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Singapore actress Apple Chan has started an endoscopy centre with a friend she has known since their secondary school days.
Chan has known for her roles in movies such as "Ah Boys to Men 4" and "Ah Girls Go Army".
Photo from Apple Chan's Instagram
The 33-year-old told Mothership that while she has no medical background, she believes in her co-founders' vision of bringing "quality treatment at affordable rates" to Singaporeans.
She and her co-founders believe that her platform -- she has over 143,000 followers on Instagram -- will enable them to reach out to more people. This is also why she is in charge of marketing.
Located in the heartlands
One of the co-founders of Curasia, 34-year-old Don Poh, explained that they decided to open in the heartlands because it is "more accessible to the general public".
While their first centre, which cost S$2.5 million to set up, is located in Jurong, Poh hopes to open at least three more centres in 2023 -- one each in the North, South and East.
Photo by Lee Wei Lin
According to statistics provided by the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), colorectal cancer was the most reported cancer in males from 2015 to 2019.
It was the second highest reported cancer in females during the same time period, with the number one type of reported cancer being breast cancer.
Poh shared: "There is sometimes a long wait at public hospitals to get screened, and private hospitals can be expensive. We hope to bridge that gap."
The median waiting time for a subsidised colonoscopy was about 38 days in 2021, according to Member of Parliament (MP) Yip Hon Weng's response during a parliament sitting on May 9, 2022.
Over the past three years, an average of six subsidised patients per hospital each year waited more than five months for their first appointment.
According to data provided by Ministry of Health (MOH), 75 per cent of patients are charged S$718 and below for a subsidised colonoscopy if it is a day surgery.
In comparison, 75 per cent of patients are charged S$3,351 and below for the same procedure at private hospitals.
A colonoscopy at Curasia is priced from $1750.
Saved five lives
Curasia quietly opened its doors about six months ago, and only held its grand opening on Dec. 10.
In the six months that they've been staying under the radar, they managed to save five lives, Poh said.
She added:
"Just the other day, someone reached out to [Chan] and said that she had severe stomach pains, but was told that she would have to wait to get a scope done.
After we heard that, we asked her to come down to consult with our doctors, and scheduled a scope for her three days after.
She had to wait three days because of the bowel prep, but she was very thankful that she could get an appointment so quickly."
Their centre currently has one procedure room, where up to eight scopes can be done a day.
Should there be a need to, they are able to scale up by converting more rooms for procedures.
Chan underwent a scope days before the opening, and three polyps were found and removed.
Photo courtesy of Apple Chan
She hopes that more lives will be saved as colorectal cancer has a high survival rate if detected early.
According to HealthHub, it is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers if one is screened regularly.
Survival rates for males and females are around 84 per cent and 86 per cent respectively if the cancer is detected at stage one.
Curasia Endoscopy Centre
Address: 2 Venture Drive, #01-06 Vision Exchange, Singapore 608526
Opening hours: Weekdays 8am - 6pm, Saturday 8am - 3pm
Top photos via Apple Chan's Instagram & Lee Wei Lin