
used-car market."<br /><br />Mr Tang expects premiums to continue heading north, going forward.</span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-79047223190800806812013-01-22T20:54:00.000-08:002013-01-22T20:54:15.296-08:00Singapore Dec inflation likely edged up to 3.85% y-o-y<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://business.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/business/10Oct12/images/20121024.180620_inflation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://business.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/business/10Oct12/images/20121024.180620_inflation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
SINGAPORE - Singapore's inflation likely edged higher to 3.85 per
cent year-on-year in December, quickening from November's 3.6 per cent
as car prices rose at a faster pace, according to the median estimate of
12 economists polled by Reuters.<br />
<br />
Singapore's central bank forecast is for headline inflation to come
in slightly above 4.5 per cent in 2012 and to slow in the following year
to between 3.5 and 4.5 per cent.<br />
<br />
The city-state's inflation averaged 4.6 per cent in the first 11 months of 2012.<br />
<br />
Earlier, when the poll involved 10 economists, the median forecast
for December inflation was 3.8 per cent year-on-year. With two more
economists, the median rose to 3.85 per cent.Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-25114215268163560972013-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:002013-01-22T20:43:26.933-08:00Higher subsidies to make child & infant care more affordable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=491952" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=491952" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE: From
April, lower and middle income families will enjoy higher government
subsidies in child and infant care services, under a new subsidy
framework.<br /><br />The framework complements other measures to defray the
costs of child-raising under the Marriage and Parenthood Package
announced on Monday.<br /><br />All parents will continue to receive a basic
subsidy at the current rate of S$300 a month for child care and infant
care programmes.<br /><br />Families with a gross monthly income of S$7,500 and below will receive an additional subsidy. <br /><br />Eligible
families using full-day programmes will see an increase in their
current child care subsidies of at least S$100 and infant care subsidies
of at least S$200, with lower income families receiving more.<br /><br />For
example, a lower income household with a monthly income of S$2,500 and
below will get an extra S$440 for a basic full-day childcare programme.
This will bring its total subsidy to S$740.<br /><br />The additional
subsidy will replace the Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for
Child Care (CFAC) which provides child care related financial assistance
for families earning S$3,500 and below. <br /><br />Up to two-thirds of households will benefit.<br /><br />Acting
Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing announced the
new framework after a visit to YWCA Child Development Centre on
Wednesday.<br /><br />He said it puts Singapore comfortably in the top half
of OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)
countries, in terms of affordability of pre-school services. <br /><br />Mr
Chan said the subsidies will cover a large part of costs, as the median
cost of a full-day childcare programme in an HDB estate is about S$615.<br /><br />The
new subsidy framework will increase the government's investment in
child and infant care by S$105 million and bring the total budget for
government spending in this area to about S$360 million for financial
year 2013. </span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-2164690746781882262013-01-22T16:57:00.005-08:002013-01-22T16:57:59.435-08:00 New scheme to help defray children's healthcare bills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=505772" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=505772" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE: From
March, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will set aside S$8 million annually
under a new Medifund Junior scheme to help needy Singaporeans defray
their children's healthcare bills.<br /><br />The scheme, applicable to
children aged below 18, will require an additional S$10 million in
Medifund assistance over 5 years, to supplement current funds. The
ministry will review whether the amount is sufficient thereafter, said
the MOH in a statement.<br /><br />Needy families will be able to draw on
Medifund Junior for help with their children's healthcare bills at
public hospitals, said the ministry.<br /><br />"By creating Medifund
Junior, MOH can target more financial assistance for sick children from
needy families. This will also help defray costs incurred by children
diagnosed with congenital or neonatal conditions before 1 March 2013,"
said the ministry.<br /><br />From March, MediShield coverage for congenital
and neonatal conditions will kick in. All Singaporean newborns born on
or after March 1 will be covered, without having to be assessed for
pre-existing conditions, if their parents do not opt them out.<br /><br />All
existing policyholders will automatically receive coverage for any
congenital conditions diagnosed on or after March 1, 2013. This
extension will be implemented together with previous MediShield
enhancements announced earlier.<br /><br />To support Singaporean families
pay for their child's MediShield premiums and defray other healthcare
expenses, the government will set up a Medisave account and deposit a
one-off Medisave grant of S$3,000 over two tranches for all newborn
Singapore citizens born on or after August 26, 2012.<br /><br />The KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) puts up on average 400 Medifund applications a month.<br /><br />95 per cent of these applications are usually successful with families getting assistance from Medifund.<br /><br />However,
as Medifund is targeted at lower income families, the middle income
families are usually left out as they don't meet the criteria. <br /><br />"Some
of them, even though they are from the middle income families, some of
the bills can be quite costly. So for these large bills, we are giving
the hospitals more flexibility under the Medifund Junior to be able to
help these middle income families," said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. <br /><br />Healthcare
institutions will assess the out-of-pocket expenses by the needy
families and their family resources before offering them assistance
under this new fund.<br /><br />Needy children diagnosed with congenital or
neonatal conditions before 1 March will also be able to use the new fund
to help defray costs. These include stays at the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit (NICU) at KKH.<br /><br />Ms Mavis Teo, a medical social worker at
KKH, said: "For example, a couple with a newborn child with congenital
problems and this is a dual-income family with an average income of
about S$4,000...if (the child stays) in NICU and it costs them about
S$20,000 to S$30,000, we would be able to help them to cover some of the
medical expenses for the NICU stay."<br /><br />For those with more serious
premature cases or those with neonatal or congenital conditions,
hospital stay may range between one month and six months, and on the
average bills can be anything from S$10,000 to S$60,000. <br /><br />In
extremely rare cases, babies with severe complications needing
multi-stage surgeries and treatment, medical expenses may even exceed
S$100,000.<br /><br />The hospital's NICU, which also treats premature babies, will be expanded.<br /><br />Doctors
at the KKH say that its NICU is usually run at full capacity due to the
rising number of admissions in the past few years. <br /><br />As such, the
unit will undergo renovation and see its bed capacity rise from the
