Paediatrics in Singapore: the early days.

Paediatric services in Singapore started at the end of the 19th century. Because of inadequate housing, poor sanitation and inadequate health services, malnutrition and infections were the main problems. Infant mortality was in excess of 300/1000. There were many prominent doctors who worked in extremely demanding environments in order to better the health of children at that time. Over the years, there has been a steady improvement of healthcare in Singapore and this has been mainly due to the foresight and hard work of the pioneers. With excellent primary healthcare and specialised paediatric centres, paediatric services in Singapore are among the best in the world.