MEDIA RELEASE 9 July 2014 Ten healthcare professionals clinch coveted NHG Awards Winners help uplift care for patients locally and on the global stage 1. The National Healthcare Group (NHG) will honour ten exemplary healthcare professionals at the NHG Awards on 10 July 2014. 2. Although they specialise in diverse fields, these ten award recipients share a common passion to serve patients and provide quality healthcare in the hospital, polyclinics as well as in the community. 3. From a men s health and cancer expert to a pioneer in the field of pathology and laboratory medicine, these professionals exemplify the finest qualities we envision in our healthcare workers. They have also made significant contributions to the local and international healthcare landscapes. A list of these ten winners is found in Annex. 4. Clinching top honours is Clinical Thomas Chee Swee Guan who will receive the Lee Foundation NHG NUHS Lifetime Achievement Award. He is Senior Consultant at the department of Diagnostic Radiology, and Clinical Director, Office of Clinical Governance at (TTSH). He is a respected member of Singapore s radiological fraternity who helped develop diagnostic radiology at TTSH and contributed to the development of Diagnostic Radiology in Singapore. He was also Advisor to the National Healthcare Group Diagnostics for their Teleradiology Project which led to substantial improvement of radiological investigation turn around time at all nine National Healthcare Group Polyclinics. Over the last three decades, his contributions towards clinical and policy formation have elevated the standards of radiology services, clinical and service quality, as well as ensured patient and staff safety in Singapore. 5. Chee s dedication has gone beyond our shores. He has trained radiologists and helped improve radiological practice in Indonesia, which led to his conferment of an Honorary membership to the Indonesian Radiological Society. He is also currently an Examiner for the Joint Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (UK) and NUS Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology examinations. 6. We also honour a Doctor who has put NHG s flagship institution TTSH on the world map. Over the last 20 years Kuperan Ponnudurai, Senior Consultant at the Department of Haematology & Laboratory Medicine, transformed the TTSH laboratory from a small satellite centre to a world class laboratory with advanced facilities. He is also an International Adviser to the World Health Organization where he established Cambodia s Blood Transfusion & 1
Haematology Services. As the President of the Singapore Society for Haematology, he has helped international accreditation bodies to better establish protocols for haematology related issues. For his contributions locally and overseas, Ponnudurai will receive the NHG Distinguished Achievement Award. 7. Another Distinguished Achievement Award winner is Chia Sing Joo who is passionate about men s health. He is Divisional Chairman (Surgery) and Senior Consultant at the Department of Urology, TTSH. An innovator at heart and a trained robotic surgeon, Chia offers patients the advantages of minimally invasive surgery approach for the treatment of prostate, bladder and kidney cancer. He is also an expert in sexual dysfunction and subfertility issues at TTSH where he spearheaded the formation of the TTSH Department of Urology in 2007. 8. The NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award recognises NHG staff who have made immense contributions to NHG s strategic objectives and taken on additional responsibilities outside of their own portfolios. One such winner is Head of Case Management Unit at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Ms Margaret Hendriks. An ex nurse who took up Case Management (CM) in 2004, her leadership to improve inpatient and outpatient follow ups resulted in her team receiving the most outstanding accolade at the Asia Management Award. Ms Hendriks built the CM unit to its current staff strength of 37 case managers. Together with her team of case managers, she plays a pivotal role in helping recovering patients stay well in the community. 9. Last but not least, is Dr Elaine Tan Suan Leng, our NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award winner. Currently the Director of Collaborative Care at the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, she has been instrumental in developing team based care, a multidisciplinary care approach which combines skill sets from various healthcare professionals at NHGP who work in tandem to get our patients well. Since 2008, she has led in the professional development of Advanced Practice Nurses, enhancing their roles and transforming the way care is delivered to chronic disease patients. She was a mentor to the first Advanced Practice Nurse to graduate in primary healthcare and pioneered the Advanced Practice Nursing tracks in primary healthcare for chronic disease and women s health. 10. NHG Group Chief Executive Officer, Professor Chee Yam Cheng noted, Our winners have gone the extra mile many times in their medical career to make significant contributions to NHG s healthcare delivery. Their tireless efforts have helped improve the standard of care in public healthcare. It is heartening to know that many of our patients have benefited from their efforts in more ways than one. They are truly an inspiration to all of us. End of media release 2
