http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2008/jun/10jun08_nr.html
Posted: 10 Jun 2008, 1500 hours (Time is GMT +8
hours)
REC Andrew Cheah Wei Siong from the Basic Military
Training Centre fainted at 8.35am while participating in a 2km walk
training activity at Pulau Tekong. He was rushed to the medical
centre and arrived within five minutes. He was given immediate
medical attention by the doctors. At 9.24am, REC Cheah was
heli-evacuated to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). The SAF
medical team continued to resuscitate him en route. REC Cheah was
pronounced dead at 10.50am in SGH.
MINDEF and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to the family
of the late REC Cheah. MINDEF will assist the family in their time
of grief and is investigating the incident.
=============================================
NS recruit dies after fainting during training activity
Posted: 10 June 2008 1757 hrs CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM
SINGAPORE: A 20-year-old national serviceman died in hospital,
nearly two hours after he fainted during training on Pulau Tekong
on Tuesday morning.
Recruit Andrew Cheah Wei Siong from the Basic Military Training
Centre fainted at 8.35am while he was taking part in a
2km walk training
activity on the
island.
He was rushed to the medical centre and arrived within
five minutes. He was given immediate medical attention by
the doctors.
At 9.24am, Mr Cheah was evacuated by
helicopter to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
The medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) continued
to resuscitate him en route. But, they failed to revive him and he
was pronounced dead at 10.50am at SGH.
MINDEF and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to his
family. MINDEF says it will help the family in their time of grief
and is investigating the incident.
Mr Cheah is the second national serviceman to die suddenly this
year. In January, 41-year-old Major Tan Yit Guan collapsed and died
after a run with colleagues.
Before those two cases, 25-year-old Captain Ho Si Qiu died after
completing the 21km Singapore Bay Run in August last year.
Heart specialist Michael Lim says there are two leading causes
of sudden death in young adults.
The first is an inherited condition that leads to thickening of
the heart muscle which affects the heart's ability to pump
blood.
The second is myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle
caused by an infection.
Dr Lim says these conditions can be detected easily with an
electrocardiogram or ECG.
MINDEF says ECGs are carried out on all servicemen during the
medical screening before they are enlisted. Although Andrew
Cheah was slightly obese and had had asthma as a child, MINDEF says
he passed the medical screening and was given a clean bill of
health. - CNA
