The Thing Is, You Can Save A Life

National heart centre Singapore medical director Dr. Terrance Chua is passionate about cardiology. He shares what led him to the practice.

- Sharon Masige

The Medical Director at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), Dr Terrance Chua, still remembers what sparked his interest in cardiology. He recalls his time as a junior doctor, doing a residency in Singapore General Hospital, where he had a rotation in the cardiology department.“What fascinated me were ECGs (electrocardiograms),” he says. “The ECG is a very simple tool that allows us to look at the rhythm of the heart and you can also use it to diagnose when someone is having a heart attack.”

Terrance goes on to describe another experience he had as a junior doctor, which further spurred his love for cardiology. “Someone was in cardiac arrest with no pulse, but we were able to revive him,” he says. “These are the things that keep us going as doctors; when you can make a big difference to someone. The thing is, you can save a life.”

Terrance trained as a cardiologist in Singapore before spending a year in the US to further specialise in cardiac imaging. He then returned to Singapore where he joined NHCS. 

A HEALTHY HEART

NHCS is a Singapore Government-owned healthcare institution that specialises in treating cardiovascular disease. It has 185 beds and treats more than 100,000 patients each year. The centre is part of Singapore’s largest healthcare group, SingHealth, which includes five national specialty centres, three hospitals, a community hospital and a network of polyclinics.

In 2015, the centre launched a new initiative in partnership with SingHealth Polyclinics that aims to give patients a faster diagnosis. In a conventional healthcare system, when a patient comes in with chest pain or shortness of breath, they will usually need a test to be done. This could be a treadmill test, an ECG or an ultrasound of the heart.