Hand Surgery in Singapore

Abstract

Singapore as an island nation is one of three countries in the world that has hand and reconstructive microsurgery (HRM) as an independent specialty. The 52 accredited hand surgeons serving a population of 5.7 million facilitate hassle free access to patients. Hand surgery historically is rooted very much in orthopaedic surgery as in most Asian countries with more than five decades of rapid evolution. Singapore pioneered a structured and systematic training program for HRM and the local surgeons have contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in hand surgery with targeted research and publications with three surgeons being awarded international recognition for their contributions. Singapore continues to contribute significantly to surgical volunteerism regionally through active involvement in the training of regional surgeons through their sustainable volunteer activities and through international fellowships in Singapore hospitals. The future of hand surgery in Singapore will be more competency and multidiscipline based on community-centered approach.

International Residents' Perspectives on Education and Challenges in Microsurgery Training

“…In this high-fidelity latex strip, nine sutures are placed on the prefabricated 4 mm elastic strip under microscopic guidance and graded by a computer program (►Fig. 1). Synthetic tubes of 2 mm size (LifeLike BioTissue Pvt ltd) are helpful to practice end-to-end anastomosis.…”

“…An interesting topic of debate during the webinar was hand surgery as an independent specialty, where it is currently recognized in only three countries in the world. 1,2 We emphasized the great need for research during the residency training. Also, we commonly agreed that it would be dependent on the health care organization and resources within countries.…”

“…The apprenticeship also requires overcoming a steep learning curve. Surgeons train in microsurgery in various parent specialties, including plastic surgery, orthopaedics, hand surgery, 1 2 and maxillofacial surgery. It is thus not surprising that microsurgery training varies significantly within individual countries and internationally.…”

“…An interesting topic of debate during the webinar was hand surgery as an independent specialty, where it is currently recognized in only three countries in the world. 1 2…”

Evolution of hand surgery as an independent speciality over three decades: the Singapore model

“…In Singapore, hand surgery has been an independent speciality with its own training programme for more than 30 years. Just as in many countries, the drive for specialization was borne out of an overwhelming clinical need (Pei-Yein et al., 2021; Pho and Pereira, 1992; Teoh, 1995). The 1960s and 1970s were a period of rapid industrialization and growth, inevitably leading to an increase in devastating upper extremity injuries.…”