Speech by Parliamentary Secretary for Health, A/Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference Opening Ceremony, 15 August 2013

Professor Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth

Professor Ranga Krishnan, Dean, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Dr Robert M. Wachter, Professor and Associate Chairman, Department of Medicine, University of California

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1.     It gives me great pleasure to join you today at the inaugural SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference. A good healthcare system is closely linked to teaching and the future of medicine certainly lies in the training of our next generation of healthcare professionals. Many amongst you are clinical educators and mentors who have immense passion for teaching and find great satisfaction in it. Teaching is not only about the sharing of technical knowledge and experience, but also the transmission of values, attributes, moral compass and other soft skills. As we teach, we also improve through the inquiries of our learners as educators embark on a journey of lifelong learning to better impart medical knowledge and clinical skills. This ultimately, can only mean improving the lives of our patients.

 2.     Take for example, Associate Professor Koo Wen Hsin, who was recently awarded the Outstanding Clinician Educator at the National Medical Excellence Awards¹ for his exemplary contributions to medical education. He contributed significantly to the growth of medical oncology at National Cancer Centre Singapore, through the setting up of many new educational, upgrading and training programmes for both doctors and nurses. Prof Koo has groomed many young oncologists to win international awards and their research published in high impact factor journals. Prof Koo is also the Group Director for Education at SingHealth that oversees all training and education initiatives. I am sure each and every one of you here has also in your own capacity, made outstanding contributions to education. I am confident you will continue to do so to improve our care delivery for patients.

Evolving healthcare landscape

3.     In the light of an ageing population and emerging infectious diseases, there is an increasing need to enhance the capacity and delivery of healthcare services. We must continue to innovate and develop an even more robust healthcare infrastructure so that our population continues to enjoy affordable, accessible and quality medical care.

4.    New care models of regional hospitals, family medical centres and community health centres, will bring about seamless and better integration of care for patients across Singapore. There is a greater need than ever for multidisciplinary healthcare teams to work together to deliver accessible and effective care for patients across the continuum. The challenge for the future is therefore, to move away from the traditional focus of training the individual healthcare professional, to one where the trainee understands their role in treating patients as part of a multi-skilled team, and inter-professional learning is integral to facilitating this shift.

Building Singapore’s medical pipeline

5.     To build a sustainable pool of talent in healthcare, we need competent educators who can train their successors to become better than themselves, and contribute to the advancement of healthcare education in Singapore. With the increase in medical students from Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, the third medical school and from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Duke-NUS, educators must harness the most efficient teaching approaches to maximise the quality of learning and training. It is crucial that education and training continue to adapt, and also prepare those in it to adapt, to the needs of doctors, patients, the healthcare system and society, if it is to remain relevant.

6.     Medical simulation training, available at the newly opened Academia provides a controlled and safe environment for healthcare professionals to engage in a scenario-based team training and foster multidisciplinary integrated care. With simulation training, procedure steps, desired symptoms and conditions can be programmed and the entire session recorded and replayed, so that healthcare professionals and trainees in the team can learn from one another.

7.     With the simulation centre, Residents can practice at their own pace and develop their skills with specialised instruments such as those used in keyhole surgery. It also allows more experienced surgeons to master new techniques, especially with the introduction of new technology including robotics and instruments such as those used in laparoscopic surgery. I understand the current take-up rate for laparoscopic surgeries is only about 20 to 30 per cent. With more training, Singapore General Hospital hopes to double the percentage of such minimally invasive procedures that allows for faster recovery time, shorter hospital stays and better patient care.

8.     Nursing and allied health professionals have also made significant advancements in education and training. In 2012, the Resident Nurse program was launched by the Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing to train nurses to practice in expanded roles with more clinical responsibilities. Allied health professionals continue to advance the boundaries in medical education by the development of courses to advance their clinical and leadership skills.

9.     The opening of the Human Movement Study Lab by SingHealth Group Allied Health is another fine example of how we have the structures and right platforms in place to further healthcare staffs’ involvement in teaching. I was told in the pipeline is the creation of a broad-based curriculum in the field of biomechanics, targeted at teaching clinicians in SingHealth on how to conduct clinically relevant research that can improve treatment for patients with movement disorders and cardiopulmonary- related conditions. There is currently no such curriculum here available to clinicians.

Raising the standards of medical education

10.   All these innovative education methodologies and facilities are essential for Singapore to become a biomedical hub, but bricks and mortar and sound workflow, systems and processes alone do not make up the healthcare system. The people who staff the institutions are the pillars of success for excellent healthcare. Healthcare professionals working in an academic healthcare cluster like SingHealth, must constantly seek to improve and learn, and to collaborate with each other to bring continuous improvement in clinical outcomes and better care to our patients.

11.       Each of you plays an important role in raising the standards in medical education, the sustainability of our healthcare system and medical excellence. Raising the standards in medical education will translate into better patient care as more competent and well-trained healthcare professionals treat our patients. Providing a holistic medical education curriculum includes the incorporation of competencies such as interpersonal skills beyond patient care and medical knowledge, this ensures the well-being of the patient beyond treatment of the disease. Medical knowledge is never static and the learning journey of a healthcare professional is continuous.

Conclusion

12.   I am therefore much heartened to know that our healthcare educators are continuously inspiring the next generation by their teaching. Indeed in the words of Aristotle ‘Those who know do. Those who understand, teach.’ In the spirit of understanding our work, this conference is for you to share the insights you have gained; exemplify the values, ethics and wisdom of your experience and practice, to expand our medical talent for better patient care.

Thank you.

[1] http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/pressRoom/Media_Forums/2013/national-medical-excellence-awards-2013--celebrating-the-best-me.html