Dr Prem Harichander Thurairajah

Dr Prem Harichander Thurairajah is a Senior Consultant in Gastroenterology and Hepatology currently practising at Acorn Gastroenterology, with clinics located in Farrer Park, Napier, Telok Kurau Road, and Orchard.

With more than 25 years in medical practice, he currently serves as an invited member of the national hepatitis C elimination steering committee, where he plays a key role in shaping public health policy in Singapore.

His clinical practice covers a wide range of gastrointestinal and liver problems, including viral hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, reflux disease, anaemia, irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, biliary stones, pancreatic disease, and gastric and colon cancer screening. In addition, Dr Thurairajah also performs diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopies, upper GI endoscopies, ERCPs, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies and endoscopic ultrasounds for gastrointestinal diseases.

Dr Thurairajah graduated from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India. Following medical school, he trained and worked in the UK and USA. His postgraduate training in internal medicine was at teaching hospitals in England and Wales, culminating in his admission to the Royal College of Physicians, UK. Specialist training in gastroenterology and hepatology was completed at the West Midlands Deanery, UK. Driven by his interest in hepatology, he pursued a PhD in hepatitis C. He later completed fellowships in transplant hepatology at the liver unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, UK, and in advanced hepatobiliary endoscopy at University College London, UK.

Prior to private practice, he served at NUH as Senior Consultant in transplant hepatology and advanced endoscopy. He was also appointed consultant transplant hepatologist at St James’s University Hospital, UK. He then moved to the USA, where he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Kentucky’s liver transplant unit. After relocating to Singapore, Dr Thurairajah joined Changi General Hospital, where he led the development of a chronic hepatitis C treatment programme and served as Director of Hepatology.

His research has been widely published in more than 30 peer-reviewed journals. In Singapore, he completed and published a clinical study on linkage to care in hepatitis C in the community. He also carried out modelling studies on hepatitis C with Singapore colleagues to help inform public policy on hepatitis C elimination. His work in community-based hepatitis C care was recognised with the Best Publication Award by the Singapore Medical Association.

Dr Thurairajah is accredited to perform surgical procedures at Thomson Medical Centre.