Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong took to Facebook on Sunday (22 Nov) to reveal that he underwent a laser procedure to remove a kidney stone at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on Saturday.
ESM Goh said that he “felt fine”, and only suffered from mild nausea due to general anaesthesia as well as slight discomfort.
“Had my biggish kidney stone laser-blasted yesterday at SGH. Sharing experience for general benefit of those in similar position. Apart from mild nausea after the GA and slight discomfort of having a catheter and J stent in the urinary tract, I felt fine,” he wrote.
In the post, the former Prime Minister stated that he was discharged on Sunday, before thanking the doctors and nurses for their care and expertise.
“It seemed like a non-event thanks only to the marvels of medical technology and the expertise of our urologists and anaesthetist. Thank you, docs and nurses.
“Discharged this afternoon. Follow-up review next week to be sure that no stone is left behind,” he added.
ESM Goh also praised Singapore for its world-class medical service, and advised everyone to drink plenty of water and monitor their diet to prevent kidney stones from forming.
“We have a world-class medical service but prevention is always better than cure. To prevent stones from forming, drink plenty of water and watch your diet”.
In June this year, the 79-year-old former prime minister announced that he has retired from politics after 44 years of serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade.
He told Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that he wants to retire while he is “still healthy”
“Although I am still healthy, I worry I will not have the same energy to serve after I become an octogenarian next year (sounds old, doesn’t it?). It will not be fair to you,” he wrote.
However, AsiaOne reported that this might not be the case as just a month later (15 July), ESM Goh said in a Facebook post that his doctor had discovered a white spot on his larynx (voice box) last year. If it turned out to be malignant, it could lead to cancer.
Thankfully, his doctor confirmed that the spot is not there anymore, much to ESM Goh’s delight.
“But [it’s] too late to reverse my decision to retire as MP,” he wrote, hinting that he might have retired from politics due to the health scare, AsiaOne reported.
