Singapore, 26 March 2015 – Over 400 rehabilitation specialists, therapists, doctors, and industry leaders attended the opening plenary session of the 6th Annual Singapore Rehabilitation Conference, this morning at MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO.
The conference is held in conjunction with RehabTech Asia 2015, Asia’s leading trade event for the assistive technology, integrated care and rehabilitation engineering industry. This year’s exhibition includes the strategic staging of two new conferences - the RESNA Asia Pacific Conference 2015 and the NeuroRehabilitation Medicine & Innovation Asia Pacific Congress 2015, providing attendees a holistic intra-discipline exchange and networking platform.
In the speech issued by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, he referred to the MOH 2020 Healthcare Master Plan and the measures it contains to help Singapore’s seniors remain functional and independent for as long as possible, as well as plans to support those with impairments and chronic conditions.
Besides adding day centres and home rehabilitation centres, the current capacity will be doubled by 2020 with four new community hospitals built, and 120 more rehabilitation places by 2016 to a total of 1800 day rehabilitation places in 2020.
As well as raising subsidies for intermediate and long term care (ILTC), the government has also introduced subsidies for home rehab in April last year which has already benefited more than 370 patients. In addition, staffing requirements will be expanded from the current pool of 1,200 physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists in the public healthcare and ILTC sectors with the launch of four year degree programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy by the Singapore Institute of Technology in September 2016.
With growing aging populations across the world, and the need for governments to maintain accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare, rehabilitation and assistive living plays an important role for seniors who are living with impairments and chronic conditions. With the theme of Towards Enablement and Empowerment - Innovative Care Models for Asia, the conference addresses key concerns faced by today’s governments, and the healthcare industry including: Clinical Applications of Technology in NeuroRehabilitation, Geriatric Rehabilitation, Technology in Neurorehabilitation, Sports and Disability, Virtual Reality and Gaming. Weighing on this was a separate congress by the ASEAN Rehabilitation Medicine Association (ARMA) which discussed Rehabilitation Practices Across ASEAN.
The conference was opened with a keynote lecture by Professor Alberto Esquenazi, MD, John Otto Hass Chair and Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Chief Medical Officer at MossRehab, USA. Dr Esquenazi emphasised the importance of training and therapy for amputees, not only to reduce the chances of rejection of their prosthetic limbs but also for them to fully reintegrate back into society as able and contributing individuals.
One of the key show highlights at RehabTech Asia exhibition is the showcase of rehabilitative prototypes of the AR&TTs Challenge 2015, a competition to encourage social innovators in the region to develop technologies for independent living.
The show floor saw the Falcon E-Lite, which according to its manufacturer Falcon Mobility is the world’s lightest mobility scooter due to its radical design.
Hocoma also chose to showcase the Valedo Therapy Concept at RehabTech Asia - a first-in-Asia back pain treatment solution - with clinical assessments and functional exercise training. Mr Zen Koh, Managing Director of Hocoma Asia Pacific and Singapore said, “The first day has been good for us. We have reconnected with some old friends and met many new contacts. The addition of the two new conferences makes RehabTech Asia the most significant event of its kind in in the region.”
Otto Bock’s South East Asia’s Business Manager, Mr Daryl Lim was very pleased to be back for the second iteration of the exhibition. “RehabTech Asia is a must for us, especially staged here in Singapore which is the gateway to South East Asia. We know we will meet potential buyers from all our target markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam."
First time exhibitors, Rehab-Robotics’ Business Development Executive, Mr Sergii Molchanov said, “We came to RehabTech Asia because our Singapore distribution partner, Fu Kang Healthcare Supply recommended it as a great platform for reaching out to buyers from Thailand and Indonesia.”
RehabTech Asia 2015 ends on 28 March and is open to the public on the last day.
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