Leukaemia patient Rinesh Radhakrishnan using a robotic exoskeleton for assisted walking at the new Clinic for Advanced Rehabilitation Therapeutics, which will help meet the growing demand for such services as Singapore’s population ages and the “disability tsunami” looms. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The Straits Times (20 April 2022)
A revamped rehabilitation clinic at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) will help meet the growing demand for such services as Singapore’s population ages and the “disability tsunami” looms.
At nearly 20,000 sq ft, the new
Clinic for Advanced RehabilitationTherapeutics is four times larger than its predecessor and has a wider suite of services. Apart from conventional therapy equipment, it is equipped with futuristic robots that help people in their recovery journey.
The hospital traditionally rehabilitates people with stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries. It will now also provide therapy for those with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, as well as patients who are recovering from multiple serious injuries.
The new clinic expects 13,000 patient visits this year, up from 5,400 last year and 8,000 in 2019 before the pandemic.
This will help address the “silver tsunami” and the “disability tsunami”, said Dr Loh Yong Joo, who heads TTSH’s rehabilitation medicine department.
One person getting therapy at the new clinic is Rinesh Radhakrishnan, 17, who began to lose his ability to walk independently after developing leukaemia. His rehabilitation involves strapping on a 16kg robotic exoskeleton, which guides his steps and sounds a buzzer when he makes a wrong move.
“I’m using a walking frame and the goal is to slowly move on to a walking stick and then be handsfree, so I can walk normally,” said the Secondary 4 student.
The new clinic aims to make robotic therapies more accessible to patients in the community, and inked an agreement with technology company Fourier Intelligence on Monday to work on this goal.
It signed another agreement with charity organisation Stroke Support Station, which will see TTSH refer stroke patients in stable condition to the organisation for rehabilitation, to ensure that care continues even after patients are discharged from hospital.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who spoke at the reopening of the facility, stressed the importance of pairing state-of-the-art technology with committed manpower and community support.
“(People) need to know that downstairs, in the precinct... is where they can go for rehab services. We really need to rethink the way we deploy resources and make them present on the ground.”