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06 Oct 2009
By Khaw Boon Wan
Distinguished Guests
Tonight, we are here to honour you, our MOH volunteers. Some of you serve on the Boards of our hospitals, others serve on committees like Medifund committees, and others serve on professional boards like the Singapore Medical Council. Many of you have helped us for many years, to help MOH deliver good, affordable healthcare to Singaporeans.
2 Many of you already have your hands full with other demands. Yet you willingly come forward to contribute. There is very little that MOH can offer in return; what drives our volunteers is the intangible sense of satisfaction of having made a difference to people’s lives.
3 This inaugural dinner is a long overdue expression of our appreciation. We had not shone the limelight on you because some of you may not have wanted it; but tonight, do let me acknowledge you. Thank you for dedicating so much of yourselves to serving the people of Singapore.
Thankless Job
4 In some sense, your work as volunteers can sometimes feel like a thankless job: it requires not only time and effort, but also that as you take difficult decisions, the public may not fully appreciate your work when they disagree with the decision. For example, when you recommended that we should reimburse living organ donors, some accused you of promoting organ trading, others criticised you for not being bold enough.
5 Through your insights and perspectives, you have helped to steer our boards and professional bodies forward. These are no easy tasks, but you never complained, and for that, we truly appreciate you.
Important Resource to MOH
6 Needless to say, you are an important resource to MOH.
7 You are also an important link between MOH and the community. We know we have done well if our policies and programmes meet the needs of the community. You represent these community needs, as you feedback to us on the happenings on the ground. Conversely, you also provide a bridge between the Ministry and the community to explain our policies to the people.
8 Let me highlight some of the important roles that the MOH volunteers play:
(a) Role in Medifund Committees
9 Last year, Medifund provided $59 million of assistance to needy Singaporeans. This is what the public sees - Medifund as a functioning safety net. What the public seldom sees is that volunteers in the Medifund Committees have the difficult job of making policies come to life by prioritising limited assistance to unlimited demands.
10 Medifund has remained relevant to the people's needs is also due to the good work of the Medifund Advisory Council. Few people know that the Medifund Advisory Council played a major role in helping to shape Medifund policies. Many of the Council members serve on Medifund Committees and can tap upon their experience and observations when making recommendations to MOH on policy changes.
(b) Role in Professional Boards
11 Many of you serve on the professional boards. You advise us on Clinical Practice Guidelines and policies relating to research and manpower planning. Each of these committees does extremely important work. In particular, professional committees are critical in upholding the high ethical standards in their respective professions, and safeguard the standard of clinical practice. You set the tenor of the profession, and guide the future development of the respective professions. Professional committees also help to formulate appropriate training standards and requirements for continuing education.
12 The job of professional boards is not easy-- members not only have to understand and exercise current societal and professional norms, they also have to anticipate future needs and challenges. One excellent example was how, last year, the Singapore Medical Council, the College of Family Physicians and the Academy of Medicine Singapore developed and rolled out Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors. We now have a functioning framework which can be a model for other countries confronted with a similar problem.
13 At times, in serving the national interests within the professional committees, your decisions may create unhappiness or even compromise the short-term interests of the professional community. Thank you for in taking these in stride, and choosing to serve broader national interests and the long-term goals of the profession, rather than short-term narrow interests.
(c) Role in Hospital and Cluster Boards
14 Finally, we also want to commend our volunteers who serve on the Boards
of our healthcare clusters and hospitals. Your leadership provides vision and strategic guidance as well as good corporate governance in our public healthcare institutions. You play a crucial role in ensuring that our institutions are well run and that they fulfil their mission to serve the community, especially the vulnerable.
15 Our healthcare system is at the cusp of transformation. We are moving to improve care integration to better meet the needs of a rapidly ageing population. Our institutions need to foster closer partnerships with step-down care and primary care providers, change the very way we think about providing care to the patient to serve patient needs better, yet work more efficiently and effectively with finite resources. A fundamental rethink of organisational and business strategies is necessary.
16 MOH has committed to work closely with the Boards and the management teams to work through these changes; but we look to the Boards to guide the management through these challenging transformations ahead. Some members of management have shared how much they appreciate the mentorship and wise counsel of their Board members.
17 Board members have also shared that they would like to understand MOH’s
priorities better. MOH has begun systematic induction briefings for Board members. We are also keeping Boards informed of annual MOH priorities, and updated on major policy issues. In November, MOH is inviting the Institute of Healthcare Improvement from the US to conduct a workshop so that board members can learn best clinical governance practices and discuss other contemporary healthcare issues.
Spirit of Volunteerism
18 Volunteerism is good all round and promotes community bonding. When individuals from different walks of life get together for the good of the community or for a charitable cause, a sense of fellowship and camaraderie develops. I think it helps build character too, because as volunteers, we invariably learn about compassion; we learn to value giving over receiving benefits.
Conclusion
19 The next few years will be exciting as we re-design our healthcare system from an episodic care approach to one in which care is seamlessly integrated throughout various healthcare settings. As volunteers, you will play an increasingly important and demanding role.
20 We have not said it publicly or loudly enough, or even often enough – but we do appreciate your immense contributions. Thanks a million, and we mean it sincerely.