current 24 to 40 in the next five years, making it the largest facility
in the region.<br /><br />Associate Professor Samuel Rajadurai, a doctor at
KKH, said the incidence of premature babies has gone up by 10 to 13.5
per cent over 20 years. <br /><br />A number of factors have led to this
phenomenon, including the older age of mothers and better monitoring of
mothers during their pregnancies.<br /><br />The hospital also plans to expand its outpatient as well as ambulatory services and increase the number of beds.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span><a href="http://wealthadvisersg.blogspot.sg/p/contact-me.html" target="_blank">Contact me now to find out more about the new changes in the MediShield Plan </a></span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-63484663038405828342013-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:38:13.541-08:00Singapore cooling: Mortgage loans could drop up to 20%<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/images/thumb/5/d/a/d/5dadb131278400_1_V235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/images/thumb/5/d/a/d/5dadb131278400_1_V235.jpg" /></a></div>
Singapore’s broad range of new property curbs is an indication that the
government is willing to trade off economic growth for social issues,
said DBS Chief Executive Piyush Gupta (<em>pictured</em>).<br /><br />The
official forecast for GDP growth this year is between one and three
percent and Gupta believes that Singapore will likely perform in the
bottom end of the range. <br /><br />This as the government puts social
priorities ahead of the economy, as seen in its latest restrictions that
“are likely to have a lot more teeth than anything we’ve seen so far”. <br /><br />“You
don't have to be terribly prescient because they've been making it very
clear now - for some time - that they're willing to trade off growth
for what they call sustainable growth. Which means they're willing to
trade off growth for social harmony.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, there could be a significant decline in mortgage loans for 2013, according to DBS’ chief. <br /><br />“I
think there will be a slowdown because of all three things - higher
cost to property, lower loan to valuation ratios and higher debt burden
ratios.” <br /><br />“Rates are still at historic lows, so we've to balance a
lot of money available with low rates, because of all the measures. So
it's tough to call how much the slowdown will be.”<br /><br />He expects a drop of between 10 and 20 percent “on a sustained basis in terms of mortgage loans”.Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-78299281783382992272013-01-09T22:22:00.001-08:002013-01-09T22:22:19.427-08:00Polytechnic graduates' starting salaries up in 2012 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.edvantage.com.sg/site/servlet/linkableblob/edvantage/1531426/topImage/Polytechnic_graduates_starting_salaries_up_in_2012-topImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://static.edvantage.com.sg/site/servlet/linkableblob/edvantage/1531426/topImage/Polytechnic_graduates_starting_salaries_up_in_2012-topImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
An annual graduate employment survey has found that the median gross
monthly starting salary for post-national service graduates last year
went up from $2,100 in 2011 to $2,253 last year.<br />
<br />
The Graduate Employment Survey, jointly conducted by the five
polytechnics in 2012, revealed that polytechnic graduates who are
currently in the workforce have enjoyed an increase in starting
salaries. This increase applies to both fresh graduates and
post-National Service (NS) graduates.<br />
<br />
The employment rate also remains high at 91.0% for fresh graduates, and 93.1% for post-NS graduates.<br />
<br />
The percentage engaged in full-time permanent employment rate was 65.4% for fresh graduates and 77.8% for post-NS graduates.<br />
<br />
A
total of 9,982 fresh graduates took part in the Survey. As at Oct 1,
2012, the overall employment rate was 91.0%, compared to 92.1% in 2011.
The proportion of economically active fresh graduates in full-time
permanent employment was 65.4%, compared to 67.0% in 2011.<br />
<br />
Median gross monthly salary among fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment was $1,950, compared to $1,850 in 2011.<br />
<br />
Among
the 4,347 post-NS respondents, the overall employment rate was 93.1%,
compared to 94.7% in 2011. The proportion of economically active post-NS
graduates holding full-time permanent jobs was 77.8% compared to 80.1%
in 2011.<br />
<br />
The median gross monthly salary of post-NS graduates in full-time permanent employment was $2,253, compared to $2,100 in 2011.<br />
<br />
Among
the fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment, the course
categories with the highest median gross salaries are from the Health
Sciences ($2,000) and Built Environment, Engineering & Maritime
($2,000) courses.<br />
<br />
<div id="idParentDiv">
<div id="idDiv1" style="clear: none;">
Among post-NS graduates in full-time permanent employment, the
course categories which commanded the highest median gross salaries are:
Health Sciences ($2,429); Business, Management, Design & Others
($2,400); and Built Environment, Engineering & Maritime ($2,300).<br />
<br />
The
annual Graduate Employment Survey is jointly conducted by Nanyang, Ngee
Ann, Republic, Singapore and Temasek polytechnics to ascertain the
employment status of polytechnic graduates.<br />
<br />
The 2012 Survey was
conducted between October and November 2012 and attracted a total of
14,329 respondents. They were asked to respond based on their employment
status on Oct 1, 2012.<br />
<br />
The respondents comprised fresh graduates
who completed their studies in 2012 and were not liable for National
Service after graduation, and post-NS graduates of 2009 who completed
their full-time National Service between April 1, 2011 and March 31,
2012.<br />
</div>
</div>
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-76236604429942158242013-01-09T22:20:00.003-08:002013-01-09T22:20:35.701-08:00Small car COE breaches $92,000 mark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/motoring/01Jan13/images/20130109.162219_coe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/motoring/01Jan13/images/20130109.162219_coe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
SINGAPORE - The COE premiums for small cars (up to 1,600cc) breached
the $90,000 mark, finishing the year's first bidding session at $92,100.<br />
<br />
This is up 12.4 per cent from last month's bidding where prices ended at $81,889.<br />
<br />
Prices for big cars in Cat B (above 1,600 cc) also reached a new
high, ending at $96,210. The previous record-breaking price was $94,502
in August 2012.<br />
<br />
Premiums for motorcycles and the open category (used for any vehicle
type but used mainly for luxury cars) also saw increases from the
previous session that ended on December 19.<br />
<br />
COEs for motorcycles will now cost $1,933, up from $1,701 while prices in the Open Category rose to $96,101, up from $95,990.<br />
<br />
There was some relief in the commercial vehicle category with prices
dropping to $60,000, down 3.5 per cent from last bidding's $62,201.<br />
<br />
<table align="centre" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="bodytext" style="font-size: 12px; width: 250px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" style="color: #3366cc; font: bold 14px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; padding: 5px;">Jan 2013 - First bidding</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%"><strong>Category</strong></td>
<td align="center" width="25%"><strong>Jan 09 prices</strong></td>
