Forum: 30-minute usage guideline for gym machines updated
User feedback plays an important role in our ongoing efforts to ensure our gyms continue to meet the diverse needs and habits of the community. The 30-minute usage guideline was introduced originally to discourage prolonged use across all types of machines and encourage shared access, especially during peak hours.
We recognise the need to fine-tune our approach based on current usage behaviours, and have updated the notices to clarify that the 30-minute guideline applies only to cardiovascular machines.
Reminders encouraging gracious usage of gym machines will also be displayed. Our on-ground staff will continue to play an active role in monitoring equipment usage and encouraging shared access, especially for exercise machines that might be more popular.
ActiveSG remains committed to providing safe, inclusive spaces where individuals of all abilities can pursue their fitness goals. We encourage all users to help foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can stay active and healthy together.
Abdul Rahman Hassan
Senior Director, Centre Operations
ActiveSG
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Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Profiles in dedication: 3 Singapore nurses who combine grit and compassion
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Ms Noor Rasha Sapuan juggled work and study while also raising her three children and caring for her elderly mother who had kidney failure. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from King's College, London. As a prison officer, Ms Nazrina Hogue was changing lives for the better. But having to be emotionally restrained in that environment left her yearnin g fo r deeper connections with those around her. She made a mid-career switch to nursing and never looked back. Getting to hold a new life in her hands was – and still is – magical for obstetrics nurse Ang Mei Qi, so much so that she became a midwife . Having been in 'the baby game' for the last 13 years, she sees herself continuing for the next 13 too . These three women exemplify the dedication and hard work required of nurses, as the nation is gearing up to celebrate Nurses' Day on Aug 1 . According to the Health Ministry, there were 46,344 nurses and registered midwives in Singapore in 2023. This includes those employed in the public sector and in private practice, as well as those not in active practice, according to the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH). MOH said on March 27 that with salary increases from July 1 , which were over and above the annual increments, the public healthcare sector would be better positioned to attract and retain staff. Noor Rasha Sapuan: Studying to be a nurse is a juggling game As a child, Ms Noor Rasha Sapuan spent many a day in the hospital. 'My older brother had leukaemia and I witnessed first-hand how the nurses treated him, helping to relieve his fear and pain. Also, how sympathetic and kind they were towards my mother. That was when I told myself that when I grew up, I wanted to be a nurse,' the 40-year-old The Straits Times. Both her aunts – still practising nurses – helped to pay for her studies and textbooks at the then Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Bishan before she started working as an enrolled nurse following her graduation in 2006. Ms Noor Rasha Sapuan, 40, an assistant clinician nurse at Singapore General Hospital, juggled her work, children and an ailing mother to attain a degree in nursing. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Ms Rasha progressed to become a staff nurse through various sponsored programmes, completing an Advanced Diploma in Nursing (Gerontology) at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in 2020 before pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at King's College. 'By then, I was already married and had three children to mind,' she said. But she had help. Her husband and parents-in-law not only encouraged her to improve her lot at work, they also minded the children whenever she needed to prepare for exams. Unfortunately, her mother, who had diabetes and was in renal failure, had fallen really sick. 'She raised my siblings and me single-handedly and knowing she was not well, I wanted to repay her by taking care of her,' Ms Rasha said. But her mother refused to undergo dialysis over financial concerns. 