Making A DifferenceTo The Well-Being Of Our Community

As part of the hospital s efforts to provide opportunities for interactionbetween the community and the hospital, a McCare Programme was launchedin September 1989. The McCare volunteers from McDonald s restaurantbrought cheer to our paediatric patients with their creative and fun-filledprogrammes. In the same year, we also actively participated in the Ministryof Health (MOH) s first National Health Fair that was held in October.

During the Asthma Association’s 3rd Walk-A-Jog fundraising event in November1999, NUH employees showed up in force and helped raised a grand totalof $28,730 through the month-long event.

Our Community Outreach Efforts...A classic display of our Core Values — Compassion andSocial Responsibility

Doing our bit for the community through various health and dental screening sessions,charitable activities, as well as humanitarian efforts are some of our social contributionsin the past and recent years. For these, we salute our people for their noble efforts andcontributions towards and beyond the nation.

More than 4,000 people were screened in 2001, 2002 and 2003 at theCommunity Mass Health Screening sessions organised by NUH, held at17 sites. In 2000 and 2003, we participated in MOH s mass screening exercisefor the elderly, and provided free eye screening for more than 200 Samsuiwomen respectively. Our hospital also provided free health screening formore than 1,400 people during three out of several events organised withSouthwest CDC at Boon Lay and HarbourFront.

In line with our core values of being compassionate and socially responsible,we adopted Very Special Arts (VSA), a non-profit organisation that supportstalented artists with disabilities, in 2002. Our hospital strongly supports VSAscause in caring for the challenged members of our community. We believethat we can learn from the determination and courage of the artists whostand strong and face up to their disabilities. A series of activities were

Warming the hands and hearts of ourcommunity for 20 years... and running.

McCare Programme (1989) Charity Bazaar forVery Special Arts (2002)

organised to raise funds for VSA, which amounted to more than $15,000.These included charity bazaars, sale of desk calendars and creation of a miniart gallery along one of the walkways in NUH where paintings by VSA artistswere exhibited for sale.

Bringing Bright Smiles To Our People

A total of 2,900 elderly poor under the care of the Lions Befrienders weresmiling brighter. Together with the NUS Faculty of Dentistry and theLions Befrienders, our NUH Dental Centre undertook a pilot communityservice project in January 1999 to provide free dental services to the elderlypoor. This was just another little step towards our goal of making goodhealthcare services available to all, particularly the poor and elderly!

A total of 14 and 35 community dental screenings were conducted in 2002and 2003 respectively. During these sessions, more than 230 people werescreened and treated. Another 62 people were treated in 2004.

In 2004, our hospital partnered the NUH Employees Union (NUHEU) toencourage staff volunteerism and community involvement through theadoption of St Theresa’s Home. Every last Saturday of the month, a group ofour staff would visit the elderly residents of the home to spend time interactingand caring for them.

As part of our community outreach and role in preventive healthcare,a group of our nurses and colleagues were involved in Jurong HealthConnects‘My HealthCheck@Jurong’ & ‘Healthy Eating’ events held in March and April2005. At the event, we received good response with 213 people beingscreened and another 500 visited our health education booth.

Visit to St Theresa s Home (2004)

Tsunami Relief Efforts(2005)

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our People. Our Pride. 24 & 25

Extending A Helping Hand To The Tsunami Victims

People from all over the world (including Singapore) and independentorganisations flocked to the areas that were struck by the world s worstearthquake and tsunami disaster on 26 Dec 2004, to bring aid to the victimsof this calamity.

Joining the nation s efforts in humanitarian aid, many of our colleaguesstepped forward and volunteered their services for NHG missions to rendermedical help to the victims in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and Trincomalee,Sri Lanka.

At the same time, through NHG, we also responded to the SingaporeRed Cross Society through a collection of more than $35,000 for the TidalWaves Asia Fund . Colleagues whose family members were affected bythis disaster were not forgotten — a total of about $6,322 was raised to helpthem tide over that difficult period. We did all these together, in the spiritof humanity.

Your efforts made a big difference and touched boththe tsunami survivors as well as fellow Singaporeans. You keptour Singapore flag flying high. You earned the respect of thoseyou have helped, with your humility and sensitivity to localcustoms. When the call for help came,you responded as oneprofession. By so doing, you have made a difference to the livesof the tsunami victims. To each of you, I salute you.

~ Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health, 30 Mar 2005

NAMEDATE JOINED CURRENT DESIGNATION

Senior ManagementTyrone Goh1 Dec 85 Director, Operations, