OUTSTANDING HEALTHCARE WORKERS HONOURED
WITH THE NHG AWARDS
Healthcare Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) awards handed out to future healthcare leaders
26 May 2015
This year, the National Healthcare Group (NHG) Awards salute twelve exemplary individuals
who have made significant contributions to the community, as well as the local and
international healthcare landscape. The Awards were presented by Guest-of-Honour and
NHG Chairman, Madam Kay Kuok, today at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Theatrette.
Clinching top honours is Associate Professor Wong Kim Eng from the Institute of Mental
Health (IMH) who received the Lee Foundation NHG Lifetime Achievement Award.
A/Prof Wong is a pioneer in the field of psychiatry in Singapore, and was the co-chairman of
the Mental Health Committee which produced Singapore’s first National Mental Health
Blueprint. During her tenure, A/Prof Wong advocated early detection and treatment of mental
illnesses, and management of patients in the community. She was the first Clinical Director
for the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) and had initiated programmes to
help persons with addictions and their families. A respected clinician and mentor among her
peers, A/Prof Wong’s dedication has contributed to IMH being the first mental health
institution in Asia to receive the JCI accreditation in 2005.
Professor Roy Chan from the National Skin Centre (NSC) received the NHG
Distinguished Achievement Award. Prof Chan is a widely-respected
dermato-venereologist (a branch of study emphasising on sexually transmitted infections)
and has played a critical role in Singapore’s public health scene, focusing on the
management and prevention of STIs and HIV. Prof Chan served as Director of NSC from
2004 to 2014, and spearheaded IT-enabled care delivery that resulted in improved
standards of service and clinical quality, and patient safety. In 2009, he became the first
Singaporean to be awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal, conferred by the United
Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health, for his outstanding contributions towards public
health promotion within the Commonwealth. Prof Chan is also the Founder and President of
Action for AIDS.
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Our second NHG Distinguished Achievement Award recipient is Associate Professor
Alan Ng, a leading member of Singapore’s respiratory medicine fraternity. A/Prof Ng is
Senior Consultant at the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in Tan Tock
Seng Hospital and is one of the few doctors in Singapore who performs tracheobronchial
stenting – a method used to treat patients with airway diseases and breathing difficulties. He
has also introduced several procedures to better patient care and safety, such as
bronchoscopic electrosurgery and medical thoracoscopy. He is the incumbent President of
the ASEAN Federation of Internal Medicine.
Associate Professor Vijayan Appasamy was posthumously bestowed the NHG
Distinguished Achievement Award. A/Prof Vijayan was a renowned trauma expert and
Senior Consultant at the Department of General Surgery in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was
also Director of NHG’s General Surgery Residency Programme. An inspirational clinician
and teacher, his passion and commitment to patients, colleagues and students will always
be remembered by management and staff in NHG.
Receiving the NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award is Associate Professor Wong Hon
Tym, Medical Director of the NHG Eye Institute at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. A
glaucomatologist, A/Prof Wong is at the forefront of primary eye care and is instrumental in
the set-up of optometrist-led “step- down eye clinics” and tele-ophthalmology. These
initiatives aim to reduce unnecessary patient visits to the hospital, and enable patients to be
treated in the community.
The NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award was also presented to two non-clinical staff: Mrs
Olivia Tay, NHG Group Chief Human Resources Officer and Ms Lim Yee Juan, NHG
Group Chief Financial Officer. Both women are experts in their respective fields, having
been instrumental in the development and implementation of sustained HR and financial
policies from NHG’s formative years in the early 2000s till now.
Healthcare Manpower Development Plan
A passion for learning and continuous improvement is critical to NHG as we endeavour to
meet the healthcare needs of Singaporeans. To ensure a steady pipeline of key clinical,
administrative and management staff, NHG has invested some $4 million annually from
FY2012 to FY2014 in the Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP). The initiative was
introduced in 1980 by MOH and has funded many healthcare professionals in skills
attachment programmes at internationally renowned institutions. The knowledge and
experience gained have resulted in many significant improvements and new services in our
healthcare systems.