<td align="center" width="25%"><strong><strong>Dec 19 prices</strong></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%">Cars (1,600CC below)</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$92,100</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$81,889</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%">Cars (above 1,600CC)</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$96,210</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$93,501</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%">Commercial vehicles</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$60,000</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$62,201</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%">Motorcycles</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$1,933</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$1,701</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="50%">Open category</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$96,101</td>
<td align="center" width="25%">$95,990</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-72927896555007187962013-01-07T22:10:00.001-08:002013-01-07T22:10:20.730-08:00Top 10 healthcare changes to note for 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/health2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/health2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The new year is beginning and the changes announced by the Government in 2012 will soon be rolled out.<br />
<br />
Keep
abreast of the latest developments by reading on the top 10 upcoming
health care changes that all Singaporeans should know about:<br />
<br />
<strong>Improvements to MediShield </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> From March, the Ministry of Health
will introduce sweeping changes to the MediShield insurance scheme, the
low-cost catastrophic illness insurance plan covering 92 per cent of the
population which was introduced in 1990.<br />
<br />
The maximum age covered
by MediShield will be raised from 85 to 90 years, to ensure people will
get health coverage even as they live longer.<br />
<br />
The current maximum
entry age of 75 will also be scrapped so that more healthy elderly
people who are uninsured can join the scheme.<br />
<br />
The maximum amount
claimable each year as well as the lifetime claim limit will also be
raised so that more exceptionally large bills are are covered.<br />
<br />
Acute
psychiatric hospital care and short stays in emergency departments will
also be covered, so people do not miss out on timely and appropriate
treatment of mental illnesses.<br />
<br />
The changes followed public consultation in July and August last year.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
The enhanced MediShield covers more people for more types of illnesses
for a longer time span. It offers a lifeline to those worried about
hefty medical bills even as they live longer.<br />
<br />
It is also good news
to those who have difficulty upgrading to a more comprehensive
insurance plan due to health reasons or because they had almost reached
the benefit limits, as they should be able to enjoy improvements to
their current plans.<br />
<br />
But broader coverage means premiums will have to rise to meet the increased claim amounts and number of claims.<br />
<br />
The
premiums will increase by less than $10 per month for those aged 65 and
below and up to $21 per month for those aged above 65.<br />
<br />
To help
with higher premiums and deductibles, the Government will give a one-off
Medisave top-up of up to $400 to all Singaporeans insured under
MediShield or Medisave-approved integrated shield plans. The money will
be credited to the accounts from March.<br />
<br />
In addition, 85 per cent
of Singaporeans aged 66 and older will get a Medisave top-up of $250 to
$450 every year under the Goods and Services Tax Voucher scheme. The
scheme helps lower- and middle-income Singaporeans with their expenses.<br />
<br />
With
the top-ups, people aged 60 years and older, and those 20 years and
younger, will pay lower premiums for the next two years.<br />
<br />
<strong> New medical school </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong>
The new Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will open this year with 54
students. The school, which will focus on "treating the patient and not
the illness", is jointly run by the Nanyang Technological University and
Imperial College London in Britain.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
Tan Tock Seng Hospital will be the main training hospital for
the students. They will start interacting with patients from the first
year and track patients' progress from their time of hospital admission
to their stays in a nursing home and outpatient rehabilitation.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
It will be the third medical school here, after the Yong Loo Lin School
of Medicine at National University of Singapore and the Duke- NUS
Graduate Medical School.<br />
<br />
The three schools will eventually produce 500 medical graduates a year.<br />
<br />
This would improve the ratio of doctors to patients here.<br />
<br />
With
10,057 doctors on the registry in 2011, Singapore has one doctor for
every 537 people. This is a far better ratio than the one doctor to 700
people in 2001, but it is still behind that of most developed countries.<br />
<br />
The
United States has one doctor for every 390 people, while Australia has
one per 334 people. The need for doctors will continue to grow, given
the new hospitals that are set to open in the next few years.<br />
<br />
These
include the 700-bed Ng Teng Fong Hospital in Jurong and the Integrated
Building for Changi General Hospital and St Andrew's Community Hospital,
both slated to open next year. By 2015, new community hospitals will
also be built next to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
in Yishun.<br />
<br />
A third community hospital will be set up next to the
700-bed Sengkang General Hospital, both of which are to be completed by
2018.<br />
<br />
<strong> Ban on unhealthy food ads </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong>
Advertisements which make unhealthy food and drink appealing to
children will be banned from early this year as part of Singapore's
battle against obesity.<br />
<br />
Topping the list of ads likely to be affected are those for sweet
drinks and fast food which contain high amounts of oil and salt.<br />
<br />
Announcing
this last October, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said the action is not
targeted at specific brands, but at unhealthy food.<br />
<br />
In the same
month, 14 major food and beverage firms belonging to industry
association Food Industry Asia pledged to cut back on advertising on
unhealthy food to children.<br />
<br />
The firms include Coca-Cola, Nestle, Ferrero and McDonald's.<br />
<br />
The pledge covers products high in saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and salt.<br />
<br />
Under
this voluntary framework, firms will not advertise on television, in
print and on websites where 35 per cent or more of the audience are aged
below 12.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong> The move is an
important initiative because eating habits are formed at a relatively
young age and Singapore is seeing a steady rise in obesity rates.<br />
<br />
These
rates have risen by 1per cent a year over the past three years. In
Singapore today, 11 per cent of adults and 9 per cent of children are
obese.<br />
<br />
Half of these children will grow up to be adults with
diabetes, which increases a person's risk of serious illness, including
blindness, stroke and heart attack.<br />
<br />
The proportion of adults aged 18 to 69 suffering from diabetes has grown from 8.2 per cent in 2004 to 11.3 per cent in 2010.<br />
<br />
The
experience in the West indicates that there will be a tipping point -
when obesity affects 17 per cent to 18 per cent of the population -
beyond which the rate rises even faster.<br />
<br />
Hence, it is important to act now to prevent obesity from becoming a real epidemic.<br />
<br />
