1 3 - 9 ....................... Speeches at Annual Dinner VOLUME 38 NO.6 JUNE 2 0 0 6 14 ........................... Letters to Editor MICA (P) 180/02/200 6 16 ........................... President’s Forum 20 ........................... Interview with Dr Chau Chwen Hwe 27 - 29 .................. Report on Annual Dinner 30 - 34 .................. Examinations 35 ........................... Getting to Know Dr Fatimah Lateef SMANEWS EDITORIAL BOARD Editor Dr Toh Han Chong Deputy Editor Dr Daniel Fung Members Prof Chee Yam Cheng Dr Lee Chung Horn Dr Jeremy Lim Dr Terence Lim Dr Oh Jen Jen Dr Tan Poh Kiang Dr Tan Wu Meng Dr Teo Eng Swee Cuthbert Ex-Officio Dr Lee Pheng Soon Dr Raymond Chua Dr Wong Chiang Yin presents Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong with a Chinese calligraphy piece, as Dr Vivian Balakrishnan who delivered the citation of SM Goh looks on. Chief Administrator Ms Chua Gek Eng Editorial Manager Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong Ms Krysania Tan Editorial Executive Conferred SMA Honorary Membership Ms Adeline Chua Speech by Senior Minister Goh at the them. Take for instance, Medisave. Khaw Boon conferment during the SMA Annual Wan, guided by Andrew Chew, then Permanent The views and opinions Secretary for Health, crunched the numbers and expressed in all the articles Dinner on Saturday, 27 May 2006, are those of the authors. turned concepts into programmes. These are not the views I thank also the Singapore Medical of the Editorial Board nor Regent Hotel the SMA Council unless Association (SMA) for conferring the Honorary specifically stated so in writing. The contents of Distinguished Guests and Friends, Membership on me. This is an unexpected the Newsletter are not to honour and in a sense, ironic, for I went against be printed in whole or in part without prior written A very good evening to you all. Thank you, the flow and chose to do Economics instead approval of the Editor. Vivian*, for your warm and kind words. I of Medicine. Many of my close friends, like Published by the Singapore happened to be in the right place at the right Tan Cheng Bock, are doctors and members Medical Association, time. Many of the achievements which you of your Association. I take it that I can now Level 2, Alumni Medical Centre, 2 College Road, attributed to me actually belonged to others rub shoulders with them in the same august Singapore 169850. – the staff and doctors in the Ministry of Health Association. Tel: 6223-1264 Fax: 6224-7827 (MOH), for example. And my ideas could not As Vivian mentioned, I was Minister for Email: [email protected] have been realised without the hard work of the Health a long time ago. Singapore’s healthcare URL: http://www.sma.org.sg SMA Reg. No.: officials who fleshed them out and implemented sector has come a long way since then. As ROS 198/59 TAP Page 3 S M A N e w s J u n e 2 0 0 6 V o l 3 8 ( 6 ) 3 Page 1 – SMA Honorary Membership we will continue to do so. Hence, we must not Prime Minister, I took an active interest in be afraid to question past practices and review formulating our national health plans and current policies. We must continue to evolve promoting healthy living amongst Singaporeans and adapt to meet changing needs, and innovate because good health, like good education and try out new ideas. For example, our growing and good housing, is a key requirement for middle class has rising expectations. They have happiness and progress. I pledged that no more savings in their Medisave. citizen would be denied healthcare on financial How do we construct a better medical insurance grounds. We have kept that promise. With scheme to serve their needs more effectively? Medisave, Medishield and other medical The SMA is an organisation whose insurance schemes, and Medifund, each one of membership comprises both specialists and us will have the resources to pay for our medical general practitioners from the public and private needs throughout our lives. sectors. It represents more than four and a half Healthcare costs continue to be a major public thousand medical practitioners. Every two in and political concern. Our population is greying. three doctors in Singapore are your members. Moreover, there will be fewer young people to I wonder why the third one is not. Nevertheless, support the economy and the old. Hence, we the SMA has a unique role to play in terms of must manage the healthcare budget wisely so the development of our healthcare sector and that we can sustain an excellent and affordable tackling some of the challenges I spoke about. healthcare service. I am told that the SMA has been working In recent years, new issues have cropped up. closely with MOH. I commend you for being Pandemics like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory involved in organising your members and GPs so Syndrome) and avian flu are real and possible that their clinics can be used as flu clinics, if an threats to our well-being. Our neighbours are avian flu pandemic should break out. The Centre competing to be the regional medical hub and for Ethics and Professionalism set up by the SMA closing the gap with us. SingaporeMedicine still is another good example of how your Association has the edge in terms of quality, reliability and champions professionalism amongst members technology and this gives us a premium in price. for public good. I hope to see the SMA engage in more such activities which serve the community With globalisation and ease of transport, we can 47TH SMA COUNCIL and national good. and should grow our medical sector to serve Dr Wong Chiang Yin foreign patients while looking after our own. Let me conclude. Medicine is first and President The extra income this brings will compensate foremost a caring profession and a noble pursuit. Dr Chong Yeh Woei for what we may lose as lower-end industries At the heart of the medical profession are service 1st Vice President and services migrate or are outsourced to other and values. The motto of your Association countries. Many Middle East governments – “Service Before Self” – sums this up nicely. Dr Toh Choon Lai nd pay for overseas healthcare treatment for their Through the years, I have had many 2 Vice President citizens. We should leverage on our good opportunities to work with our doctors and Dr Raymond reputation in the Middle East to attract more healthcare professionals. I have found them Chua Swee Boon patients here. passionate and committed to their work, and Honorary Secretary Grooming a new generation of medical dedicated to public service. Vivian mentioned Dr Yue Wai Mun manpower – not just doctors, but nurses, Singapore’s experience with SARS in 2003. We Honorary Treasurer pharmacists, radiographers and other healthcare could not have defeated SARS if not for the Dr Wong Tien Hua professionals – is another challenge. If hundreds of doctors and thousands of healthcare Honorary Assistant Secretary SingaporeMedicine is to achieve its target of workers who stood at the frontline. They risked Dr Lee Yik Voon attracting a million foreign patients by 2012, we their lives for us. They left me with a deep Honorary Assistant Treasurer will need many more healthcare workers. This impression of their professionalism, courage and noble conduct in the face of mortal danger. can be done by expanding the local training Members pipeline and bringing in skilled foreigners. With Singapore has one of the best medical services Dr John Chiam Yih Hsing a low Total Fertility Rate of only 1.24, we will in the world. We have much to be proud of. We Dr Chin Jing Jih never produce enough local healthcare personnel should work hard to maintain our reputation. Dr Lee Pheng Soon to support an excellent healthcare sector. I wish all of you a pleasant and enjoyable Over the years, we have been able to provide evening. Once again, thank you for the honour Dr Oh Jen Jen good healthcare for Singaporeans through a you have bestowed on me. ■ Dr Soh Wah Ngee practical and innovative approach. To face the * Please also see: Dr Tan See Leng future challenges effectively, we have to adjust Page 5 – Citation of Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong by Dr Tan Sze Wee Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. and rethink the way we do things. Just because Page 7 – Welcome Address by Dr Wong Chiang Yin. Dr Toh Han Chong we have done well up to now does not mean that Page 27 – Report of SMA Annual Dinner. Dr Yeo Sow Nam S M A N e w s J u n e 2 0 0 6 V o l 3 8 ( 6 ).