A 37-year-old private-hire driver in Singapore had a serious stroke in September. He usually started at 4am and drove for more than 14 hours a day. Lianhe Zaobao reported on 17 October 2026 that he had believed he was healthy, and that the stroke was how he learnt he had high blood pressure. The Independent Singapore carried the same account on 22 October.
The English-language account transliterates his name as Wu Jin Xiong, from 吴锦雄 in the Zaobao report. He suddenly could not speak clearly. His family called an ambulance and he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a serious stroke. Doctors linked it mainly to high blood pressure. High cholesterol, obesity and a history of smoking were further risks.
His father, Wu Shun Zhi (吴顺治), 68, remembered a son who looked well. Long hours sitting down, little exercise, and late nights after driving may also have contributed, as he sees it.
At the Integrated Care Hub
After about a week his condition stabilised. He moved to the hospital's Integrated Care Hub, where his arms were weak and painful. The hub has offered acupuncture to inpatients in rehabilitation since January 2025, and more than 200 patients have received it.
Wu Shun Zhi asked the doctors to include his son. He had tried acupuncture for pain in his own arms and legs, and he has since noticed less pain and more restful afternoon naps.
"I tried acupuncture myself when I had pain in my arms and legs, and found it very effective, so I asked the doctor whether my son could have acupuncture too."
His left side is still somewhat weak, but movement and sensation are gradually improving.
The two-year programme
Professor Loh Yong Joo, head of rehabilitation medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, described pain, fatigue, insomnia and constipation as common in stroke recovery. Painkillers or sedatives can ease some pain and sleeplessness for a time, but the effect is not always satisfactory. Some patients also feel low because they are unwell. Acupuncture, as he described it, can improve mood and physical health together by regulating the whole body, which is difficult to achieve with Western medicine alone, including antidepressants used for low mood.
"At present, our Integrated Care Hub has 539 stroke patients, 30 per cent of whom are suitable for acupuncture during rehabilitation."
From January 2027 the hospital plans a two-year programme under the Ministry of Health's Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrative Sandbox. Patients who qualify would have acupuncture alongside ordinary rehabilitation while they are still inpatients. Doctors, nurses, therapists and Chinese medicine practitioners would follow one care plan.
The hospital plans to recruit 250 patients, 125 receiving acupuncture and 125 receiving rehabilitation without it, mainly people with more serious strokes. A large government subsidy would cover the acupuncture. After two years, the aim is to extend that combined treatment and the subsidy if the results support it.
The ministry launched the sandbox in 2025. Eighteen proposals came from Singapore's three healthcare clusters, and seven were chosen. The hospital's proposal was among them.