<strong> S'pore to host first regional World Health Summit </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> Singapore will host the first regional conference of the prestigious World Health Summit in April.<br />
<br />
Its
theme is health for sustainable development in Asia. The three-day
event will be hosted by the National University of Singapore and MOH
Holdings, the holding company for public health-care assets.<br />
<br />
About 500 to 600 participants - including leaders in health care, policy and research - are expected.<br />
The
topics discussed will include health issues in the region, ranging from
an ageing population to illnesses related to rising pollution levels.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
This will be the first time that a regional version of the annual
World Health Summit will be held outside Berlin, Germany, since the
summit started in 2009.<br />
<br />
Regional meetings have tended to be planning sessions for the Berlin event.<br />
<br />
The
regional summit will offer opportunities for Asian countries to take
stock of the health challenges ahead and outline strategies to counter
these threats.<br />
<br />
<strong> IVF guidelines tightened </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong>
By Tuesday, all assisted reproduction centres have to conform with
standards established by Australia's Reproductive Technology
Accreditation Committee.<br />
<br />
Fertility centres now have to be recertified every two years.<br />
<br />
There are 10 assisted reproduction clinics in public hospitals and in the private sector.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
This latest measure follows revised guidelines on licensing terms and
conditions of assisted reproduction centres implemented by the Ministry
of Health last April.<br />
<br />
They were aimed at boosting standards in
clinical practices and workflow processes after an in-vitro
fertilisation (IVF) botch-up at Thomson Fertility Centre in 2010.<br />
<br />
A
mix-up in sperm samples led to a woman having a baby, now two years
old, with a stranger's sperm. Key additions include a list of proper
laboratory practices and stringent counter-checking of specimen
identification.<br />
<br />
<strong> New ward at KTPH to ease bed crunch </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> A new 32-bed ward is expected to be ready early this year at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) in Yishun.<br />
<br />
The 980 sq m area is being converted from a rooftop garden.<br />
<br />
A
new lift will also be added, since the current ones in Tower B, where
the new ward will be, are already operating at optimum capacity.
Construction started last July.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong> The building of a new ward at KTPH will mean more beds for patients.<br />
<br />
The
need for the newest public hospital in Singapore, which opened in 2010,
to expand, highlights how critical the public hospital bed crunch
situation is. Alexandra Health group chief executive<br />
Liak Teng Lit said he had expected to add more wards only after the hospital had functioned for five to 10 years.<br />
<br />
KTPH
is facing occupancy rates of more than 80 per cent, which is considered
very high. Private hospitals prefer to keep occupancy rates in the low
70 per cent for a comfortable turnover of patients.<br />
<br />
Changi General
Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and, occasionally, National University
Hospital, are experiencing an even bigger squeeze, with bed occupancy
rates of more than 90 per cent.<br />
<br />
The continued high demand for hospital beds has come as a surprise to many, since the opening of<br />
KTPH added 550 more beds, bringing the total number of beds in public general hospitals to more than 5,800.<br />
<br />
Part
of the problem, it seems, is that families are often reluctant to take
home elderly relatives who are recovering from illnesses.<br />
<br />
<strong> Faster approval for high-risk medical devices </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> From this month, doctors and hospitals will be able to bring in many high-risk medical devices more quickly and cheaply.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
These devices are categorised as Class C devices, such as X-ray
machines and ventilators, and Class D devices, such as breast implants
and intra-uterine devices. They account for roughly 40 per cent of all
medical device applications.<br />
<br />
Class C devices are now expected to
be approved by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) within 120 working
days, at an evaluation fee of $3,000, down from 220 working days, at an
evaluation fee of $5,700.<br />
<br />
They have to be first approved by at least one foreign health authority recognised by the HSA.<br />
The
turnaround time for class D devices is now 180 working days, at an
evaluation fee of $5,400, significantly less than the previous 310
working days, at an evaluation fee of $11,400 for the full evaluation
route.<br />
<br />
They have to be first approved by two or more foreign health authorities.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
These changes should make for speedier delivery of health care. Since
2010, the HSA has mandated that high-risk medical devices must be
registered before they can be used here.<br />
<br />
Last January, it extended this
rule to include medium- and low-risk devices.<br />
<br />
The move drew much
criticism from doctors and importers. They questioned whether it was
necessary for the HSA to assess devices which have been approved in
other countries.<br />
<br />
They argued that the high cost and complexity of
registration and the time taken to process applications would push up
health-care costs and reduce the number of devices in use here.<br />
<br />
Within
two weeks of these problems being highlighted last April, the HSA
scrapped registration for about 4,700 class A or low-risk devices, such
as wheelchairs, and cut the application time and fees for about 3,650
class B or low- to medium-risk devices devices, such as catheters.<br />
<br />
Last
August, the HSA cut the costs for devices brought in through the
special authorisation route - items needed in a hurry, or for specific
patients, exhibitions or training - from $500 to between $150 and $350.<br />
<br />
<strong> Blueprint of genes linked to myopia mapped </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> A blueprint of the main genes linked to myopia will be unveiled by researchers here by the end of this year.<br />
<br />
<div id="imu">
</div>
The project combined the results of three large studies on
5,000 myopic adults and children here, comparing their genetic make-up
to that of those without the condition.<br />
<br />
It has identified several genes associated with high myopia of 600 degrees and above.<br />
<br />
The
researchers hope to fine-tune, in a few years' time, a test to identify
such sufferers for early treatment, before they become severely myopic
and face the risk of going blind.<br />
<br />
The massive research effort to
uncover the genetic basis of myopia involves researchers from the Yong
Loo Lin School of Medicine at National University of Singapore, the
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore Eye Research Institute and
the Genome Institute of Singapore.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong> Short-sightedness or myopia, typically caused by an elongated eyeball, is the result of both genes and the environment.<br />
<br />
A
blueprint of the main genetic variants of myopia will allow researchers
to develop predictive tools that combine gene tests with environmental
factors, and recommend treatment for those who need it the most.<br />
<br />
One
of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness, myopia poses a
significant public health burden in Singapore and the region.<br />
<br />
Asia
is experiencing a myopia epidemic, particularly in its big cities.
