Health Sciences Authority

HSA wishes everyone a prosperous and joyful Lunar New Year in the Year of the Snake! 🐍✨  May this year bring wisdom, growth, and success to all! #CNY2025 #YearOfTheSnake

On 23rd January, our CEO, Adj A/Prof Raymond Chua, chaired the HSA-SRC biennial retreat. The retreat focused on a critical mission: securing our nation's blood supply for the future. As we look towards 2030 and beyond, the National Blood Programme faces significant challenges, including an ageing population and declining numbers of youth donors. To address these, we need innovative approaches to ensure a sustainable blood supply. The retreat brought together colleagues from the Singapore Red Cross and HSA, including those who are blood donors, for focused group discussions. Our conversations centred on the '3Rs' - Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition – yielding valuable insights and generating creative ideas for near-term implementation. The collaborative spirit and constructive engagement from the teams were truly inspiring. As we move forward, we are excited to transform these ideas into actionable plans that will shape the future of blood donation in Singapore.

HSA’s Chemical Metrology Division (CMD) is pleased to organise the first-ever Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) Proficiency Testing (PT) programme on Toxic Elements in Cosmetic Cream. This initiative addresses the critical need for accuracy-based PT programmes in the cosmetics sector. The programme aims to help cosmetic testing laboratories demonstrate their competency in measuring key toxic elements, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, thereby enabling them to effectively support regulatory authorities across the region.   To achieve this, CMD collaborated with a Singapore-based pharmaceutical company to prepare a material closely resembling routine testing samples, with appropriate levels of toxic elements. Following ISO/IEC 17043 and ISO 13528, the material was rigorously assessed for homogeneity and stability. The assigned values for all analytes are traceable to the International System of Units (SI) through HSA, with each value accompanied by a measurement uncertainty.   After months of preparation, our APAC PT samples have now been dispatched to 30 cosmetic testing laboratories across 15 economies! The HSA PT Team extends its gratitude to APAC for their support and to 18 member accreditation bodies for their nominations and the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme for facilitating the cooperation with APAC. We eagerly await the results from our PT participants.   Check out the video to see how we prepped and dispatched the samples!

Do you know that public officers can use half a day of 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 per blood donation? Our colleagues have done it this afternoon. Now it's your turn to make a difference! Help us replenish our national blood stock, especially the O type which is running low, before the Lunar New Year festivities begin. Book your appointment now and use your volunteer leave for this life-saving cause. This January, donate blood and receive a limited-edition dumpling bag, while stocks last. Simply indicate the group code [𝗥𝟬𝟲𝟭𝟰] on your donation form when you donate at our Bloodbanks at One Punggol, Westgate Tower, or Woodlands. Visit https://lnkd.in/gbuHm2hQ to book your appointment today. Singapore Red Cross #BloodDonation #GiveBloodSaveLives

HSA’s Analytical Toxicology Laboratory-Drug Abuse Testing (ATL-DAT) is delighted to announce that we recently published our in-house developed method for multi-drug analysis in hair using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The paper authored by HuiFen Hannah Zhang, Hooi Yan Moy, and Dr Chi Pang Lui, and published in the Drug Testing and Analysis journal details our improved hair analysis method that offers: - Simultaneous analysis of multiple drugs which include opiates, amphetamines, ketamine and cocaine, via a comprehensive procedure involving hair decontamination, pulverization, clean-up using supported-liquid extraction (SLE) and a two-step derivatisation process; - Enhanced efficiency through using semi-automated sample preparation procedure; - Key benefits including faster analysis turnaround time and reduced amount of hair sample required for analysis. This represents a significant step forward as this enhanced method will allow HSA to better support our partner agencies in their ongoing efforts to help keep Singapore drug-free.   The full paper can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gyEThg3F. #ForensicScience #Innovation #ResearchAndDevelopment

