Forensic Medicine Division

The Forensic Medicine Division (FMD) is a government forensic medical consultancy service within the Applied Sciences Group of Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA). It supports the country's coronial death investigation system and provides specialist medical assistance in criminal investigations, particularly cases involving suspected homicide. The division is not a consumer-facing commercial brand; its role is to provide professional, technical and mortuary services to public authorities and, where requested, to support clinical forensic work. FMD provides medical consultancy to the State Coroner in investigations into deaths, including the performance and interpretation of forensic post-mortem examinations. It also offers forensic medical consultancy in clinical forensic cases, carries out autopsy services for non-Coroner cases when requested, and supplies technical support to the Singapore Police Force in the handling of sexual-assault kits. Its staff include forensic pathologists, technical support officers, mortuary technicians and administrative personnel. The division operates a mortuary facility on the ground floor of Block 9 at Singapore General Hospital along Outram Road. The facility includes a principal autopsy suite, an adjoining X-ray facility and an isolation autopsy suite. The mortuary was originally built in the early 1980s and underwent extensive renovation and upgrading from March to June 2003. The work introduced stronger biosafety systems and practices, improved the internal layout, expanded the public waiting area and separated areas used for the release and claiming of bodies. Changes to the surrounding grounds and landscaping also increased natural light and improved site security and the public-facing environment. The organisation's institutional history reaches back to the 1960s, when forensic medicine operated as a section within the Ministry of Health's Department of Pathology. It became the Department of Forensic Medicine within the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine in 1989. Following the creation of the Health Sciences Authority on 1 April 2001, it was renamed the Centre for Forensic Medicine and became one of HSA's seven centres. From 1 August 2008, the organisation adopted its present name, Forensic Medicine Division, as part of HSA's Applied Sciences Group. The division is associated particularly with Professor Chao Tzee Cheng, who led the service from the 1960s and is widely regarded in Singapore as the father of forensic medicine. He participated in numerous high-profile homicide investigations and recorded some of his experiences in the book Murder Is My Business. Dr Wee Keng Poh subsequently led the organisation in the late 1990s, while Dr Paul Chui has headed the team since April 2001 according to the cited reference material. FMD achieved accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners in 2005, reportedly becoming the first centre outside North America to receive that accreditation. Its present identity and function therefore reflect both a long-running public medical service and Singapore's institutional development of modern forensic investigation.

The institutional predecessor of the Forensic Medicine Division was a forensic medicine section within the Ministry of Health's Department of Pathology. This arrangement was in place during the 1960s and continued into the 1980s, when forensic medicine was progressively established as a distinct professional function within Singapore's public health system. Professor Chao Tzee Cheng led the service during much of this formative period and became one of the country's most prominent forensic medical figures. In 1989, the service was identified as the Department of Forensic Medicine within the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine. This organisational setting brought forensic medicine together with a broader national scientific and medico-legal infrastructure. The department's work centred on post-mortem examination, forensic pathology and expert support for investigations of suspicious or unexplained deaths. A major administrative change occurred on 1 April 2001 with the establishment of the Health Sciences Authority. The former Department of Forensic Medicine was renamed the Centre for Forensic Medicine and became one of HSA's seven centres. The service continued to support the State Coroner and Singapore Police Force while developing a wider range of forensic consultancy and technical functions. Dr Paul Chui has headed the team since April 2001, following the leadership of Dr Wee Keng Poh in the late 1990s. The mortuary facility at Block 9, Singapore General Hospital, was originally constructed in the early 1980s. It was substantially renovated between March and June 2003, during the SARS outbreak in Singapore. The upgrade expanded the public waiting area, incorporated biosafety systems and practices, reorganised internal circulation and separated body-claiming areas. The facility includes a main autopsy suite, an X-ray facility and an isolation autopsy suite. Improvements to the surrounding grounds increased natural light and strengthened security while making the setting less forbidding for visitors and passers-by. The organisation received accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners in 2005. The reference material identifies it as the first centre outside North America to achieve that accreditation, an indication of the service's alignment with an internationally recognised forensic-mortuary quality framework. On 1 August 2008, the Centre for Forensic Medicine was renamed the Forensic Medicine Division and placed within HSA's Applied Sciences Group. Under its current structure, FMD provides medical consultancy to the State Coroner for death investigations, forensic medical assistance in criminal cases involving suspected homicide, clinical forensic consultancy when requested, support to the Singapore Police Force in handling sexual-assault kits, and autopsy services for non-Coroner cases by arrangement. The division remains a specialised public service rather than a commercial healthcare or consumer brand.

• 2008

  Renamed Forensic Medicine Division

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  Effective 1 August, the Centre for Forensic Medicine became the Forensic Medicine Division within HSA's Applied Sciences Group.

• 2005

  National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The centre successfully obtained accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners and was described as the first centre outside North America to do so.

• 2003

  Mortuary facility upgraded

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The Block 9 mortuary underwent extensive renovation and upgrading from March to June, including biosafety, layout, waiting-area and security improvements.

• 2001

  Health Sciences Authority is formed

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 April, the creation of HSA led to the department being renamed the Centre for Forensic Medicine and incorporated as one of HSA's seven centres.

• 1989

  Department of Forensic Medicine established within ISFM

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The service was known as the Department of Forensic Medicine within the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine.

• 1960

  Forensic medicine operates within the Ministry of Health

  [1]Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, forensic medicine was organised as a section within the Ministry of Health's Department of Pathology.

A specialist public-sector forensic medicine service supporting Singapore's coroner, law-enforcement agencies and related clinical investigations.

• Professional forensic service

  Forensic pathology consultancy

  Medical expert advice for death investigations, including assessment of post-mortem findings and professional support for the State Coroner and law-enforcement investigations.

• Forensic and mortuary service

  Mortuary and autopsy services

  Post-mortem and mortuary services conducted at the Block 9 facility, which includes a main autopsy suite, X-ray capability and an isolation autopsy suite. Services for non-Coroner cases may also be provided on request.

• Medical consultancy

  Clinical forensic consultancy

  Specialist forensic medical advice for clinical forensic cases when requested, complementing the division's death-investigation and criminal-investigation functions.

• Forensic evidence support

  Sexual-assault kit technical support

  Technical support to the Singapore Police Force in the handling of sexual-assault kits and associated forensic evidence workflows.

1. 1Forensic Medicine Divisionen.wikipedia.org