MP Baey Yam Keng has benign polyps removed after colonoscopy, encourages others to get screened
Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng discovered three benign polyps after going for colonoscopy, and is encouraging others to get screened as well.
Colorectal cancer is the No. 1 cancer in Singapore, and people over 50 have a higher risk, which is why he decided to go for a screening, said Mr Baey in a Facebook post on Friday night. He turns 53 at the end of this month.
Although he was initially apprehensive, he went ahead after consulting his fellow Tampines GRC MP Koh Poh Koon, who was a colorectal surgeon.
“I was under sedation and didn’t feel any discomfort, both during and after the procedure,” said Mr Baey, who is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport as well as Sustainability and the Environment.
The doctor discovered three polyps, measuring less than 0.2cm each, and removed them. All the polyps were benign, or not cancerous, Mr Baey added.
Referencing a photo of himself generated by artificial intelligence that portrayed him as “looking good, young and fit”, the father of three said: “It is our responsibility to make use of modern medical technology to go for screening depending on our own risk profile.”
He added that he will be having another colonoscopy in the next three years as part of regular screening.
Mr Baey said: “It is always easier to treat any medical condition when discovered at an earlier stage. Let us all treasure our lives and keep healthy as long as possible.”
In 2021, Mr Baey was diagnosed with stage one nose cancer. He discovered he had cancer after he was found to have a small area of limited vision in his right eye during a regular check for glaucoma. Subsequent tests found a cancerous tumour in his right nasal passage.
He was given the all-clear in April 2022 following treatment.
Recently, Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa said he has been diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer, or nasopharyngeal cancer, and that he will be starting daily radiotherapy treatments.
He had been experiencing muffled hearing in his left ear for months, which prompted a visit to an ear, nose and throat doctor.
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