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

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

of the

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

(SAF) that provides medical services to the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

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

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 a ...

. 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 the system of 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 1939. The l ...

Organisation

The SAF Medical Corps is subdivided into six organisations: the Headquarters Medical Corps, the

SAF Medical Training Institute The SAF Medical Training Institute (SMTI) is a military medicine training institute under the Army Medical Service within the SAF Medical Corps. As part of the medical corps, the institute oversees the medical vocational training for SAF service ...

(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, or healthcare specialist, is responsible for providing 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 ...

s and combat medic specialists, 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 infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

Pulau Tekong Pulau may refer to: *Pulau virus (PuV), a novel strain of Nelson Bay orthoreovirus species *Pulau River, a river of West Papua and Papua New Guinea See also *List of islands of Malaysia – "Pulau" means "island" in the Malay language *Pulao (di ...

in 2007, formulating the SAF pandemic response plan during the

2009 swine flu pandemic The 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1 influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 2009 to August 2010, is the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus (the first being the 1918–1920 Span ...

and managing the 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic. 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