After several months of fruitful collaboration, we are delighted to announce that FHCARE Singapore will be joining our Network. FHCARE Singapore was founded in 2016, by a small group of clinicians, headed by Professor Tavintharan Subramaniam at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore.
The focus for FHCARE Singapore has been providing support for patients living with FH and progressively for patients with elevated Lp(a) and raining awareness of those conditions among the wider public.
Over recent months Prof Tavin and his team have identified patients with both Heterozygous FH and Homozygous FH. However, with an estimated 1 in 140 Singaporeans with HeFH and 1 in 200,000 HoFH, there is much work to do!
FH Europe Foundation team have been supporting FHCARE Singapore with strengthening the patient engagement whilst being mindful of cultural sensitivities. The biggest step to date has been a group video call at the end of June 2024 with FH patients from both organisations coming together to share experiences, culminating in a creation of a dedicated WhatsApp group specifically for FH patients in Singapore.
With a grant secured from the Singapore Ministry of Health, Prof Tavin and his team have the objective of:
In the meantime, the groups have collaborated on a significant research publication in the area of behavioural science and exploring genetic testing acceptance in FH. A joint paper under the lead of Assoc Prof Konstadina Griva (Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore) is in the submission phase for publication.
Who Is FHCARE Singapore?
FHCARE Singapore is a dedicated organisation committed to supporting individuals and families affected by familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). Their mission aligns perfectly with ours—to raise awareness, provide education, and advocate for better care and management of FH. An interesting fact, Singapore is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia, with a population of almost 6 million people and 3 main ethnic groups (74.0% Chinese, 13.5% Malay, 9.0% Indian, 3.4% other).
Finally meeting in person at the EAS Annual Congress in Lyon, France. From the left: Prof. Anna Abreu, Magdalena Daccord, Emma Print, Elsie Evans, Prof Tavintharan Subramaniam, Dr Wann Jia Loh.
What Does This Mean for Our Community?
With FHCARE Singapore on board, our network expands now to the Asia-Pacific region. Together, we can amplify our joint efforts to improve the lives of people with familial hyperlipidaemias (HeFH, HoFH, elevated Lp(a) and FCS), while learning about specific challenges and opportunities and developing new projects in the new region.
“It is a great honour and privilege for FHCARE Singapore to be part of the FHEF Community. Being part of this joyous and dynamic family where every voice is valued and respected, inspires our team to persevere and optimistically move forward and take meaningful positive steps to improve lives of individuals, families and communities living with FH”. (Prof Tavintharan Subramaniam)