BY: Samantha Eng

I decided to specialise in cardiology because...
I was terribly fascinated by the heart even as a student in medical school.

Imagine this: A heart beats an average of 2.5 billion times in a person's lifetime. I was fascinated by its efficiency and how such a small organ can accomplish so much.

To me, it was the most challenging organ to work with. I wanted to challenge myself, which was why I picked cardiology.

A typical day for me would be...
To wake up at 6am, do a short run around the garden and feed the fish.

I usually reach my office at around 8.30am, when I start my ward rounds and see between 20 to 25 patients. I end work at 5pm and I go home, relax and catch up with my wife (who is also a doctor, a family physician).

My two daughters are not in Singapore at the moment. One is working in New York while the other is in Canberra.

On weekends, my days are almost the same. Saturdays are full working days. In fact, the clinic feels like a fish market on Saturdays. It can get really busy because it is a non-working day for most people.

Sundays are my relaxing days though. I use the time to play a bit of golf and catch up with friends.

If I were to give an analogy for what I do, I'd be a...
Plumber. Because like a plumber who unclogs pipes, I open the arteries to the heart.

The one fear most people have about treatment is...
Death. And for some patients, the cost of treatment is rather frightening as well. Each stent costs $5,000 and many patients are not able to afford such steep prices.

I love patients who are...
Grateful when I help them.

Patients who get my goat are...
Those who bargain to lower the cost of treatment, even though they are not genuinely poor. For example, I have patients from Jakarta who never bargain. They have their pride and will not bargain unless they are really in dire straits.

But the patients from Surabaya are different. They are always bargaining even though they don't need the discount.
For me, my principle is this: If a patient genuinely cannot afford treatment, I will give him a 50 per cent discount. If he still can't afford it, I will even do it for free.

After all, I have enough well-to-do patients to make up for it. But it is those patients who come in and bargain as if they're in a fish market who get on my nerves.

If I could tell them what's on my mind, I'd say...
This is my Government's recommended price. If you think it's too steep, then go to Malaysia or Thailand to do the treatment at half price.

It breaks my heart when...
A patient dies. I have about 15,000 patients over the past years and only 20 have died so far. It's very rare for me to see a patient die, so when it happens, it gets extremely heartbreaking.

Another thing that broke my heart recently was news of the deaths of the two NSmen. It's really
sad because I felt that they could have been prevented if the recruits had been screened more comprehensively for heart conditions.

Right now, I would say that the Government is doing 70 per cent to put in place precautionary measures against sudden cardiac death. Anything less than 100 per cent is not enough. The Government must be seen to be doing everything possible to prevent such unfortunate deaths.

I would recommend that pre-enlistees be put through treadmill tests and echocardiograms (an ultrasound test).

It may cost the Government about $3 million for every 10,000 recruits, but I'd say it's money well spent. In fact, every doctor I've spoken to agreed that if it was their son going to enlist, they would want him to go through these two tests.

Things that put a smile on my face are...
When I see warm Singaporeans on the street donating to the poor and needy.

Of course, when I get to see my four-year-old grandchild, Kiera. She's overseas with her parents now and I miss her dearly.

I wouldn't trade places for the world because...
I have the best job, I get to treat patients and I've already built a good name for myself. I live in Singapore which is truly a wonderful place to live in, with its low crime rate and high standard of living. What more could I ask for?

My best tip...
Eat well and live well.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on July 9, 2008.