Rates of the visual defect have been rising over the past two decades.<br />
<br />
In Singapore, the myopia capital of the world, eight in 10 people are short-sighted by the time they are 18.<br />
<br />
<strong> New medical complex at Farrer Park </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong>
Connexion at Farrer Park (right), a development which includes a
hospital, hotel and medical suites, is expected to open this year.<br />
<br />
Built directly above the Farrer Park MRT Station, the six-storey
podium with two 20-storey high-rise wings will have a medical centre
housing more than 200 medical specialists in 189 consultation suites. It
will also have a 83-bed private hospital with a luxury hotel and a
shopping mall.<br />
<br />
It is run by the Farrer Park Company, comprising private medical and hospitality specialists as well as foreign investors.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>
Connexion at Farrer Park will open on the heels of Mount Elizabeth
Novena Hospital, run by regional private health-care provider Parkway
Pantai, and Fortis Colorectal Hospital, run by Indian private
health-care group Fortis Healthcare. Both opened last July.<br />
<br />
They could strengthen Singapore's position as a destination for medical tourism.<br />
<br />
Already,
foreign patients make up a significant number in some private hospitals
here. For instance, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, about half of its
patients hailed from overseas, The Business Times reported last March.<br />
<br />
Despite
the economic boon of medical tourism, some experts have warned that
excessive growth of the industry may put more stress on the health-care
system and squeeze the supply of doctors here even further.<br />
<br />
<strong> Heart centre moves to new home </strong><br />
<br />
<strong> IN A NUTSHELL: </strong> The National Heart Centre Singapore will move into a new 12-storey, $266million building at the end of this year.<br />
<br />
The
new 8,800 sq m site will be just down the road - about 400m away - from
the present four-storey building on the Singapore General Hospital
campus.<br />
<br />
The centre will operate on a new concept that wraps
services around the patient. For instance, patients, who are often the
elderly, can see a doctor and have a blood test and an electrocardiogram
on the same floor, instead of having to walk from place to place for
these services.<br />
<br />
Other features designed with the elderly in mind
include distinctly coloured signs with large font, non-slip vinyl floors
and motion-sensor lights.<br />
<br />
<strong> SIGNIFICANCE: </strong> The
new building is designed with the growing number of patients at the
centre - one in three of whom are aged 65 and above - in mind.<br />
<br />
The centre treated 108,000 patients last year, a figure that is set to rise by 60 per cent in the next decade.<br />
<br />
The
number of first-time elderly patients has shot up by 44 per cent since
2002. There will be 38 consultation rooms - more than double the current
18.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-7948729260237916692013-01-01T21:18:00.000-08:002013-01-01T21:18:12.248-08:00How to be happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/news/12Dec12/images/20121231.174105_dec3112_happy_tommykoh_text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/news/12Dec12/images/20121231.174105_dec3112_happy_tommykoh_text.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The results of the recent Gallup poll, as well as other surveys, seem to
indicate that Singaporeans are an unhappy people. This surprises me
because, objectively, we should be a happy people.<br />
<br />
I consider myself a happy person. I would therefore like to share
with my fellow Singaporeans 10 rules which may help to make them a more
happy people.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 1</strong><br />
<br />
Be a positive, optimistic and kind person.<br />
<br />
Whether you are a happy or unhappy person depends largely on yourself.<br />
<br />
Negative and pessimistic people are generally unhappy people. Be kind
to others. Kindness begets kindness. Try to do a good deed every day.<br />
<br />
You will find that by brightening the lives of others, you will brighten your own life.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 2</strong><br />
<br />
Have a happy family.<br />
<br />
Be good to your parents. If they are elderly and living by
themselves, try to visit them at least once a week and share a weekly
meal with them. One of the problems encountered by our older folks is
loneliness.<br />
<br />
Be on excellent terms with your spouse. Whenever I am asked to speak
at wedding dinners, I always advise the groom to do three things: Be
faithful to his wife, treat her as if they were still courting and give
her all his money. The last advice does not apply in cases where the
wife is a spender and not a saver.<br />
<br />
As for how to behave towards one's children, I have always liked the
advice given by Kahlil Gibran: "And though they are with you yet they
belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts."<br />
<br />
If you are lucky enough to have grandchildren, love them with all your heart.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 3</strong><br />
<br />
Find a job you enjoy doing.<br />
<br />
I think one of the reasons so many Singaporeans are unhappy is that
they do not like their jobs. Since we spend so much of our lives at
work, it is important to find a job which is not a chore to endure but a
pleasure to do.<br />
<br />
In recent years, I have noticed a trend of many Singaporeans leaving
their jobs for other jobs which pay them less but give them greater
satisfaction. This is a good thing.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 4</strong><br />
<br />
Treasure your friends.<br />
<br />
In your life journey, you will make many friends - at school, at
university, in sports or other activities and at work. I hope you will
develop a small circle of very good friends, friends who will stand by
you in good times and bad times.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 5</strong><br />
<br />
Exercise regularly.<br />
<br />
My wife and I try to swim every day. Exercise not only makes you
healthier, it also makes you feel better. Therefore, make regular
exercise a part of your lifestyle.<br />
<br />
You can't be a happy person if you are not in good health.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 6</strong><br />
<br />
Enjoy eating but eat healthily and avoid the sin of gluttony.<br />
<br />
Singapore is a culinary paradise. Food is abundant, diverse and affordable.<br />
<br />
You can eat well on any budget. Let us enjoy our food but let us also
exercise some discipline when choosing what to eat. I have always tried
to follow the ancient Asian wisdom of stopping when I feel 80 per cent
full.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 7</strong><br />
<br />
Be a volunteer and support philanthropy.<br />
<br />
I once heard a speech by Mrs Barbara Bush, the wife of the 41st
President of the United States. She said there was a period in her life
when she suffered from depression. Instead of seeing a psychiatrist or
taking medication to overcome her depression, she decided to be a
volunteer. She found that by helping others less fortunate than herself,
her depression gradually disappeared.<br />
<br />
Whether we are rich or poor, we should contribute to a cause or
causes close to our hearts. In spite of our favourable tax regime and
the presence of many wealthy people in our society, I was very
disappointed to see how lowly Singapore ranked in the table of countries
for philanthropy.<br />
<br />
A wise man once said that no man could be truly happy if he lives only for himself.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 8</strong><br />
<br />
Read books and listen to music.<br />
<br />
Reading is an excellent habit. Books keep me company when I am alone.
