Tan Tock Seng Hospital pilots sleep apnoea treatment

It combines expertise from ENT, psychiatry, and respiratory medicine.

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Snoring, often dismissed as a harmless quirk of sleep-deprived people, may signal a bigger problem. Singapore's Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), a healthcare institution of the National Healthcare Group, is addressing this concern with the Integrated Sleep Service.

Sleep apnoea, a disorder characterised by breathing interruptions, remains largely underdiagnosed in Singapore, Dr Lee Chuen Peng, a TTSH Respiratory and Critical Care specialist, told Healthcare Asia. “This can lead to further medical problems.”

Singaporeans are the most sleep-deprived amongst 17 markets, with 54% getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep daily, according to a YouGov survey released in 2023.

According to Lee, the city-state is gradually building its capabilities in sleep medicine, and TTSH’s Integrated Sleep Service, which is still in its pilot phase, refers patients to a pool of trained general sleep practitioners at the hospital. These include respiratory physicians, neurologists, psychiatrists, ENT specialists, and family practitioners.

CPAP therapy