The Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps (SAF Medical Corps) is the

medical corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or staff corps, officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are exam ...

of the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (Singapore), Ministry of D ...

(SAF) that provides medical services to the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

. The Medical Corps establishes policies and directs the full implementation of quality force health, medical force protection, operational support, medical information technology, medical manpower and logistics, as well as its medical inspectorate within the Singapore Armed Forces.

History

The SAF Medical Corps traces its origins back to 1901 with the formation of the ambulance and bearer section of the Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps when Singapore was still a British colony. The Medical Corps was largely made up of personnel who volunteered their services and was not formally part of the defence of Singapore until 1967, when the Senior Medical Officer's department was formed. In 1972, HQ Medical Services was established to oversee all military medical services and policies within the Singapore Armed Forces. In 1974, the Singapore Armed Forces began recruiting medical doctors for

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

Organisation

The SAF Medical Corps is subdivided into six organisations: the Headquarters Medical Corps, the SAF Medical Training Institute (SMTI), the Military Medicine Institute (MMI), the Army Medical Service, the Navy Medical Service, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force Medical Service. The SAF Medical Training Institute provides vocational training for

combat medic A combat medic is responsible for providing emergency medicine, emergency medical treatment at a point of wounding in a combat or training environment, as well as primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury or illnes ...

s and combat medic

specialist A specialist is someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research. Specialist may also refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist officer, military rank in ...

s, who are then posted to the medical services of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Military Medicine Institute provides specialised medical and dental services and in-patient care. It is also in charge of the operations of medical centres in all the camps and military bases in Singapore. The Force Health Group (FHG) was established in 2021 after restructuring of the Force Medical Protection Command (FMPC), to ensure medical protection against chemical, biological, radiological (CBR) and occupational health hazards. FHG focuses on comprehensive prevention, early detection and effective medical response against CBR threats. The Biodefence Centre (BDFC) identifies and institutes appropriate interventional measures for biological threats. It also manages infectious disease outbreaks and ensures that environmental and public health standards are maintained. The Medical Response Force (MRF) provides frontline medical support to the SAF during CBR incidents. The key accomplishments of FMPC include eliminating the risk of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

Pulau Tekong Pulau Tekong (Singapore English pronunciation: ), also known colloquially as Tekong or Tekong Island, is the second-largest of Singapore's outlying islands after Jurong Island. Tekong is located off Singapore's northeastern coast, east of P ...

in 2007, formulating the SAF pandemic response plan during the

2009 swine flu pandemic The 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1/swine flu/influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 2009 to August 2010, was the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus (the first being the 1918� ...

and managing the

2015–16 Zika virus epidemic An epidemic of Zika fever, caused by Zika virus, began in Brazil and affected other countries in the Americas from April 2015 to November 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the epidemic in November 2016, but noted th ...

. Partners such as the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER) also contribute to the SAF's ability to diagnose, detect and respond to infectious disease and biological threats.

References

{{Singapore Armed Forces Army Medical Service Military units and formations established in 1967 Military medical organizations