Hi I’m Dr X.
It is the year 1925 and I am a doctor at the SGH. I consider myself privileged to be among the first few cohorts of local medical doctors to graduate from The College of Medicine since it opened in the early 1900s. As I go about my daily rounds at SGH, I am struck by the profound suffering of some of our patients due to their illnesses. This leads me to ponder: will this suffering persist in the coming decades? What will the landscape of healthcare look like 20, 30, or even 100 years from now? Will diseases such as leprosy, smallpox and malaria continue to afflict the population?
While walking through Chinatown one day, I stumble across an old pocket watch that a peddler claims will allow me to travel in time. Unbelievable! I start to walk away from the little stall. Curiosity, however, gets the better of me.
I decide to buy the watch as this is my chance to see what Singapore would be like in the future. Scenes of my favourite childhood novel, H G Wells’ The Time Machine fill my head.
I turn the crown atop the watch to what I believe is 2024, almost 100 years into the future. I know that doing so will leave me changed forever, for better or for worse. Am I ready for what lies ahead?
I invite you to join me, as I chronicle my adventures for all posterity.