SINGAPORE: Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong underwent angioplasty and had a stent inserted on Tuesday (Aug 8) after a severely blocked coronary artery was found during a routine health check.
He is recovering in hospital and said he would “take things a little slower for a bit” before returning to his usual routine.
“Will be working from home as much as possible in the meantime,” said Mr Tong in a Facebook post.
“I have also had to cut down on some of my events and meetings over the last couple of days, on doctors’ orders not to exert myself too much.”
During a routine health check, doctors discovered his left anterior descending artery was blocked.
“This was significant because it is the main and largest artery supplying blood to the heart, and it was assessed to be severely blocked,” said the minister.
He said he was neither diabetic nor a smoker, has maintained “pretty good” cholesterol levels, and was “definitely not sedentary” when it comes to daily activities and exercise.
“So it was quite a shock for me to find out about the extent of the blockage and the risks which it put me under,” he added.
Mr Tong did a scan on Tuesday morning, which made the diagnosis clearer. After the scan, he underwent an angioplasty – a procedure used to stretch open a blocked artery – before a stent was inserted to restore blood flow.
“Very grateful to my doctors and the nursing team – they are looking after me brilliantly,” he said, adding that he will spend National Day on Wednesday in hospital.
FEELING A LITTLE MORE TIRED
Mr Tong said he was “perhaps feeling a little more tired” from his regular routine than usual and had put it down to the “hustle and bustle of the schedule”.
“I did not otherwise feel unwell. Nor did I experience any symptoms or discomfort at all, and I also don’t have any specific risk factors,” said Mr Tong.
“So it’s fortunate that I managed to have this picked up in good time through a routine health check.”
The minister also apologised for missing various events over the last couple of days.