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In the clinical and non-clinical sectors, all the recipients have done their part in fostering
proactive healthy living and developing better patient care in the community and across the
region. Madam Kay Kuok, Chairman, NHG, said, “My compliments to this year’s award
recipients for your dedications and contributions. I am confident that our development
awards recipients will return to continue with your good work to enrich our healthcare system
for the people of Singapore.”
- Ends -
For media queries and more information, please contact:
Lydia Soh
Assistant Manager, Group Corporate Communications
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GROUP
Direct: 6496 6947, Mobile: 9842 8571
Email: [email protected]
Hamidah Aidillah
Senior Executive, Group Corporate Communications
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GROUP
Direct: 6496 6264, Mobile: 9661 7141
Email: [email protected]
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About the NHG Awards
The annual NHG Awards first began in 2001 with the inaugural Lee Foundation NHG Lifetime
Achievement Award. New categories for NHG Distinguished Contributor Award and NHG
Outstanding Citizenship Award were added in 2005, with a third category for NHG Distinguished
Achievement Award added in 2007. Collectively known as the NHG Awards, it recognise the brightest,
most dedicated doctors and healthcare workers for their contributions.
The National Healthcare Group (NHG) administers four awards:
1. The Lee Foundation NHG Lifetime Achievement Award recognises NHG medical doctors and
dental clinicians who have made significant and impactful achievements throughout their
medical career, particularly in elevating the quality of public healthcare services for the benefit
of the Singapore community.
2. The NHG Distinguished Achievement Award recognises NHG staff who have achieved
remarkable careers and contributed to NHG’s multifaceted strategic objectives in the clinical,
operational, educational or research arenas.
3. The NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award recognises NHG staff who have made immense
contributions to NHG’s strategic objectives and taken on additional responsibilities outside of
their own portfolios.
4. Last but not least, the NHG Distinguished Contributor Award recognises friends of NHG who
have demonstrated exceptional goodwill and made significant contributions towards
improving healthcare and helping NHG achieve its goal of Adding Years of Healthy Life.
About NHG
The National Healthcare Group (NHG) is a leader in public healthcare in Singapore, recognised at home and
abroad for the quality of its medical expertise and facilities. Care is provided through an integrated network of
nine primary healthcare polyclinics, acute care hospital, national specialty centres, and business divisions.
Together they bring a rich legacy of medical expertise to our philosophy of patient-centric care.
NHG’s vision of “Adding years of healthy life” is more than just about healing the sick. It encompasses the more
difficult but infinitely more rewarding task of preventing illness and preserving health and quality of life. With
some 13,000 staff, NHG aims to provide care that is patient-centric, accessible, seamless, comprehensive,
appropriate and cost-effective.
As the Regional Health System (RHS) for Central Singapore, it is vital for NHG to partner and collaborate with
other stakeholders, community advisors, volunteer welfare organisations and others in this Care Network
together with our patients, their families and caregivers to deliver integrated healthcare services and programmes
that help in Adding Years of Healthy Life to all concerned.
More information is available at: http://www.nhg.com.sg
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ANNEX
List of NHG Awardees 2015
S/N
Name
Award
Institution
1
Prof Chng Hiok Hee
Lee Foundation
NHG Lifetime Achievement
Award
TTSH
2
A/Prof Wong Kim Eng
Lee Foundation
NHG Lifetime Achievement
Award
IMH
3
A/Prof Vijayan Appasamy
NHG Distinguished
Achievement Award
(post humous)
TTSH
4
A/Prof Alan Ng Wei Keong
NHG Distinguished
Achievement Award
TTSH
5
Prof Roy Chan
NHG Distinguished
Achievement Award
NSC
6
Dr Tan Hui Ling
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
TTSH
7
Dr Wong Hon Tym
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
TTSH
8
Dr Karen Ng Ming Yann
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
NHGP
9
A/Prof Chua Sze Hon
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
NSC
10
Mrs Olivia Tay
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
NHG
11
Ms Lim Yee Juan
NHG Outstanding
Citizenship Award
NHG
12
Mr Peter Lee Lian Heng
NHG Distinguished
Contributor Award
NSC
TTSH
IMH
NHGP
NSC
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Institute of Mental Health
National Healthcare Group Polyclinics
National Skin Centre
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