Associate Professor Teo Eng Kiong, 44, a senior consultant gastroenterologist at Changi General Hospital, tells
POON CHIAN HUI his duty is to show liver patients the best route to recovery.

I decided to specialise in gastroenterology because...
I like to use my hands and being a gastroenterologist allows me to do lots of hands-on work like performing endoscopy. I deal with anything that involves the digestive system and the liver. I am also a trained hepatologist because besides endoscopy I also like to analyse patients' symptoms and test results, which was why I spent one year at the University of Michigan in the United States to study hepatitis in 1999.

The liver Is fascinating because...
It is a forgiving organ For instance, if an alcoholic stops his drinking in time the liver can show marked improvement after some time. If one donates part of one's liver, it will regenerate to its original size after several months.

If I were to give an analogy for what I do I would be a...
Tour guide-and the tour would be of the patient's life. It is up to patients to choose the direction of their treatment and recovery. As a guide, I know the routes well. Therefore, I try to show them the best course to embark on.

I have come across all types of cases...
Some common cases are chronic liver disease, viral hepatitis, abdominal pain, abnormal bowel habits and gastrointestinal cancer.

However, the digestive system comprises more than the stomach and intestines. It also includes the pancreas and gall bladder. So part of my job is to deal with stones in the bile duct These can be removed endoscopically.

A typical day for me would be...
Works starts at 8am with ward rounds and afternoons are for seeing outpatients in the clinic, teaching medical students and junior doctors and meetings. A few times a year I give lectures at the National University of Singapore to medical students.

Office hours end around 5.30pm. Even so, work never ends. As the deputy editor of the Singapore Medical Journal, I review articles and make publication decisions. I have to keep up with reading too so that I will not become obsolete.

Otherwise, I spend the rest of the day with my wife, a homemaker, and three children - two sons, aged 15 and eight and a 12-year-old daughter. When I try to coach my children on their homework, they say I am so out-of-date that they get zero marks for what I teach them.

I love patients who are...
I am always very touched by patients who make your work worthwhile Years ago, I gave a talk on acid reflux disease and an article was written about it. A patient cut out that article laminated it and gave it to me as a token of gratitude for helping him with his reflux problem.

Patients who get my goat are...
Those who are not understanding, Sometimes, the clinic may be overbooked because of urgent cases or emergencies. However, people can get terribly unhappy about waiting. Nobody likes to wait but the medical setting tends to be unpredictable.

Also, some patients are overly demanding in that they expect their doctors to see them immediately even without an appointment.

One little known fact about fatty liver Is...
People used to think that it is no big deal. Now we know that if the inflammation is not reversed, it can progress to long-term chronic liver disease. Fatty liver is a lifestyle disease that results from a combination of factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise and obesity.

Things that put smile on my face are...
The best reward for a doctor is when patients recover well. Kind gestures by patients also make my day. Once a patient bought me lunch, saying he knew I was so busy that I had no time for lunch that day.

It breaks my heart when...
Patients die or do not recover well It can be very heart-wrenching.

I would not trade places for the world because...
I am very happy with what I am doing, However, I am far from feeling satisfied as there is still so much that I want to learn, do and teach. Life is a journey of continuous learning and improvement.

My best tip...
Adopt good dietary habits. This includes regular meal times and eating moderately. Many of us tend to overeat, stopping only when we feel the stretch in our tummies. However, we should eat only until we no longer feel hungry.

Exercise at least three times a week - about half an hour of aerobic exercise, such as jogging, swimming or cycling. This is important in preventing diseases such as fatty liver, which is becoming more of a risk as the number of people with obesity in Singapore is rising.