Putting Patients in the Centre of All We Do
SingHealth has grown tremendously and we are proud to see our efforts bearing good fruit – in the form of accolades and awards won, successful collaborations and new forays in clinical service, education and research.
While we have accomplished much over the last financial year, the sweetest achievement was perhaps seeing our efforts come together with a renewed commitment to putting patients in the centre of all we do.
2006 was a particularly momentous year as our institutions marked key milestones. Singapore General Hospital celebrated its grand 185th anniversary, and Changi General Hospital and National Dental Centre commemorated 10 years of excellence and growth.
The Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute received worldwide acclaim and the inaugural Minister for Health award for their medical astuteness in averting a potential epidemic.
As a group, we widened our spectrum of services to better cater to emerging needs. Last year saw the start of the Geriatric Memory Clinic and Andropause & Men’s Health Clinic at Changi General Hospital, and Asia’s first Non-Invasive Treatment of Uterine Fibroids at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, just to name a few. All these efforts underpin our aim to remain relevant to the community, as we move in tandem with the advances in global medicine.
It has been said that Quality, Safety, Consistency and Reliability are the tenets of world-class healthcare. At SingHealth, we have added Affordability and Accessibility to this equation as we uphold our Public First mandate to serve Singaporeans.
Over 80 percent of our patients are subsidised patients, and our goal remains to offer quality care to all levels of society. Through strategic initiatives like the Delivering-on-Target (DOT) programme and Health Management Programmes, we engage and equip our primary care partners so that patients’ needs are met seamlessly. These efforts result in better chronic disease management for patients and decrease the overall burden of disease, for patients and care providers alike.
Technology and IT are also useful partners in enhancing care accessibility. Last year SingHealth Telecare was launched – extending patient care beyond the hospital or clinic using everyday technology. This revolutionary care model gives new assurance to patients and allows them to spend less time at the clinic. For us, it helps to shorten waiting times, and enables our doctors to attend to patients who need them most.
Stepping up on care and service delivery remained high on our priority list throughout the year. Within our institutions, we have put in place frameworks to ensure strong clinical governance. Clinical outcomes have also been published for patients’ reference.
This last year has also seen significant boosts in our education and research capabilities. With our various institutes of advanced education and strong affiliation with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, we have a well-oiled engine of growth and renewal to train and mentor succeeding generations of healthcare professionals who can fulfill Singapore’s aspirations to be a biomedical hub.
Every year, an increasing number of Asian fellows are also trained within our institutions, and we are proud to be advancing clinical expertise in the region.
In the area of research, our increased grant awards provide greater recognition and exposure for our clinician researchers. SingHealth’s focus on translational research reinforces our aim to bring discoveries from bench to bedside. We have been and will continue to invest in developing shared core platforms and multi-disciplinary research programmes, which create greater crosslinks to move research in the direction of better care and cures for patients.
It is indeed heartening that our solid groundwork over the years has built up towards a defining moment of transformation. Going forward, I believe that our commitment to advancing health will see greater breakthroughs as we shape a new future in Academic Medicine.
We have the foundation, the depth and width of expertise and competencies. Perhaps the real challenge for all of us is a mindset shift. Realising our goal requires a spirit of inquiry and innovation, and it involves moving beyond conventional boundaries. Collaboration will be core to advancing care and I am confident we have what it takes to make it happen.
The future is exciting as we pursue our vision of providing world-class medicine. And as we continue to grow and expand, our commitment remains to put our patients in the centre of our universe, and to serve the needs of Singaporeans as your trusted leader in healthcare.
Prof Tan Ser Kiat
SingHealth Group CEO