New maternal and child health research institute opens in Singapore, addressing 'unmet needs' of population
SINGAPORE: A new inquiry institute focusing on maternal and child health was launched at KK Women's and Children'southward Hospital (KKH) on Friday (Oct viii), to fill "unmet needs" of the population by taking a "life-grade approach" to its research.
The SingHealth Duke-NUS Maternal and Child Health Inquiry Constitute (MCHRI) aims to "support the growth and development of every adult female and kid to their fullest potential", according to a press release from KKH.
"As we move forward in 2022 and beyond, nosotros want to accept a life-course approach in (the institute) to better the health of the mother, child and the family equally a holistic entity (by) analysing and understanding their lives in the structural, social and cultural context," said Acquaintance Professor Ng Kee Chong, director of MCHRI, at a media briefing on Thursday.
This holistic arroyo to maternal and child health starts from the womb, and designs the "continuum of care" from pregnancy to childbirth, infancy to babyhood, and adolescence to adulthood, he said.
Speaking at the launch of the inquiry institute, Second Minister for Health Masagos Zulkifli acknowledged the current inquiry on how certain wellness risks in mothers can bear on their kid's developmental outcomes.
"The Integrated Maternal and Child Wellness Hub at Punggol Polyclinic ... provides integrated primary intendance services for both mother and child. For example, during the child'due south developmental screening, the mother too will be supported and screened for postal service-natal low, if she exhibits certain signs during the visit. Because local inquiry tells us that this is a adventure factor for both female parent and kid," he said.
He added that the new research institute would contribute to the local research and scientific landscape by driving "clinical and translational research, innovation, and digital strategies to accelerate clinical intendance".
"These efforts span critical domains in kid and maternal health, such as in reproductive, metabolic, mental health, as well every bit neurocognitive evolution and treatments for cancers and more," he said.
"UNMET NEEDS" IN POPULATION
Assoc Prof Ng, who is also the chairman of the medical lath at KKH, added that the research institute plans to "address maternal and child health disparities in our system", likewise every bit "meliorate and raise maternal and child health literacy in our population".
"Nosotros want to gain insights into maternal and child health issues that face us as Singaporeans. We also want to implement interventions with practical, sustainable solutions to mitigate these risks and to better maternal and kid health. And we want to integrate into existing national policies and existing family intendance programmes," he said.
Despite Singapore's "world course" healthcare organization, there are still "gaps and unmet needs" in maternal and child wellness, noted Assoc Prof Ng.
The commencement is the metabolic health of mothers and children.
"We have various projects going on in the customs. 1 of them is the Healthy Early Life Moments in Singapore (a series of practice-oriented webinars organised by KKH), where we want to influence the behaviour of women and children in their metabolic health. What a kid eats and how the child is brought up in terms of their nutrition is very of import," he said.
The 2nd demand to be addressed is the mental wellness of mothers and children amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's a lot of mental stress. As a pediatrician by training, I see a lot of children who are stressed. Adolescents, for example ... children are mentally quite stressed," he said.
"For women ... we find that there is quite a lot of postnatal depression. In meaning women as well, there'southward a loftier incidence of diabetes and metabolic conditions."
Not-INVASIVE TECHNOLOGY
The research establish will also partner with Menarini Biomarkers Singapore, the diagnostics arm of Italy's Menarini Group, to create a regional and international medical hub in Singapore for "non-invasive diagnostics in prenatal and targeted therapies for meliorate clinical outcomes", stated the printing release.
This non-invasive prenatal diagnosis carries "minimal risks and discomfort" to pregnant women.
"With a needle prick and tiny amounts of claret from the mother, clinical teams can identify, isolate and analyse single cells with loftier precision. Using predictive biomarkers, doctors can isolate in real-time circulating fetal cells, and detect chromosome abnormalities in fetal cells circulating in the mother's blood," the printing release added.
"This is specially beneficial for discovering genetic disorders in high-run a risk pregnancies. Information technology will enable would-be parents and healthcare teams to brand better decisions about the intendance for the child even before the child is born."
BEYOND HEALTHCARE
Nevertheless, while the research institute is an opportunity to involve medical and nursing students, also as allied health partners, Assoc Prof Ng said the institute also hopes to work with partners beyond the health customs.
"Beyond the healthcare sector, we desire to bring in the social system, partners from the Ministry of Social and Family Evolution, as well as our partners from education. Because to bring upwardly a child, it takes a village," he said.
"We don't want to medicalise health. We want to socialise health. ... I mean, as a doctor, it's very easy to say, just treat (health) as a medicine kind of matter. But it'southward not just medicine, information technology's also a social, educational and cultural setup that we demand to accost collectively for our women and children."
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/maternal-child-health-research-institute-mchri-kk-hospital-284841
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