About the NHG Awards The annual NHG Awards first began in 2001 with the inaugural Lee Foundation NHG NUHS Lifetime Achievement Award. New categories for NHG Distinguished Contributor Award and NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award were added in 2005, with a third category for NHG Distinguished Achievement Award added in 2007. Collectively known as the NHG Awards, it recognises the brightest, most dedicated doctors and healthcare workers for their contributions. The National Healthcare Group (NHG) administers four awards: 1. The Lee Foundation NHG NUHS Lifetime Achievement Award recognises NHG or NUHS medical doctors and dental clinicians who have made significant and impactful achievements throughout their medical career, particularly in elevating the quality of public healthcare services for the benefit of the Singapore community. 2. The NHG Distinguished Achievement Award recognises NHG staff who have achieved remarkable careers and contributed to NHG s multifaceted strategic objectives in the clinical, operational, educational or research arenas. 3. The NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award recognises NHG staff who have made immense contributions to NHG s strategic objectives and taken on additional responsibilities outside of their own portfolios. 4. Last but not least, the NHG Distinguished Contributor Award recognises friends of NHG who have demonstrated exceptional goodwill and made significant contributions towards improving healthcare and helping NHG achieve its goal of Adding Years of Healthy Life. 3
ANNEX The Lee Foundation NHG NUHS Lifetime Achievement Award 1 Lee Foundation NHG NUHS Lifetime Achievement Award Award Name Designation Institution Clinical Thomas Chee Swee Guan Senior Consultant & Clinical Director, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Office of Clinical Governance NHG Distinguished Achievement Award Award Name Designation Institution Chia Sing Joo 1 NHG Distinguished Achievement (DA) Award Urology Chairman, Division of Surgery 2 NHG Distinguished Achievement (DA) Award Kuperan Ponnudurai Haematology & Laboratory Medicine 3 NHG Distinguished Achievement (DA) Award Doctor Lee Cheng Senior Consultant, Community Psychiatry Vice Chairman Medical Board (Clinical) Institute of Mental Health 4
NHG Outstanding Award Name Designation Institution 1 NHG Outstanding Ms Margaret Head, Case Management Unit Hendriks Institute of Mental Health 2 NHG Outstanding Chan Kay Fei Rehabilitation Medicine 3 NHG Outstanding Mrs Tang Lee Foon Senior Pharmacy Manager, Pharmacy Department National Skin Centre 4 NHG Outstanding Ms Susan Niam Director, Operations (Allied Health Services) 5 NHG Outstanding Doctor Elaine Tan Family Physician, Consultant & Director (Collaborative Care) National Healthcare Group Polyclinics 6 NHG Outstanding Nicholas Chew Designated Institutional Official National Healthcare Group Psychological Medicine National Healthcare Group/ Tan Tock Seng About NHG The National Healthcare Group (NHG) is a leader in public healthcare in Singapore, recognised at home and abroad for the quality of its medical expertise and facilities. Care is provided through an integrated network of nine primary healthcare polyclinics, acute care hospital, national specialty centres, and business divisions. Together they bring a rich legacy of medical expertise to our philosophy of patientcentric care. NHG s vision of Adding years of healthy life is more than just about healing the sick. It encompasses the more difficult but infinitely more rewarding task of preventing illness and preserving health and quality of life. With some 13,000 staff, NHG aims to provide care that is patient centric, accessible, seamless, comprehensive, appropriate and cost effective. As the Regional Health System (RHS) for Central Singapore, it is vital for NHG to partner and collaborate with other stakeholders, community advisors, volunteer welfare organisations and others in this Care Network together with our patients, their families and caregivers to deliver integrated healthcare services and programmes that help in Adding Years of Healthy Life to all concerned. More information is available at: http://www.nhg.com.sg 5
For media queries and more information, please contact: Hamidah Aidillah Senior Executive, Group Corporate Communications NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GROUP Direct: 6496 6264, Mobile: 9661 7141 Email: Hamidah_Aidillah@nhg.com.sg Eleanor Toh Manager, Group Corporate Communications NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GROUP Direct: 6496 6947, Mobile: 9199 0429 Email: eleanor_yl_toh@nhg.com.sg 6