SINGAPORE – When a road accident victim arrives at the National University Hospital (NUH) emergency department, there can be up to 20 medical and nursing staff working furiously to save him.
To save the life of a motorcyclist who was hit by a lorry in Jurong in 2017, an orthopaedic surgeon, trauma surgeons, a radiologist, an anaesthetist and nurses were in the operating theatre.
With so many people in the room, each had to be clear what his or her role was, to not get in one another’s way.
This is why one of them said they had to function like an F1 pit crew to quickly identify the patient’s injuries, treat them, then stabilise him, because every second counts.
On Sept 10, 2017, Mr Patrick Pereira, now 55, was riding his motorcycle home from a family dinner when he was hit by a lorry.
He was rushed conscious to NUH, but his blood pressure was abnormally low, said Dr Zulkarnain Ab Hamid, who was on duty then.
Medical staff at the emergency department examined Mr Pereira for haemorrhaging – bleeding that could potentially be fatal. At the same time, he was given a blood transfusion, which had to be done through his legs as both his arms were broken.
Said Dr Zulkarnain, who is a senior consultant at NUH’s emergency department: “Every minute counts. If we didn’t do something to bring up his blood pressure, he might die prematurely from excessive bleeding.”
He described work in the emergency department as a stop-gap measure, adding: “We do all we can to help patients move to the next step, which is the operating table.”
For trauma cases, up to six medical staff can be involved in saving a patient’s life.
Realising that Mr Pereira’s pelvis was broken, the emergency medical team applied a binder to stabilise the fracture and reduce the bleeding before he was brought into the operating theatre.
Traffic deaths hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 149 killed, compared with 141 in 2016. There were 142 deaths in 2024. The number of injured people also increased, from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.
Given the dire situation on the roads, The Straits Times has been running a series of stories to call on all road users to be more careful.
In 2025, NUH treated 28,487 trauma patients, making it the hospital that sees the largest volume of trauma patients in the country. This included 1,266 moderately to severely injured adults and children.
