KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), Singapore’s largest maternity hospital will open a dedicated training centre to offer obstetric ultrasound training programmes to local and regional obstetricians and sonographers. The purpose of this set-up is to elevate the standard of obstetric ultrasound in the care of pregnant mothers.
Said A/Prof George Yeo, Director of KK Antenatal Diagnostic Centre, KKH, “Recent years have seen rapid technological advances in the field of obstetric ultrasonography that have revolutionalised antenatal care by giving vital information about structural abnormalities, fetal behaviour and well-being. Setting up this training centre is a significant step to improving and maintaining the standard of prenatal screening and diagnosis to optimize pregnancy outcomes for the mothers of Singapore”.
KKH has obstetric ultrasound fellowship programmes for practitioners at all levels. It has been accredited by three top international academic bodies from United Kingdom for its high standard of ultrasound training practice, and is the only hospital to receive these credentials: the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists / Royal College of Radiologists (RCR /RCOG), the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) and the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF).
To-date, KKH has trained 67 local and overseas fellows. With the new KK Obstetric Ultrasound Teaching and Training Centre, the hospital will be in a better position to consistently train all the doctors in Singapore.
Also, with the collaboration of ISUOG and FMF, KKH has been conducting yearly outreach courses for delegates from the region. These courses serve as a platform for dedicated international obstetric ultrasound experts to share their skills, knowledge and experience with doctors in the region, and have been attended by specialists from the Asia Pacific region and Australia.
Said A/Prof Ivy Ng, CEO, KKH, “The establishment of this centre is indeed timely. It will enhance KKH’s teaching capability and further strengthen Singapore as a medical hub. We hope that our overseas trainees will bring back skills to improve the quality of prenatal care in their own country.”
New Sponsorship Tie-ups to Fund Local and Overseas Practitioners
KKH will be establishing a sponsorship programme with Aloka CO.,Ltd to fund local and overseas practitioners to undergo Obstetric Ultrasound Teaching and Training Programmes at KKH. About 120 fellows from Singapore and the region are expected to be trained at KKH under this sponsorship programme.