RIP: Specialist Cadet
(SCT) Ee Chun Sheng - 2 Aug 2011
In a stunning relevation, MINDEF revealed in a press statement
last night that SAF took MORE THAN ONE HOUR to send 21 year old SCT
Ee Chun Sheng to NUH after he was discovered to be unconscious
during a training exercise:
“An SAF medic went on site and tried to resuscitate SCT
Ee at about 5.15pm. The serviceman was evacuated via a safety
vehicle to the Tengah Air Base Medical Centre and arrived at about
5.39pm where an SAF doctor attended to him. SCT Ee was then sent
via an ambulance to the National University Hospital (NUH) at
6.05pm and arrived at 6.32pm.”
SCT Ee was pronounced dead on arrival at NUH. He was training to
be a ‘Specs’ at the School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) after
which he will hold the rank of a 3rd Sergeant.
His unfortunate and unnecessary death was mourned by many
ordinary Singaporeans. SCT Ee graduated from Singapore Polytechnic
and would have a bright future ahead of him if not for his untimely
demise.
Though the cause of his death is not known yet, it is common
medical knowledge that few will survive an out-of-hospital cardiac
arrest for more than five minutes.
It was reported that SCT Ee was resuscitated on site. What was
done for him there? Did the medic have a portable defibrillator?
Did he have a pulse present? If he was still alive then, he should
be sent immediately to NUH rather than sent to the Medical
Centre.
Given the close proximity between Tengah Air Base and NUH, it is
incredulous that it took nearly half an hour to transfer SCT Ee to
NUH.
MINDEF should come clean with the public and convene an
independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances
surrounding SCT Ee’s death and whether it could be prevented.
It should also release the number of NSFs and NSmen who died in
the course of their training as well as those who suffered
permanent injuries and debility over the years. The figures should
then be compared with those of other countries with mandatory
conscription such as Taiwan, South Korea and Israel.
Despite blanket assurances from the SAF that it takes “serious
view” of ensuring the “safety” of its soldiers, unnecessary deaths
and injuries have been occuring of late and then quietly swept
under the carpet as if nothing has happened.
With National Service exacting a heavy toll on the time and
resources of every Singapore men, Singaporeans deserve to know the
truth or one day, somebody we know may become the next SCT Ee.
