THE full-time National Serviceman who died on Tuesday morning never submitted the medical certificate he was given on Sunday to his camp’s medical centre. In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said Private Joe Foo Wei Rong’s medical certificate has since been found in his personal cupboard next to his bunk.

The Singapore General Hospital medical certificate, dated Sept 28, was for “sprains and strains of knee and leg”, said Mindef. “PTE Foo was to rest from Sept 28 to 29 and given only light duties from Sep 30 to Oct 3,” it added. “The medical centre had no documentation of his medical certificate.”

PTE Foo, 20, had collapsed while doing chin-ups as part of a daily basic exercise routine, at 6.05am. According to his father, in 2004, PTE Foo suffered a seizure at home.

When contacted yesterday, hours after the NSF was given a military funeral and cremated at Mandai Crematorium, his father, Mr Foo Heng Lye, said he had told his son to submit the medical certificate. It is not known why he had not.
Mr Foo, however, questioned why it took almost two hours to move PTE Foo to a hospital. “Why were there only medics but no medical officers on 24-hour standby in the camp?” he asked.

Mindef said on Tuesday PTE Foo was given “immediate medical attention” and taken from Lim Chu Kang Camp to Tengah Medical Centre, which had a doctor on 24-hour standby, by 6.40am.

Doctors at Tengah tried to resuscitate him, and he was packed off to National University Hospital at 7.15am. En route, the Singapore Armed Forces doctor and medic continued to resuscitate him and he arrived at 7.45am. He was pronounced dead at 8.28am. Mindef is investigating.

***Note: News taken from Weekend Today