COMPLIMENTARY letters find their way to Mr Lim Chuan Kah every week.
They praise the senior enrolled nurse at the National Heart Centre for his patience, his ever-ready smile and his willingness to pull out all the stops when it comes to putting recuperating patients at ease.
At Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts last night, Mr Lim, 44, had an extra reason to smile. He became the first Challenge Trophy winner of the inaugural Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Awards, which recognise promising and talented enrolled nurses.
The Challenge Trophy goes to the top winner of the awards.
Two other enrolled nurses also received awards from Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday: Madam Winnie Ong, 47, a senior enrolled nurse at Singapore General Hospital; and Madam Zubaidah Mohd Saad, 54, a senior assistant nurse at the Institute of Mental Health.
Enrolled nurses are graduates of the two-year national Institute of Technical Education certificate in nursing course. They assist registered nurses, who have at least a diploma in nursing.
Mr Lim, who also conducts basic cardiac life support courses at community centres, credited his family for their support.
'My 14-year-old daughter and wife often join me when I volunteer on weekends. When you have family support, you can really excel in your work,' he said.
Presented by the D.S. Lee Foundation and administered by SingHealth, the Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Awards are the first national-level award that specifically recognises enrolled nurses.
This group of nurses is vital in helping a health-care team deliver quality care to patients and their families, said foundation chairman Della Lee.
'Enrolled nurses start at the bottom. Working their way up through training and constant learning takes character. The award is even more meaningful because there is none of its kind for the category of enrolled nurses,' said Dr Lee, who set up her foundation in July 2004 to improve the status and quality of nursing here.
The awards are named after the late banker and philanthropist Tan Chin Tuan, who would have been 98 years old yesterday, to commemorate his contributions to society.
Mr Tan 'benefited tremendously' from the care of the many nurses who looked after him in his old age, said Dr Lee.
'What better way to honour his legacy than to establish an award for nurses, who share the same values of dedication, kindness and generosity as he did,' she added.
The winning trio were hand-picked from 40 nominations. Nominees had to be full-time enrolled nurses, with at least five years of post-graduation work experience in any of the public and private health-care institutions here, including nursing homes.
The winners were each presented with a specially minted Florence Nightingale medallion in pure gold worth more than $1,000, and a $2,000 cash prize for their professional development.