The early champions of the importance of rehabilitation in the recovery process in many disabling conditions included the eminent Prof. N Balachandran of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in SGH.
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital was the first dedicated rehabilitation medicine service in Singapore and was established in May 1973 at Mandalay Road. It offered a wide range of integrated comprehensive rehabilitation services dealing with a range of conditions such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations, as well as stroke. The pioneers of rehabilitation medicine then were Dr Robert Don, Dr Preima Doraisamy, Dr Tan Eng Seng, and Dr Oon Chong Hau.
The first local trainees in rehabilitation medicine included Dr Edward Menon, Dr Kong Keng He, and Dr Chan Kay Fei. The Chapter of Rehabilitation Physicians was created within the Academy of Medicine, Singapore in 1992.
The Ministry of Health, Singapore, recognising the important need of rehabilitation physicians to develop this specialty, also commenced awarding overseas fellowships to trainees under the Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) in Healthcare as part of specialty training. In 1998, the Specialist Accreditation Board of the Ministry of Health, Singapore was formally established and Rehabilitation Medicine became accredited as a distinct medical specialty.
Rehabilitation Medicine Services and Departments were subsequently set up in Changi General Hospital in 1998, Singapore General Hospital in 2000, and the National University Hospital in 2001 to meet the growing demand for comprehensive rehabilitation services in Singapore. The Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (SRMS) was inaugurated and held its 1st Annual General Meeting on the 23rd of February 2006 with Dr Peter Lim as the President and Dr Yap Eng Ching as the Honorary Secretary. In 2007, the SRMS became a country-member of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM). SRMS is also registered with the Asia-Oceanian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (AOSPRM) and the ASEAN Rehabilitation Medicine Association (ARMA).
