Mr Habibul Islam Khan hardly ventures out of his
house since he suffered from a heart attack 10 year ago. Despite a bypass operation, his heart function has continued to decline over the years. The 56-year old gets tired easily and suffered two scary episodes of breathlessness as a result of his poor heart function. He also has severe irregular heart rhythm, which puts him at risk of sudden cardiac death.

His doctors at Dhaka, Bangladesh recommended him to undergo cardiac resynchronisation therapy, where an implanted device will reduce his heart failure symptoms and improve his survival. They also advised him to seek treatment at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS),where they received sub-specialty cardiology training.

Mr Habibul readily agreed to seek treatment in Singapore. He has confidence of the high standard of care available here, having worked here as an engineer before. Accompanied by his brother,
Dr Azharul Islam Khan, he saw Dr Ching Chi Keong, Co-Director of Electrophysiology and Pacing and Consultant, Department of Cardiology on 27 July 2010.

After careful review of his medical history, Dr Ching concurred with the diagnosis and recommendation of his colleagues in Dhaka. Mr Habibul was admitted and had the cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) implant done the following day. He was discharged three days later and went back to Dhaka soon after.

Reflecting on their experience at NHCS, Dr Azharul says, “My brother and I are very touched by the care and concern shown to us. From the doctors and nurses to Ms Su Su Htwe who assisted us with all the logistics details, everyone is great! We are especially grateful to Dr Ching, who answered our many questions patiently and is very reassuring despite his busy schedule.”