Books transport me to another country, another culture, another time
and into the lives of other people. Reading is an endless source of
happiness.<br />
<br />
So is music. I listen to music every day. I thank 92.4 FM for bringing me so much joy every day.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 9</strong><br />
<br />
Take pleasure in the little things in life.<br />
<br />
My wife and I love our regular walks in the Botanic Gardens. I love to watch the sunset.<br />
<br />
I find joy in meeting an old friend, attending a concert at the
Esplanade and visiting a wonderful exhibition at one of our museums.<br />
<br />
Most of all, I enjoy being with my grandson.<br />
<br />
<strong>RULE NO. 10</strong><br />
<br />
Don't envy others.<br />
<br />
I received this good advice from a wise man, Dr Wee Kim Wee, our sixth President.<br />
<br />
Dr Wee once told me that one of the reasons which caused people to be
unhappy was that they were envious of others. Dr Wee said he never
envied his friends who had a better education or earned more money or
lived in bigger houses or owned more expensive cars.<br />
<br />
His rule was to be contented with what he had. I think this is a good rule.<br />
<br />
Philosophically, it would be even better if you could feel
vicariously happy when you see your friends and former students doing
well in life.<br />
<br />
<em>Professor Tommy Koh is Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-10595298202999850122013-01-01T21:14:00.000-08:002013-01-01T21:14:11.433-08:00Slew of new measures take effect on Jan 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=499304" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=499304" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE: A slew of
new measures kick in on Tuesday. Among them are parents getting better
support in raising a child and employers abiding by a weekly day-off
policy for foreign maids. Car buyers and taxi users too will benefit
from new regulations.<br /><br />The Child Development Account under the
Baby Bonus scheme is aimed at helping families with the costs of raising
children. It is a savings account where parents' deposits are matched
dollar-for-dollar by the government, up to a cap ranging from S$6,000 to
S$18,000, depending on the birth order of the child.<br /><br />From
January, parents can continue to dip into the savings account until
their children are 12 years old, instead of six. This includes paying
for healthcare and childcare fees.<br /><br />Associate Professor Paulin
Straughan, a sociologist with the National university of Singapore
(NUS), said the move is pertinent, given the demands of raising a child.<br /><br />She
added: "A big concern for parents now is childcare. And childcare for
school-going primary kids, primary school kids are not cheap. For
example, after school care. So if they are allowed to dip into the CDA
for this, it will certainly help working dual-income families
significantly."<br /><br />The new year also marks the start of mandatory
weekly rest-days for foreign domestic workers. This will apply to those
whose work permits are issued or renewed from January 1, 2013. All maids
will be covered by the new legislation by 2015.<br /><br />Employers and
workers should agree on which day of the week the rest day falls, and if
there's no day-off, employers must give monetary compensation.<br /><br />Employment agencies are also expected to play a larger role.<br /><br />President
of the Association of Employment Agencies, K Jayaprema, said: "The
employers are going to need the employment agencies to be part of this,
because we are supposed to negotiate the off-days, we are supposed to
witness the paperwork, when the domestic worker actually agrees not to
take her day off and to be compensated.<br /><br />"So I will strongly
encourage employers to ensure that when they are going through this
process of off-days with the employees, they should work with the
employment agencies involved."<br /><br />Separately, those eyeing a new car
can stand to benefit from the new Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle
Scheme. Owners of cars which are more fuel-efficient and emit less
carbon will enjoy rebates of up to S$20,000. This will be given as an
offset against the vehicle's Additional Registration Fee.<br /><br />To make an informed choice, buyers are advised to look out for the mandatory Fuel Economy Labelling Scheme (FELS) at showrooms.<br /><br />The Land Transport Authority said only cars that are approved by LTA under FELS can be registered for use from January 1.<br /><br />Those
who do not own a car may also now find it easier to get a cab. That is
because operators must ensure that 70 per cent of their fleet are on the
road during peak hours and clock an average daily mileage of 250
kilometres. This translates to around eight to nine hours on the road
per day, five days a week.<br /><br />Observers believe the move may burden smaller operators and cause them to merge, in order to meet the standards.<br /><br />Associate
Professor Lee Der-Horng of the Department of Civil Engineering at NUS
said: "With this quality of service measurement, this may become a
burden to the smaller operators. Because given their size and given
their corporate resources, it may be even more difficult for them to
satisfy (the requirements).<br /><br />"Perhaps we may see a merger between
the smaller operators but from the passengers side, this may be good
news as well. After the merger, they may better cooperate resources and
they may be able to provide better service to passengers."<br /><br />Taxis
will be also allowed to pick up and drop off passengers along roads
within the Central Business District, except for roads with bus lanes
during the operating hours of the lanes.</span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-67653752746759237052013-01-01T21:12:00.000-08:002013-01-01T21:12:19.402-08:00Singapore's economy grows 1.1% on-year for Q4 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE: Singapore's economy performed better than expected in the fourth quarter despite talks of a technical recession.<br /><br />The
economy grew by 1.8 per cent, an upturn from the contraction of 6.3 per
cent in the preceding quarter. It also grew at a modest pace of 1.1 per
cent on a year-on-year basis in the fourth quarter of 2012, an
improvement from the flat growth in the previous quarter.<br /><br />For the
whole of 2012, the economy is estimated to have grown by 1.2 per cent.
