Singapore Medical Concierge Cambodia and its official partner the Royal Healthcare Medical Centre in Singapore hosted a health and wellness talk by senior consultant, physician and cardiologist Dr Michael Lim on “How to Prevent Sudden Death“.

More than 40 guests attended the invitation-only event on May 27, 2023, enjoying not only the health talk, but also the opportunity to receive firsthand advice on medical insurance coverage from CB Insurance.

They also got to try food beneficial to heart issues, such as organic desserts by Sunny Coco and organic cashew nuts from Kamya Artisan Food.

As Dr Lim explained, sudden death has no warning, and if even if someone isn’t showing any symptoms, it doesn’t mean they are not in the risk category.

Every second male and every third female who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest had no prior chest pain or other warning symptoms.

“We often see cases of sudden cardiac death, SCD, happening during sports. SCD in young athletes is usually caused by a genetic or congenital structural cardiac disorder.

"In athletes aged above 35 years of age, more than 80 per cent of all SCD is due to narrowing of the heart arteries, and vigorous physical exertion is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and sudden death," Dr Lim said.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in Cambodia.

Diabetes as one of the major factors of heart attack is substantially underdiagnosed, and clinicians often lose CVD prevention potential by not identifying individuals who would benefit from behavioural changes.

Reducing preventable mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is a major global health priority.

In Cambodia, CVDs are estimated to be the leading cause of death. Major risk factors for CVD are also poorly controlled: 12 per cent of all adults aged 40 and above have uncontrolled hypertension; 32 per cent of men smoke cigarettes; and 40 per cent of all individuals with diabetes are untreated.

Improving preventive care will thus be essential for meeting CVD mortality reduction targets. This need is especially pressing in middle-income countries like Cambodia, where rapid population ageing is expected to dramatically increase the number of individuals in need of preventive care.

Singapore Medical Concierge began activities in Cambodia in November 2022 to create a gateway to Singapore's comprehensive healthcare and wellness, instil stronger health awareness, and provide high-quality, one-stop health, wellness and aesthetics services.

Clients booking a medical checkup at Singapore Medical Concierge will also benefit from additional services such as accommodation, while enjoying wellness services including exclusive hair treatments and dental cleaning, which are all part of the membership programme.

Michelle Lim, the chief operating officer at Royal Healthcare Medical Centre, attended the health and wellness talk, warmly greeting a number of former patients in the audience.

“After serving more than 600 people from Cambodia at Royal Healthcare Medical Centre in Singapore, the decision to open a representative office in the Kingdom was only a matter of time.

"We would like to encourage people to take health prevention seriously and focus on quality healthcare services.

"This will then set an example to their family members for observing health symptoms, and improving their lifestyles by eating properly and managing everyday stress. Prevention starts with ourselves first,” Michelle Lim said.