As some readers might already be aware, a 25-year-old operationally ready National Serviceman (NSman) collapsed during a Health Promotion Board (HPB) Quick High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session at West Coast Park on Wednesday evening (2 Mar).
Although Mr Liu Jianwei was attended to immediately by trainers on site who were trained in giving first aid and life support in times of emergency, and was later taken to the National University Hospital via ambulance, Mr Liu unfortunately passed away that night at 9:21pm.
Statements from HPB and MINDEF
In a joint statement from HPB and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Thursday (3 Mar), they stated the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) NSman was participating in the session as part of the NS Fitness Improvement Training (FIT) programme.
After completing the warm-up, Mr Liu collapsed at the start of the main exercise.
The on-site trainers immediately attended to him, administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) to the fallen NSman, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted of the incident.
Mr Liu was then sent to the National University Hospital (NUH) at 7:55pm.
The SCDF took over the resuscitative efforts and never stopped as the ambulance travelled to the hospital, and they reached the Emergency Department at 8:23pm.
Despite their best efforts, Mr Liu was pronounced dead at 9:21pm.
More Forthcoming Details
Since then, Lianhe Zaobao reporters have uncovered more information regarding the 25-year-old as they paid their respects at his funeral.
During an interview with his younger maternal cousin’s husband, Mr Huang Zhiwei, he revealed that Mr Liu Jianwei came from a town in Johor, Malaysia, called Muar.
The 30-year-old senior finance manager shared that Mr Liu was a permanent resident in Singapore who enlisted in the army at 18.
After completing his National Service, Mr Liu worked as a truck driver, and he just married his wife a year ago.
He stated that his cousin-in-law had always prioritised his own health and he would run and exercise regularly.
Moreover, he had willingly participated in the Quick HITT programme for two main reasons:
- Under the NS FIT Programme, completing the 10 HIIT sessions would mean that he would have fully met his fitness obligations
- He hoped that through this training, he could strengthen his body, and make himself healthier
On the evening the incident occurred, Mr Liu had ended a day of work before he went to the West Coast Park to attend the training session.
When the family was informed of his untimely collapse at 8pm, he was already in critical condition. Not long after they rushed to the hospital, they received the grievous news of his death.
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Cause of Death: Heart Congestion
Mr Huang mentioned that when they heard about Mr Liu’s passing, they felt sorrowful and confused.
It was only later that the family found out that Mr Liu had known about his high cholesterol problem when he was serving in the military, since there were mandatory and comprehensive health check-ups.
His cause of death was said to be heart congestion.
HIIT Sessions Suspended and Being Reviewed
Since Mr Liu’s accident, HPB Quick HIIT sessions have been suspended until 6 March while investigations are ongoing. The safety practices for the sessions are also being reviewed.
According to MINDEF, the NS FIT Programme was introduced in partnership with HPB and Sport Singapore last year as a fitness programme tailored to encourage Nsmen to lead active and healthy lifestyles.
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On behalf of the family, Mr Huang said: “All of us understand that Jianwei voluntarily participated in the training, and strengthening one’s body has never been a bad thing to begin with. We don’t blame anyone, but we hope that we can receive the investigation results soon.”
Mr Huang added that every person’s constitution is different, which means that the intensity of training that they can accept is also different. People who wish to participate in such high-intensity workout sessions should have a good understanding of their own bodily condition first, and act accordingly after weighing their own abilities.
Furthermore, he urges the local authorities to put in place measures that can identify persons who are not suitable to participate in such high-intensity training, to avoid such an unfortunate accident from happening again.
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Authorities Assist in Expediting His Family’s Arrival
Since the deceased’s mother and younger sister are staying in Johor, the family started to help the pair with the travel arrangements, attempting to buy bus tickets for them to come over.
Mr Huang said that once the bus company learned of their situation, they immediately offered a helping hand, providing them a special link that allowed them to secure the bus tickets.
Despite their best efforts, the mother and daughter only managed to obtain bus tickets that departed at 2pm the next day, taking another 4 hours before they finally arrived in Singapore.
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Nonetheless, the family expresses their gratitude for the bus company’s help, but he is of the opinion that when it comes to funeral affairs, the entire process could be simplified further.
Mr Huang also thanks Singapore’s local authorities for the help they provided.
“[I would like to] thank the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority Officers in particular. After they understood our circumstance, they would approach any bus that arrived at the border and ask if any of Mr Liu Jianwei’s family members were present. [The authorities] kept me informed constantly, and once my family members arrived, they were given first priority to clear the customs first.”
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Featured Image: Lianhe Zaobao
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