'I was lucky to have my younger brother convince her and take her (to the dialysis centre) until she had her leg amputated from the knee,' Ms Rasha said, her eyes brimming with tears. Her mother died in 2022 and never saw Ms Rasha graduate. She got her degree in April. Ms Rasha said her nursing education provided her with a better understanding of the disease process and helped her provide care to her elderly patients. For her resilience, she was nominated for the Healthcare Humanity Awards 2024, which honour healthcare professionals who go above and beyond, recognizing virtues like courage, compassion, and teamwork. The award started in 2004, a year after Singapore faced the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) crisis, and is a continuing legacy of the Courage Awards given out in 2003 to healthcare workers for their valiant fight against Sars. Nazrina Hogue: From taking charge of prisoners to taking care of patients Her first job was a rigid one, marked by strict discipline, routine, and a need for emotional restraint. Ms Nazrina Hogue, now 40, was a prison officer. 'The prisoners had to squat whenever I walked into the prison. Often I felt sorry, especially when I saw the same faces coming in again. But I had to keep a professional distance and appear stern and unemotional,' said the mother of four. Today, Ms Nazrina has a different demeanour – her facial expression is softer, and she smiles more. She is a staff nurse with Yishun Community Hospital, taking care of elderly patients with dementia. Ms Nazrina said sh e joined the Singapore Prison Service when she was 19 years old. But the highly procedural environment that focused on order and security left her yearning for a chance to make a deeper connection with those around her. It was after more than 10 years that she decided on a career change. The decision to undertake nursing training at the age of 32 was not easy. As a mother with four young children then, balancing family life with rigorous full-time studies posed significant challenges. 'I only did my homework at night after I put the children to bed,' Ms Nazrina said, remembering the time studying at NYP. She added that it was definitely more tiring, but she was determined to do well. After a stint at the Yishun Community Hospital (YCH), she realised her interest was in geriatric nursing, caring for seniors with dementia. She went on to attain an advanced diploma in gerontology – the study of old age and the process of ageing – from NYP. She was also grateful that having been a prison officer, she knew how to handle aggressive patients experiencing high emotions, confusion and frustration 'with no harm caused'. She said many elderly patients, especially those with dementia, respond positively to consistent, empathetic care, and the approach has led to remarkable transformations of patients who were once withdrawn or agitated. If nothing else, the way Ms Nazrina stands betrays her past as a prison officer. 'I still square my shoulders and stand rather rigidly, but I'm trying to change that,' she said, laughing. Ang Mei Qi: Delivering hope, one baby at a time Being a midwife with the KK Women's and Children's Hospital helped Ms Ang Mei Qi stay calm when she had her own children. 'When I was having my daughter, I was not anxious at all. In fact, my sister who has four children was more anxious and worried,' said Ms Ang, 39. She added that she did not want to be a nurse when she was growing up. Midwife Ang Mei Qi, 39, (foreground) with her research teammates from KK Women's and Children's Hospital. PHOTO: KKH 'I was inspired by my teachers and I wanted to teach. It was not until a relative had to spend a long time in the hospital that I saw how dedicated the nurses were in helping him and making him comfortable that I felt that was where I wanted to be,' she said with a smile. After working as an obstetrics nurse for a year, Ms Ang said she felt 'it was a privilege to witness life beginning as the women gave birth'. In Singapore , midwives need to take specialised postgraduate programmes. Registered nurses who wish to become midwives typically had to go through an Advanced Diploma in Nursing (Midwifery) at NYP. 'I understand midwives play a crucial role in caring for women and newborns during pregnancy, labour, and after the babies are born. They are experts in ensuring the well-being of both mother and baby,' she said. That was when she went back to school to learn midwifery. Today, Ms Ang has published several papers in the topic of women's health in peer-reviewed journals. She said she is even open to having men work as midwives as it is a noble profession. 'I have a junior colleague, and he is very interested in midwifery. I said, 'why not?'. Since we have men as obstetricians and gynaecologists, how different is it having one as a midwife?'
