<<Dr Lim Kheng Choon was instrumental in
the design and development of SG SAFE.R.
Patients enter the glass box (within the
mobile x-ray unit) for their scan, avoiding
contact with the radiographer.>>
On a rescue-and-relief
mission to tsunami-hit
Medan in 2004,
Dr Lim Kheng Choon
saw how his medical
colleagues changed
lives for the better.
He then decided to
give up his SAF career
to be a doctor.
He had a successful
career as a Republic
of Singapore Air
Force (RSAF) aircraft
mechanical engineer. But on a
tsunami relief mission to Medan in
2004, Dr Lim Kheng Choon had an
eye-opening experience that led
him to a mid-career change.
Part of the RSAF rescue-andrelief
team, the then 28-year-old
witnessed first-hand how the
medical team provided care to
critically ill patients.
“I remember we were
evacuating a very seriously burnt
child. Throughout the flight, the
parents talked to the medical
team, and I could see how
grateful and relieved they were to
finally get help,” said Dr Lim.
“Being a doctor, and having
the ability to heal and to comfort
can make a very big difference.
And it got me thinking.”
Armed with a deeper sense
of purpose, the engineering
graduate decided to study
medicine. Now a Consultant
at Singapore General Hospital’s
(SGH) Department of Diagnostic
Radiology, Dr Lim, 45, finds
common ground between
his engineering background
and medicine.
“Engineering is a discipline
about processing and looking at
things from a systemic level, and
understanding how things connect
and work. I think medicine is a lot
like that,” he said.
Indeed, his background
proved useful when the COVID-19
pandemic struck last year. He
played a significant role in quickly
designing a mobile x-ray unit
where staff need not come into
contact with patients. Although
his department had considered
such an idea for some time,
costs were an issue.
Recalling how RSAF officers
had to be inventive in the field,
Dr Lim said, “When you are in
a disaster area, there is no way
to find an office so you just use
containers, which can be moved to
different places quickly.”
Similar to the idea of a photo
booth, a shipping container is
converted into an x-ray room
with a clear polycarbonate plastic
box inside. Patients enter the
container and stand against one
side of the clear box to have
x-rays taken. Named SG SAFE.R,
the booth cost about $7,000 to
build. The booth, said Dr Lim, is
an example of how his engineering
experience adds value to his
current work.
Dr Lim had considered
studying medicine at university
but chose engineering after
getting a Singapore Armed
Forces (SAF) scholarship.
In 2005, the establishment of
Singapore’s first graduate medical
school gave Dr Lim a chance to
return to school. He and his wife
were just starting a family, and
although the Duke-NUS Medical School offered him a
bursary, it still meant the couple
would be relying on a single
income for some years.
“My wife was supportive but
worried. We had to make some
lifestyle changes. I sold my car
and downgraded our flat,” said
Dr Lim, who graduated in 2011.
As a radiologist, Dr Lim helps
diagnose illnesses or injuries of
patients based on the imaging
scans he receives from the
radiographers. He considers the
interaction with patients to be
one of the most sacred aspects of
his job.
“I always tell my junior doctors
that we should not forget what
we are here to do, and how we
can really change lives. That
little gesture, what we say, and
our body language make a big
difference to patients,” he said.
With three children aged
between 7 and 15, Dr Lim has little
time for leisure. Still, to keep fit,
he jogs when he has the time.