This is slightly lower than MTI's growth forecast of around 1.5 per
cent, as weakness in the manufacturing sector continued to weigh down on
the economy.<br /><br />On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the manufacturing
sector contracted by an annualised rate of 10.8 per cent, extending the
9.9 per cent decline in the previous quarter. This largely reflected the
continued weakness in the output of the electronics cluster.<br /><br />On a
year-on-year basis, the sector contracted by 1.5 per cent in the fourth
quarter, following the 1.6 per cent decline in the preceding quarter.<br /><br />The construction sector grew by 5.9 per cent on-year, moderating from the 7.7 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.</span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-28567889719913619622013-01-01T21:03:00.001-08:002013-01-01T21:03:44.392-08:00Singapore's economy grew 1.8% in Q4, dodged recessionSINGAPORE - Singapore's economy grew 1.8 per cent in the fourth
quarter from the preceding three months at an annualised rate and after
seasonal adjustments, defying expectations it would go into recession.<br />
<br />
Manufacturing was the worst-performing sector in the trade-dependent
Southeast Asian city-state, shrinking 10.8 per cent at a
quarter-on-quarter annualised and seasonally adjusted rate.<br />
<br />
But services provided some positive news, rising 7.0 per cent quarter-on-quarter.<br />
<br />
From a year earlier, economic growth was 1.1 per cent in the fourth
quarter and 1.2 per cent for the whole year, below the government's
forecast of around 1.5 per cent for 2012 and far weaker than the 4.9 per
cent expansion in 2011.<br />
<br />
<strong>Key points:</strong><br />
<br />
<div class="clear_lft">
<li>Singapore, whose trade is around three times its gross domestic product, last had a recession in 2009. </li>
<li>The median estimate of economists polled by Reuters was for a
quarter-on-quarter contraction of 0.9 per cent and year-on-year growth
of 0.9 per cent.</li>
</div>
<div class="clear_lft">
<strong>Commentary: </strong><br />
<br />
Michael Wan, Economist at Credit Suisse:<br />
<br />
"The Q4 numbers were a surprise partly because of what the prime
minister said. We thought there would be a technical recession."<br />
<br />
"However, services also brought the Q4 growth up in spite of the
weakness in manufacturing. Manufacturing was also not as weak as
industrial production numbers implied. This contributed to the upward
surprise."<br />
<br />
"For 2013, we still expect growth to be weak at 2 per cent. We expect
employment growth will start to moderate this year. It was stronger
than expected last year, with companies hoarding labour in anticipation
of tighter foreign labour rules."<br />
<br />
"We also expect more companies to relocate and shift out of Singapore."<br />
<br />
Selena Ling, Head of Treasury research at OCBC:<br />
<br />
"We escaped recession by the skin of our teeth because Q2 and Q3 numbers were revised lower."<br />
<br />
"Manufacturing still looks weak as seen from the double-digit decline
(quarter-on-quarter and annualised). Near term, it's hard to see any
improvement in manufacturing."<br />
<br />
"On the positive side, there is a rebound in momentum. Hopefully,
services can provide the lift ... A recovery may come earlier than
expected because the Q2 numbers have been revised down, providing a
lower base."<br />
<br />
Joey Chew, Economist at Barclays:<br />
<br />
"It's a pleasant surprise we managed to avoid a recession. The whole
reason is because the first two quarters were revised lower."<br />
<br />
"Manufacturing has contracted for three quarters in a row now, which
is expected given industrial production numbers. Services grew a little
better than expected. Perhaps some of the financial or tourism related
industries did rebound from Q3."<br />
<br />
"We expect Singapore to grow 2.1 per cent in 2013. Even though we had
originally expected Singapore to go into recession in Q4, we thought it
would have been short lived."<br />
<br />
"There will be weak growth in Q1 but a more sustainable recovery
from Q2 onwards. Q1 will still be precarious for the US economy, there's
still uncertainties surrounding the fiscal cliff situation, debt
ceiling etc. There will be some tightening that will affect households
and corporates."<br />
<br />
<strong>Market reaction:</strong>
<br />
The Singapore dollar was trading around 1.2217 to the US dollar compared with 1.2213 before the data.<br />
<br />
<strong>Background</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>
<br />
<div class="clear_lft">
<li>- In a revision, the economy shrank 6.3 per cent in the third
quarter from April-June at a seasonally adjusted and annualised rate.
