SPEECH BY DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH, AT THE SINGAPORE COLLEGE OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE (SCTCM) GRADUATION CEREMONY, NTUC CENTRE AUDITORIUM，MARINA BOULEVARD, 9 SEPTEMBER 2018

Professor Teo Eng Kiat,

Chairman of the Board of Board of Directors,

Singapore College of Traditional Medicine

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Afternoon.

               I am very happy to be here today to witness the Singapore College of TCM’s 2018 graduation ceremony.  Please join me in extending our heartiest congratulations to all 278 graduating students! 让我们一起向在座278位毕业生致以热烈的祝贺！

2.            As one of the oldest forms of traditional medicine, TCM has been used in Singapore for more than 150 years. TCM plays an important role in our healthcare landscape with more than 3,000 registered TCM practitioners (TCMP) and acupuncturists contributing to the overall development of TCM in the areas of education, research and manufacturing. 

3.            To ensure that the TCM Practitioners Act remains relevant to the practice of the TCM profession, the government reviews the Act regularly. In our latest review of the TCMP Act, one of the proposed amendments is to introduce compulsory Continual Professional Education (CPE), linked with the renewal of TCMPs’ practicing certificates from 2019. This will ensure that the profession keeps up with the latest developments in the field and maintains its high standards. However, we have received feedback from practitioners, who are worried about not having the time and financial resources to attend training courses to comply with the proposed compulsory CPE requirements. 

4.            MOH and TCMP Board will help put in place various initiatives to enable you to meet the required CPE points, whether you are recently registered or have many years of experience. The TCM Development Grant and SkillsFuture can provide funding support to practitioners to defray their CPE course fees.  The Development Grant can also be used to defray the cost of organising CPE courses.  

5.            More opportunities for learning will be made available in addition to those delivered in the usual classroom setting. For example, for the internet savvy and those keen on research, CPE points can be accumulated through publication of research findings. CPE points will also be awarded for participation in case study discussions and mentor-apprentice programmes, where more points will be awarded to the experienced TCMPs acting as mentors in order to recognise their deeper involvement. In short, there should be no lack of opportunities for learning and the courses offered should be affordable. As we gather here today to mark your graduation, I hope all our graduands will continue to embrace this spirit of life-long learning.

6.            Lastly, in this age of artificial intelligence (AI), scientists are making use of AI technology to assist healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, often empowering us to do so more efficiently and accurately. Nonetheless, the human touch provided by healthcare professionals to patients can never be completely replaced. I hope all graduands will continue to learn, improve your knowledge and skills and use this knowledge and skills to serve the community with compassion, bringing the standards of the TCM industry in Singapore to greater heights.

7.            现在，请允许我用中文说几句话。

8.            我很高兴受邀出席新加坡中医学院2018年毕业典礼。

9.            大家可能已获知，卫生部正修改中医注册法令，确保本地中医师和针灸师与时并进。修改项目中包括从2019年开始将继续教育列为中医师更新执业证书的必备条件，确保中医师们维持高专业水平。我们也收到了对此计划的一些反馈，了解有些中医师们担心没有足够的时间或资源上课。

10.         卫生部和中医管理委员会将竭尽所能，帮助大家达到学分的要求。卫生部和中医管理委员会将竭尽所能，帮助大家达到学分的要求。目前，中医 师们能够利用中医发展补助金和 SkillsFuture未来技能培训补助抵消上课和主办课程的部 分费用。我们也开拓了许多的学习平台和管道如：网上学习发表科研报告，参加病案分析小组讨论等活动。我希望大家能在毕业后充分的利用这些平台和培训计划，将毕业作为学习生涯的新起点，踏上终身学习之旅。

11.         希望你们今后在各方面继续自我提升，为病患提供更加优质和专业化的医疗和保健服务，做个仁心仁术的医者。谢谢！