National Neuroscience Institute

The National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) is a medical institute located in Singapore specialising in the neurosciences. It is a national referral centre. There are over 20 subspecialties that are served.

History

The institute was founded on 28 March 1989 and commenced operations 1 April 1989. ^[1]

In 2003, after a public row with deputy director Lee Wei Ling^[2] (the daughter of Lee Kuan Yew), the director of the Institute, Professor Simon Shorvon, was dismissed from his post for allegedly infringing patients' rights and acting unethically.^[3] According to an internal NNI report:^[4]

The patients were treated like experimental subjects without any rights…the patients’ welfare was disregarded…the way the testing was done compromised patients’ wellbeing and safety. Such a procedure of testing on human subjects would not be acceptable in any civilized society.

Shorvon returned to the United Kingdom and referred the case to the General Medical Council, which dismissed the claims.^[2] The Singapore Medical Council then appealed the case to the UK High Court, which again dismissed the appeal in 2007, stating:^[5]

The SMC had failed to establish- and in my view in fact, has fallen a long way short of establishing- that the [GMC] decision should be quashed.

Lee Wei Ling is currently the director of the institute.

Subspecialties and conditions related to the neurosciences

Epilepsy, headache, neuromuscular disorders, paediatric neurology, Parkinson's Disease, sleep disorders, stroke, and neuro-rehabilitation are among some of the problems treated at the institute. ^[6]

Location

The institute is located within Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH). TTSH is located near the Novena MRT. SGH is located near the Outram Park MRT station.

References

1. ^ National Neuroscience Institute - Milestones
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.shorvon.eu/singapore_chronology.htm
3. ^ http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1125767
4. ^ http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=349&Itemid=181
5. ^ http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2006/3277.html
6. ^ National Neuroscience Institute - Neurology - Neurology at TTSH

External links

Official Website