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Vietnam Metrology Institute (VMI), the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, via Zoom. The MOU strengthens the collaboration between the two national authorities through engagement in knowledge exchange, joint research, and the development of regional quality infrastructure, including VMI’s participation in the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme’s public health project aimed at improving clinical outcomes for non-communicable diseases in Vietnam. The MOU was signed by Adj Assoc Prof (Dr) Raymond Chua, Chief Executive Officer of HSA, and Dr Ngo Thi Ngoc Ha, Director of the Vietnam Metrology Institute. A key part of our metrology journey is our longstanding partnership with VMI, which has fostered capacity-building and technical exchange since 2015. This partnership formalises our shared vision for advancing scientific measurement and metrology in the Asia-Pacific region, ultimately contributing to better clinical outcomes and enhanced scientific standards. #HSA #ChemicalMetrology #ScientificExcellence #Metrology #Partnership #GlobalStandards #Collaboration #Innovation #VMI #AsiaPacific #Healthcare #FoodSafety #Pharmaceuticals #MOU

Congrats 🥂 to the Forensic testing lab teams on their ANAB re-accreditation 👏👏 This past week has been a super busy week for the forensic laboratories and teams in the Applied Sciences Group (ASG) in HSA, undergoing their accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)’s National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to the ISO/IEC 17025 standards and additional AR3125 forensic requirements. I met up yesterday at the closing of the accreditation, with Amanda Julian, the ANAB team leader, who was here together with 16 other technical assessors conducting the onsite reassessment of the forensic laboratories, to go thru the assessment results. I am very pleased when she mentioned we did very well in meeting the lab quality and accreditation standards with just a few areas for improvement. So kudos to the hard work and dedication by the forensic testing laboratories (in analytical toxicology, forensic biology, forensic sciences and illicit drugs) and their teams in preparing and aceing the accreditation 👍👍👏👏 This reaccreditation and maintenance of our standards since 1996 allowed ASG to uphold the integrity and reliability of our laboratory testing results so that we can continue to serve the proper administration of justice. Great job ASG team and keep it up 🤛🤛 Health Sciences Authority ANSI - American National Standards Institute Angeline Yap Tang Lin Teo Min Yong Low Alaric Koh Yi Ju YAO Chui Huang Tan Chi Pang Lui

On 3 January 2025, HSA’s Analytical Toxicology Division had the privilege of inviting Prof Marilyn Huestis, Former Chief of Chemistry and Drug Metabolism at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, USA, to give a half-day lecture to our scientific and technical staff. Prof Huestis is a renowned expert in forensic toxicology and clinical pharmacology, specialising in the study of drugs of abuse. She plays a significant role in shaping policies related to drug use, detection, and regulation. With 578 research papers under her belt, Prof Huestis is well-regarded and well-positioned to share her experience through her lecture “Advancing the field of forensic toxicology, your reputation and career by writing successful scientific manuscripts”. She provided invaluable tips on making the process of writing scientific manuscripts as efficient as possible. She also gave two other interesting lectures on “Cannabinoids in Oral Fluid” and “Kratom Pharmacology and Abuse”. Our staff were enlightened and enthusiastic about applying these useful tips to enhance their research manuscript writing. The half-day lecture not only imparted invaluable knowledge but also inspired many to delve-deeper into these areas of forensic toxicology.

Ever wondered what happens to your blood after donation? When you donate blood, it goes through a remarkable journey to save lives. Here's a glimpse into the process: 1. Collection: Your blood is collected in a sterile blood bag and blood samples are also taken for testing. 2. Processing and Testing: Your blood is separated into its components - red cells, plasma, and platelets to optimise blood usage and benefit more patients from a single blood donation. Your donated blood undergoes blood group testing, antibody screening and rigorous screening for infectious diseases such HIV, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis E virus, Hepatitis C virus, and syphilis to ensure its safety. 3. Labelling: After your blood is tested safe for use, it is labelled with blood group and expiry date. 4. Storage: Each component is stored under specific conditions to maintain its effectiveness until needed. 5. Distribution: Blood is dispatched to all hospitals based on their specified type and quantity requirements. 6. Transfusion: Your blood is compatible with the patient’s blood and it is now transfused to the patient. Your single donation can save up to three lives! Every drop counts, join us in this life-saving journey! Singapore Red Cross #BloodDonation #GiveBloodSaveLives

We are thrilled to share our LinkedIn journey in 2024. It has been an exciting year of growth, meaningful engagements and connections. Here’s to a bigger and brighter 2025!