Speech by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong at the 18th ASEAN Congress Of Anaesthesiologists, 31 Oct 2013

Professor Ti Lian Kah, President, Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists and President of the Congress

Professor Chan Yew Weng, Chairman, 18th ASEAN Congress of Anaesthesiologists

Distinguished professionals and leaders in Anaesthesiology

Guests and Participants                                         

Good evening and very warm welcome to Singapore

It gives me great pleasure to be here at the 18th ASEAN Congress of Anaesthesiologists or ACA.  Singapore hosted the 5th ACA in 1987 and the 9th ACA in 1995.  After many years, we are happy to again host this biennial meeting to promote medical education and professional development of Anaesthesiology in ASEAN and beyond.  The theme for this Congress “Building Bridges: Improving Outcome through Collaboration” is most appropriate, focusing on best practices and protocols, and developing innovative solutions to common challenges to improve patient outcome.

Patient Safety

2       Surgical-related deaths have declined over time with advances in healthcare and rightly so. The numerous advances in Anaesthesiology have contributed to this decline. New technology and pharmacological advances have brought about better safety in the Anaesthesiological environment to ensure that the more complex surgical procedures of today are performed safely and successfully. For example, the ability to perform total intravenous anaesthesia with new drugs has significantly improved outcomes in neurosurgery. 

3       Anaesthesiology is the largest specialty in Singapore with more than 350 specialists.  They are also one of the most pervasive of specialties in our hospital wards, operating theatres and intensive care units. Most of our intensivists are Anaesthesiologists. Therefore Anaesthesiologists have a great influence on medical care and are an integral member of the care teams in our hospitals.

4       For this, we are especially indebted to our Anaesthesiologists who are Patient Safety Advocates. They have been at the forefront of hospital wide quality initiatives besides quality and safety in the intensive care and surgical wards.  For example, last year, Adjunct Associate Professor Tai Hwei Yee, an Anaesthesiologist from Tan Tock Seng Hospital was awarded the National Outstanding Clinical Quality Activist Award. She effectively drove various initiatives that focused on improving patient safety and clinical quality and had also chaired the Safe Medication Practices workgroup in the National Medication Safety Taskforce.  Last year the National University Hospital team led by Associate Professor Sophia Ang, another Anaesthesiologist, was awarded the National Clinical Excellence Team Award. Their innovative project on “Critical Lab Result Alert System” leveraged on technology to help significantly improve the outcomes, standards, safety and quality of patient care in NUH.  Associate Professor Ong Biauw Chi, another Anaesthesiologist, was appointed to the position of Director of Patient Safety in Singapore General Hospital.  She started a Patient Safety Unit in 2006 and organised various teachings and programmes including Root Cause analysis and introduced various patient safety goals for the hospital. She also strongly supported the sharing of sentinel events between hospitals, including the private hospitals, at a regular forum that has enabled lessons learnt to be shared among all hospitals. All three Anaesthesiologists have also served as expert advisors to the Ministry of Health and have provided valuable contributions to the Ministry’s patient safety policy and programmes.

5       It is not by accident that such prominent Clinical Quality and Patient Safety Advocates are Anaesthesiologists. The training in Anaesthesiology constantly promotes patient safety.  Excellent structured training to enhance and maintain a high safety standard is therefore a norm in the discipline.  Such good practices and information, for example, guidelines on monitoring standards, safety protocols and processes can be shared in such gatherings so that more can benefit from them. 

Leadership

6       Anaesthesiologists also lead in other areas. For example, we have Anaesthesiologists who are leaders in hospital administration and training. Clinical Associate Professor Thomas Lew for one is the Chairman of the Medical Board in Tan Tock Seng Hospital; Associate Professor Lim Boon Leng is the Designated Institutional Officer in charge of residency training in SingHealth and Associate Professor Chen Fun Gee is Director of the Division of Graduate Medical Studies in the National University of Singapore. There are many more among you today who are leaders and outstanding role models in the medical community. As leaders and role models, you build bridges and collaborate with a host of colleagues to ultimately improve patient outcomes.

7       As medicine evolves, clinicians must develop themselves to improve patient care, quality and safety. Beyond treating patients, I believe that as Anaesthesiologists and leaders in your field, you will also inspire each other, spread the passion for medical education, teaching and mentoring, innovation and research and leadership for patient safety and clinical quality amongst all your fellow physicians.

Conclusion

8       Developing a good healthcare system that provides safe and quality care, and yet is also accessible and affordable for all citizens, is a challenge that we all share. Promoting medical education and professional development is key in this effort. I am confident that the Congress today will serve as a useful platform for sharing of best practices so that we advance together in our goals to develop a healthcare system for the future. Let me wish all of you a happy and productive Congress.

Thank you.