Speech by Minister for Health at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Commencement Ceremony

SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AT THE NUS YONG LOO LIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY, 13 JULY 2013

Madam Kay Kuok Oon Kwong, Member, NUS Board of Trustees

Professor Tan Eng Chye, Provost, NUS

Associate Professor Benjamin Ong, Senior Vice-President (Health Affairs), NUS and Chief Executive, NUHS

Professor John Wong, Vice-Provost (Academic Medicine), NUS and Deputy Chief Executive, NUHS

Associate Professor Yeoh Khay Guan, Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Distinguished Guests

Graduates,

Introduction

          Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to join you today, to celebrate this year’s graduation of doctors and nurses from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Alice Lee Centre of Nursing.

2.       Today marks the day when you step out into your careers as qualified doctors and nurses. The past few years of your education is just the beginning of a lifelong journey, one which will see you making a lasting and valuable contribution to the health and well-being of Singaporeans, just as generations of your seniors have done and are doing.

Challenging Healthcare Landscape

3.       Singapore’s population is growing and ageing.  Chronic diseases are becoming more prevalent and new infectious diseases are also emerging – SARS, H1N1, and more recently, H7N9 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.

4.       We must remain nimble and vigilant, in order to continue to provide Singaporeans with a high quality of care and respond to unexpected events in a timely manner. Technical competence and medical expertise alone is insufficient to cope with these challenges.  This is why your teachers at both the school and the healthcare institutions have sought to give you a well-rounded training and exposure to healthcare – to imbibe not just clinical skills, but also a strong sense of empathy, teamwork, public service ethos, and professionalism.

Teamwork, Public Service Ethos

5.       I am heartened to learn that the School has started a Longitudinal Patient Experience programme, to encourage medical students to visit patients in their homes, befriend them and learn how they cope with their conditions.  Through the programme, students can better appreciate how healthcare actually affects and improves the daily lives of patients and their families. This is a good initiative that reinforces the very important principle of medical practice, which approaches the patient as a person. The school will consider extending the programme to other healthcare courses.

6.       I am also heartened that many of you have voluntarily initiated various community projects over the course of your studies. I commend your efforts to reach out to and serve Singaporeans especially the elderly and the underprivileged in the community in teams comprising medical, nursing and allied healthcare students during the 2012 Public Health Screening event. You helped to conduct health screening for members of the public.  You also educated them on conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and helped to put in place preventive measures against the progression of these chronic diseases. Many have benefited from your efforts and touched by your kindness.

Professionalism

 7.       As you advance through your career, remember to always serve with a strong sense of professionalism and be the best doctor and nurse you can be to your patients. Do not forget the sacrifices made by your family, and the commitment and efforts of your school, teachers, and clinical mentors in nurturing you.  I encourage each and every one of you to follow their example and pass on your knowledge and experience to your peers and juniors when the opportunity arises. It is also important that you continually work at developing your skills and deepening your knowledge to keep yourself up to date with changes in your respective fields. Our patients should be assured that the doctors and nurses helping them are competent and will provide them good quality of care. My Ministry will continue to do our part to support the training of our healthcare colleagues. 

Conclusion

8.       In closing, I would like to congratulate every one of you, and I wish you all a fulfilling and enriching career.