Dr Soon Wee Quah

Osteoporosis is a chronic disease under the CDMP ( Chronic Disease Management Programme) and is thus Medisave claimable. The total amount of Medisave that can be used for outpatient purposes including chronic disease management is $500. For persons above 60, you can also use the Flexi-Medisave $200, so that makes it a total of $700 for outpatient usage. You need to make a co-payment of 15% for this. You can also use your Merdeka or PG card for the treatment of osteoporosis.

It is an interesting question and the best person to answer this question would be a public health expert. In Singapore, only 2 vaccines are compulsory by law - diphtheria (part of the 5-in1 DTaP vaccine) and measles (part of MMR vaccine). The other vaccines that are part of the childhood immunisation schedule and are required for Primary 1 registration are: bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), pertussis, tetanus, polio (part of DTaP vaccine), mumps and rubella (part of MMR) and hepatitis B.

Differin or adapalene belongs to the retinoid class of medications and it is used to treat acne. It works by reducing inflammation, unclogging the pores, and reducing microcomedone (early acne) formation. It is usually prescribed to be administered once at night, applied thinly to the face, and typically for a duration of 2-3 months. Differin can cause some burning sensation, itching, and skin irritation. It may also cause increased sensitivity to sunlight. Thus you are advised to avoid strong sunlight while on Differin.

Hi, Your child's rash is very well circumscribed, red and a bit scaly. It appears to be a fungal infection. This is a common rash caused by fungus, and it should respond well to an antifungal cream. Some doctors might prescribe an antifungal - mild steroid cream combination. You can bring your child to see a doctor or even do a telemedicine E-consult for convenience.

Yes, sometimes it can be difficult to tell apart eczema and ringworm infection. Both can cause redness and itchiness on the face or on other parts of the body. Ringworm is typically ring-shaped or oval-shaped, well-demarcated, red and itchy. If in doubt, doctors sometimes try a trial of antifungal cream for 1-2 weeks and see if the rash responds to the antifungal cream. If it responds, then it is more likely to be ringworm/fungal infection. From the photo, the rash looks quite well demarcated. I would suggest a trial of antifungal cream.