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
SingHealth nurses get $5.7m from Wee Foundation for education, skills development
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ms Wee Wei Ling, Wee Foundation director (right), and Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How serve nurses during the SingHealth Nurses' Day celebrations. SINGAPORE – SingHealth nurses will be receiving a further $5.7 million from the Wee Foundation to advance their education and provide them with more training opportunities . This comes after the charitable organisation gave the healthcare cluster nurses $5 million for educational and professional development in 2022, when it established a nursing academic fund for that purpose. Wee Foundation director Wee Wei Ling told The Straits Times on July 29: 'Nurses are the backbone of healthcare, providing selfless dedication. They go out of their way, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, working day and night caring for the sick. 'The Wee Foundation felt they deserve our help in providing them scholarships to further their studies and funding for innovations.' Linked to the late Dr Wee Cho Yaw, a banker and philanthropist, the Wee Foundation was set up in February 2009 with an initial S$30 million endowment from the Wee family. The charitable foundation focuses on education and welfare for the underprivileged, and also promotes Chinese language and culture, as well as social integration. In 2022, the Wee Foundation Nursing Academic Fund was established with an inaugural $5 million to advance nurses' capabilities through higher education and postgraduate studies. It also offered them training grants to become competent in areas such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and global health. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT's finances hit by 2024 EWL disruption; profit after tax for trains division dips 8% Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal set for Aug 1 after Trump-Anwar phone call Business Deepening S'pore-Latin America ties a matter of urgency amid global trade uncertainty: Alvin Tan Singapore Underground pipe leak likely reason for water supply issues during Toa Payoh fire: Town council Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Life Milo tees, kaya toast pimple patches, crockery: Here are the SG60 merch to collect Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' Since then, the fund has helped 970 SingHealth nurses through different educational opportunities. One of them is Ms Reina Cheong, 26, a staff nurse with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Ms Cheong, who used to spend long hours draining fluid from the abdomen of patients with abdominal swelling, felt there was a safer and more efficient way of doing this. Ms Reina Cheong, a staff nurse at Singapore General Hospital, will be developing a mechanical pump to make it safer and more efficient to drain excess fluid from the abdomen of cancer patients. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO 'Draining this fluid manually is time-consuming and needs the constant attention of the nurse, especially when large amounts of fluid are involved,' she said. Ms Cheong explained that the rate at which fluid is removed is crucial because 'too much and too fast can result in a drop in blood pressure and, in severe cases, hypovolaemic shock', a life-threatening condition when the body loses too much blood or fluid. She came up with the idea of a mechanical device that automatically stops when the drainage reaches the safe limit and pitched this solution at the 2024 SingHealth Nursing Innovation Challenge. Her team was later given seed fundin g for a feasible pilot project. Currently, Ms Cheong is working with a company to develop her pump. A total of 116 nurses received the Wee Foundation Nurses' Day Awards on July 29 and another 32 nurses were given the Wee Foundation Nursing Scholarships to further their studies.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
The Usual Place Podcast: Wegovy and beyond - will weight-loss drugs change the way people look at obesity?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Wegovy, the blockbuster weight-loss drug, is now available in Singapore more than two years after it was approved by the Health Sciences Authority. Wegovy, the blockbuster weight-loss drug, is now available in Singapore more than two years after it was approved by the Health Sciences Authority. But its arrival here sparks a deeper conversation about who should take it, how it makes us rethink obesity and weight loss , and whether weight-loss drugs are a magic bullet. Earlier in July, pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy, announced in a statement that the injectable drug is now available with prescription from any licensed physician at hospitals and clinics across Singapore. The global hype around Wegovy, which is made for weight loss, stemmed from Ozempic, which was created as an anti-diabetic drug. The latter garnered a lot of attention on social media a few years ago after its users, who weren't all diabetics, showed off their considerable weight loss. What connects Wegovy and Ozempic – besides both being made by Novo Nordisk – is that they contain the active ingredient semaglutide. Mimicking the natural hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, semaglutide regulates blood sugar levels, curbs the appetite and induces the sensation of fullness. One of the differences? Wegovy has a higher maximum dosage of 2.4mg than Ozempic's 2mg. While the benefits have been laid out, what should those considering Wegovy look out for? To answer these questions on this episode of The Usual Place, I have: Senior consultant endocrinologist Dr Sue-Anne Toh from Novi Health, a specialist medical clinic and health-tech company. She has more than 20 years of experience in internal medicine, diabetes, and metabolic health. Her patient Farhan Hanis, a 26-year-old university student and a former plus-sized model. He started on Wegovy about two months ago. General practitioner Dr Bosty Chan, who co-founded health telemedicine providers Sire and Dame, which offers weight management as part of a suite of services. Tune in at 12pm SGT/HKT to watch the stream, and share your thoughts on our revamped YouTube channel. Follow The Usual Place Podcast live at noon every Thursday and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:
