Growing Strong: Our Asian Emergency Care Systems Fellowship

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Growing Strong: Our Asian Emergency Care Systems Fellowship

In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), over half of deaths could be prevented with timely responses and treatment through effective emergency care systems. These systems encompass a wide network of support, including community response, dispatch, ambulance personnel, and emergency specialists. Yet, this critical area often remains underfunded and under-recognised.

To address this gap, SingHealth has been running the Asian Emergency Care Systems Fellowship for over six years. This programme brings together doctors and paramedics involved in pre-hospital care for a month-long exchange and learning experience in Singapore. With an expanding alumni network now numbering 35 graduates, the fellowship is creating ripple effects across the region.

A commitment to real-world impact

A defining feature of the fellowship is its action-oriented approach. Participants commit to identifying a key challenge in their home countries and develop solutions with the guidance of a mentor. This has led to significant advancements, with early cohorts now spearheading pre-hospital care units in their respective regions.

“We are continually inspired by the initiatives our alumni undertake upon returning home. This fellowship is dedicated to nurturing champions of change in prehospital and emergency care across Asia,” shared Dr Gayathri Devi Nadarajan, Consultant, Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital and Clinical Assistant Professor, SingHealth Duke-NUS Emergency Medicine ACP. “The connections and lessons they share are transforming emergency care in their countries, and we’re learning with them as they open our eyes to other challenges and ideas. It is a real exchange.”

Watch our Global Health Seminar Series special on Emergency Care Systems and Health Policy in Asia

The 2024 cohort

This year, 11 participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Brunei, and Japan attended the programme, which ran from 11 November to 6 December 2024. The diverse group engaged in candid discussions, openly sharing challenges and exchanging innovative solutions.

Key themes of discussion included:

Sustainable growth: Striking a balance between speed and the long-term viability of emergency care systems.
Efficiency gains: Optimising resource allocation to improve response times.
Quality management: Overcoming resistance to change among healthcare workers.
Climate-related disasters: Adapting systems to manage increasing climate-related emergencies.

Shared challenges and diverse perspectives

Each country brought unique challenges to the table. For instance, Indonesia’s geographic realities as a volcanic archipelago heighten its vulnerability to certain natural disasters, while superstition in some cultures can influence emergency response, as seen in beliefs attributing heart attacks to divine will. Common challenges also emerged, such as language barriers in remote areas and crowded urban infrastructure delaying response times.

Participants shared creative solutions, like using video calls to guide first responders or developing new templates for medical records. Lessons in disaster preparedness also stood out: in the Philippines, for example, emergency teams now pre-position themselves at evacuation centres before typhoons hit, while in Indonesia, emergency services coordinate seamlessly with firefighters, police, and search-and-rescue teams during disasters.

Calls for international support

When asked how the global community could help, participants highlighted the need for:

more opportunities for knowledge-sharing and fellowships
support in building education and training centres
guidance on policy development and paramedic training

“We would like Singapore to organise more sharing sessions and fellowships like this,” said Pham Dinh Quyet, Deputy Head of the General Planning Department in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Felicia Ohoiwutun, an Emergency Medicine Physician from Indonesia added, “We need help to establish more education centres to train our personnel.”

Looking ahead

The growing attention to pre-hospital emergency care across Asia is promising. With increasing data collection, investment, and recognition of its importance, this complex field is on the cusp of significant progress.

As Fsinsp Marites S. Geronimo (MD, Acting Chief Regional Health Service and Chief, Emergency Medical Service Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippines) puts it, “Every life saved because of faster and better care makes all the difference. Together, we’re building systems that give our communities a better chance.”

The Asian Emergency Care Systems Fellowship continues to be a vital platform for collaboration, innovation, and progress, fostering a network of emergency care champions dedicated to improving outcomes in their home countries and beyond.

Interested in learning more about emergency management global health programmes? Reach out to Gayathri Nadarajan via gmsgdn@nus.edu.sg.

Growing Strong: Our Asian Emergency Care Systems Fellowship

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