Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) (DR) Lim Hou-Boon is an Aviation Medical Officer who joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1995 under the Local Study Award (Medicine) scheme. He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2000 and completed the Medical Officer Cadet Course in 2001. He went on to obtain his Diploma in Aviation Medicine from King's College London in 2003 and is an accredited specialist in Aviation Medicine. In 2015, SLTC (DR) Lim completed his specialist training in ophthalmology, and is currently an associate consultant at the Singapore National Eye Centre.

In the SAF, SLTC (DR) Lim previously held appointments as Officer-in-Command, Paya Lebar Air Base Medical Centre, Head Performance Maximisation Branch in Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Aeromedical Centre, as well as Head General Staff Branch in the Air Force Medical Service. He is currently the Commander of the Military Medicine Institute.

Presentation Synopsis
Healthcare in the Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Medical Corps turns 50 this year. From its humble beginnings, military medicine in Singapore has transformed by leaps and bounds over the last few decades. Today, the SAF leads in specialised areas like aviation and hyperbaric medicine, combat casualty care and field surgery, biodefence, as well as sports medicine. Nevertheless, the provision of healthcare to SAF servicemen remains on of its raison d’etre. This is tasked to the Military Medicine Institute (MMI), whose mission is to sustain and enhance the health of the SAF forces, in peacetime and war, through the provision of primary and specialist healthcare as well as emergency medical care. These are delivered through a network of medical centres, dental centres and specialist clinics that are run by fulltime and reservist servicemen together with defence executives. MMI is also the governing body for healthcare policies, medical classification and health promotion in the SAF. By benchmarking itself to national healthcare institutions and establishing strategic partnerships, MMI aims to ensure that servicemen and women receive the best quality care when serving the SAF.