| 12 Jan 2005
"Apples with a Heart"
SingHealth staff donate lunch money to Tsunami victims
Since the news of the Tsunamis disaster broke last week, staff of the SingHealth cluster have rallied to the aid of the victims in more ways than one. Apart from sending medical mission teams to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand and contributing medical supplies, the cluster’s 12,000 staff have also been involved in a fund-raising drive by making donations towards relief efforts.
* Please see appendix for details of SingHealth teams in Tsunami-affected areas
To date, more than $200,000 has been raised from the staff’s generous donations which SingHealth plans to send through the Singapore Red Cross Society and other agencies.
To continue in this spirit of giving and sharing, SingHealth has initiated a second wave of fund-raising among its staff, called the "Apples with a Heart" movement. From January 10 to 20, 2005, staff of SingHealth’s corporate office, three hospitals, five specialist centres and eight polyclinics will donate to the tsunami victims money that they would otherwise spend on a meal. Staff are given an apple to substitute the meal they missed. To kick-start the movement, all 12,000 staff in SingHealth will each receive an apple, courtesy of generous sponsors.
"Apples with a Heart" was an idea mooted by Dr Tan Yong Seng, Senior Consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Heart Centre. Says Dr Tan, "For those of us who have been spared the devastating effects of this tragedy, I believe we have a part to play in reaching out to our fellow human beings who are in great need at this time. This is a simple, yet meaningful and healthy way for us to do so, and it should not be difficult for staff from all backgrounds to participate."
At the launch of the "Apples with a Heart" movement on Friday, January 7, Health Minister Mr Khaw Boon Wan joined the SingHealth staff in making a donation. Thereafter, SingHealth’s Chairman Mr Bernard Chen, and Professor Tan Ser Kiat, Group Chief Executive Officer of SingHealth and CEO of Singapore General Hospital (SGH), visited the National Heart Centre’s Ward 56 in SGH to collect donations and present each staff there with an apple.
The sponsors who have made "Apples with a Heart" possible are:
- Hupco Pte Ltd – apples
- Thong Chew Food Industries – apples
- Singapore Food Industries Ltd – apples
- Da Vinci Jewellery – apples
- Java Link Catering Pte Ltd – delivery of apples
- Service Point Singapore – banners
- Print Dynamics (S) Pte Ltd – posters and flyers
- Ms Janice Kwa – logo designer
- Ed' Camera (Mr Victor Chick) – photography
- Ode to Art – paintings for auction to raise for funds
SingHealth is committed to assist through all possible means in the form of healthcare professionals assisting on site, medical supplies and funds.
Appendix
SingHealth has deployed 3 volunteer teams at the Tsunami-affected areas to date. They bring with them supplies of bandages, gloves, painkillers, antibiotics, vitamins, and necessary surgical items. Apart from these teams, more than 300 healthcare volunteers from SingHealth institutions are also on stand-by for future deployment.
Aceh, Indonesia
The first SingHealth team of 7 healthcare professionals left for Aceh on 31 December 2004 and has been at Meulaboh, Aceh since January 2, 2005. The members include:
- Dr Low Cheng Ooi, Head & Senior Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgery, CGH
- Dr Yong Wei Sean, Consultant, National Cancer Centre
- Dr Tan Tong Khee, Consultant, Department of Anaesthesia, SGH
- Ms Linda Chen Swee Yin, Nurse Clinician, CGH
- Ms Noridah Bte Rahman, Staff Nurse, CGH
- Ms Jamilah Bte Mingan, Senior Staff Nurse (Major Operating Theatres), SGH
- Ms Teh Wooi Ming, Senior Staff Nurse (Major Operating Theatres), SGH
On January 6, 2005, a team of 10 SingHealth healthcare professionals (doctors & nurses) left for Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This second SingHealth team to Aceh comprises mainly surgical healthcare professionals from the SingHealth hospitals. They will provide primary healthcare assistance and perform surgeries where necessary. This team is led by Dr Vincent Yeow, Consultant, Plastic Surgeon, SGH/ Head of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, KKH. The other members are:-
- Dr Shani Tan, Senior Consultant, Anaesthesia, KKH
- Dr Loh Lik Eng, Registrar, Paediatrics, KKH
- Dr Chan Beng Kuen, Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgeon, CGH
- Dr Lee Pang, Consultant, Anaesthesia, SGH
- Mr Jumat Khan, Senior Staff Nurse, KKH
- Ms McEune Mee Lin, Nurse Manager KKH
- Mr Mohamad Rizal bin Mohd Razali, Senior Registered Nurse, Ward 55B, SGH
- Ms Cheah Mee Wen, Major OT, Senior Staff Nurse, SGH
- Ms Chan Sook Yee, Major OT, Staff Nurse, SGH
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
SingHealth’s 2nd team of 4-members joined the Singapore Red Cross mission to Sri Lanka on Wednesday, January 5, 2005. The SingHealth volunteers comprise 1 paediatrician and 2 paediatric nurses from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), and 1 Infectious Disease consultant from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) – as part of the contingent setting out to Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. The SingHealth team members, who are tasked to administer primary healthcare assistance and paediatric expertise, are:
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- Dr Asok Kurup, Consultant, Infectious Disease Unit, SGH
- Dr Lee Jiun, Consultant, Department of Neonatology, KKH
- Ms Vannaja Nadeson, Senior Nurse Clinician, KKH
- Ms Evelyn Lim, Nurse Clinician, KKH
Phuket, Thailand
- Dr Mohan Tiru, CGH’s A&E consultant, left for Phuket, Thailand, on December 29, 2004 with a team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force team.
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