SIM- University Of Sydney Graduation Ceremony

12 Sep 2003

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan

Venue: Sim Headquarters, Clementi Road

Thank you for inviting me to this year's SIM-University of Sydney Graduation Ceremony. First and foremost, let me congratulate you, the graduands, on your success in the quest for knowledge and professional achievement. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the exemplary role played by our healthcare professionals during our nation's battle against SARS. Their dedication and professionalism has indeed won the admiration and respect of all Singaporeans.

To be a successful healthcare professional, one needs to have a wide scope of knowledge and skills. These could only be attained through quality training. Over the past few years, the Ministry of Health and Hospital Clusters have put much effort in the planning and development of training programmes for our nurses and allied health professionals. This was done with the help of various local and overseas educational institutions, like the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences, which helped us develop the Diploma in Nursing course at Nanyang Polytechnic and set an early milestone in the history of professional training for healthcare workers.

With changes in healthcare needs, healthcare professionals also need to constantly upgrade themselves to keep abreast with new knowledge and practices. Many of these clinically-trained professionals have also begun to prove themselves capable of being health administrators. Since 1994, the SIM and University of Sydney partnership has launched many useful and interesting Health Sciences programmes for our nurses and allied health professionals. These programmes cover a wide range of healthcare and health management topics, thereby offering students the opportunity to learn both clinical and management aspects of the healthcare industry. These courses not only provide healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge for individual patient care, but also allow them to contribute effectively to the management of healthcare organizations.

In 2001, the Ministry developed a new career structure for registered nurses, allowing them to pursue along management, clinical and educational career paths. With this new career structure, undergraduate degree conversion courses for nurses have become increasingly popular. These courses provide opportunities for nurses to progress along more diverse career paths and allow them to attain the skills and knowledge necessary for fulfilling their respective roles in the healthcare industry.

Armed with knowledge in the Health Sciences, nurses and allied health professionals will become more aware of how health management policies relate to actual ground practices and vice versa. This will enable them to make improvements to their respective healthcare organizations, which will translate into better care for patients.

With ongoing developments in medical and health sciences, the demand for healthcare professionals in various specialized fields has increased. We are likely to see more opportunities for our professionals to pursue further education in these new areas of healthcare. As nurses and allied health professionals, you will always be valuable members of the vital and dynamic healthcare industry. With your newly attained knowledge and expertise in the Health Sciences, I am sure you will continue to do your best for your patients and contribute towards a better healthcare system in Singapore.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

Thank you.