The previously announced number was a 5.9 per cent contraction. </li>
<li>- Singapore has been badly hit by weakness in Western economies that has crimped demand for many of its exports. </li>
<li>- The city-state's electronic manufacturers have also failed to tap
surging demand for smart phones, unlike rivals such as South Korea and
Taiwan. For the first 11 months of 2012, electronics production fell
11.1 per cent compared with the same period of 2011, underscoring the
weakness in export markets.</li>
</div>
</div>
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-16951786426791968202013-01-01T21:01:00.000-08:002013-01-01T21:01:12.092-08:00US Senate's 'fiscal cliff' bill adds $4.8 trillion to deficits -CBO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said
Senate-passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff" would add nearly
US$4 trillion (S$4.8 trillion) to federal deficits over a decade,
largely because it would extend low tax rates for almost all Americans.<br />
<br />
The congressional scorekeeper's analysis was released as a number of
Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced opposition to the
bill, and considered amending it with deeper spending cuts.<br />
<br />
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others complained the bill's
spending cuts would do little to curb trillion-dollar deficits.<br />
<br />
Senate-passed plan extends decade-old Bush-era tax rates for
individuals earning up to US$400,000 and couples earning up to
US$450,000 - nearly 99 per cent of US taxpayers.<br />
<br />
But the non-partisan CBO compared the Senate plan's revenue and
expenditure changes to laws that are currently in force, which call for
US$600 billion in tax hikes and automatic spending cuts in 2013 alone -
effectively a dive off the fiscal cliff.<br />
<br />
With Congress feverishly working to avoid the fiscal cliff in recent
weeks, many Washington policymakers had viewed the current-law budget
"baseline" as unlikely to be maintained.<br />
<br />
Compared to an alternative CBO scenario in which Congress extends all
expiring tax provisions and turns off automatic spending cuts slated to
start taking effect this week, the Senate plan achieves minimal deficit
reduction in the early years.<br />
<br />
Over 10 years, deficits under the Senate plan would be US$3.75
trillion less than permanently extending all of the tax and spending
policies in the alternative scenario. That is largely because the CBO
expects that remaining on an unsustainable fiscal path would severely
constrict economic growth later in the decade, holding back revenue
growth and keeping outlays higher.<br />
<br />
<strong>Fiscal 2013 Effects </strong><br />
<br />
By going over the fiscal cliff, the CBO had previously forecast that
the higher taxes and lower spending would slash the fiscal 2013 US
budget deficit by more than half, to US$641 billion from US$1.1 trillion
the prior year.<br />
<br />
But in its analysis of the Senate-passed plan, the CBO said fiscal
2013 revenues would be US$280 billion lower and spending US$50 billion
higher, resulting in a US$330 billion deficit increase, for a total
deficit of around US$971 billion.<br />
<br />
Under the CBO's keep-taxes-unchanged scenario, the deficit would be US$1.04 trillion for fiscal 2013.<br />
<br />
None of the CBO's analyses takes into consideration possible future
spending cuts and reforms to federal health care and retirement programs
that Congress might make in a new budget battle emerging around
mid-February over the next increase in the US debt limit.<br />
<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-45283768874837308612013-01-01T20:58:00.002-08:002013-01-01T20:58:59.610-08:00Euro up against dollar on US fiscal cliff deal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SINGAPORE - The euro surged against the dollar on Wednesday as
traders flocked to the riskier single currency with the US Congress
poised to endorse a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" budget crisis.<br />
<br />
The euro strengthened to US$1.3262 (S$1.62) in morning Asian trade
from US$1.3192 on Monday.<br />
<br />
The euro was at 115.28 yen (S$1.62) from
114.45 yen. The dollar rose to 86.95 yen from 86.69 yen.<br />
<br />
The fiscal cliff deal was spurring traders to shift their investments
from the safe-haven greenback to riskier currencies, said Jason Hughes,
head of premium client management for IG Markets Singapore.<br />
<br />
The deal passed the Senate on Tuesday but its fate hung in the
balance for hours as House conservatives sought to amend it to include
big spending cuts, which would likely have killed its chance of passage.<br />
<br />
The House of Representatives was due to vote late Tuesday Washington time.<br />
<br />
Had the deal splintered, all Americans would have been hit by tax
increases and the spending cuts would have kicked in across the
government, in a combined US$500 billion shock that could have rocked
the fragile recovery.<br />
<br />
"We saw risk currencies react positively to the fact that a deal has
gone through the Senate and is likely to find its way through the
House," Hughes told AFP.<br />
<br />
"Despite the development in the US that should be US dollar positive,
it actually lends support to the risk currencies at the moment," he
added.<br />
Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520767626226640045.post-36546064633028663072012-12-10T18:09:00.006-08:002012-12-10T18:09:54.364-08:00Pay increment, bonus for 2013 expected to dip: report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"><span>SINGAPORE: Global consulting firm Hay Group has predicted cautious pay rises for Singaporean workers as 2012 comes to a close.<br /><br />In its latest report, the group said pay increases and bonuses for next year are expected to slide.<br /><br />Hay
Group said salary increases averaged 4.6 per cent this year - slightly
higher than the 4.4 per cent in 2011. But pay increases for next year
are expected to dip 0.2 percentage points back to 4.4 per cent.<br /><br />The Singapore Human Resources Institute agreed, saying increments will hover around 4 per cent.<br /><br />The Institute expects the manufacturing, construction and logistics sectors to face a tighter squeeze.<br /><br />The Institute's executive director, David Ang, said: "For those company who are not doing well, and it's sort of breaking even.<br /><br />"I
think the important thing is to inform the workers on the prospect of
their business and at the same time collectively bite the bullets to
hope for better times to come."<br /><br />As for bonuses, the actual
average variable bonus this year is said to be 2.6 months. For next
year, it is expected to dip slightly to 2.5 months.<br /><br />The Hay Group said hiring seems to have picked up in Singapore, despite the continuing uncertainty in the global economy.<br /><br />Fifty-eight
per cent of those surveyed said they are planning to increase staffing
levels, compared to 50 per cent this time, last year.<br /><br />But economist Dr Tan Khay Boon from SIM Global Education said this does not mean firms will splurge on hiring.<br /><br />Dr
Tan said: "The company want to meet the demand for the customers and
therefore they need more workers to help them out in the operations.
But, they are also very careful about the bottom-line.<br /><br />"That's
why they prefer to hire the worker at the same cost or better still, at
the lower cost instead of expanding the cost to get the workers."<br /><br />Leading
the hiring outlook in the survey are the engineering (33 per cent),
sales (29 per cent) and financial (21 per cent) sectors.<br /><br />Turning
to the region, the Hay group said high-growth Asian economies like
China, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines can expect significant pay
rises in 2013.<br /><br />The survey, conducted in September, covered over 500 Singapore-based companies from both the private and public sectors.<br /><br />They were polled on their business sentiments and salary and bonus projections for the next 12 months.</span></span>Anthony Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03999129402438215721noreply@blogger.com0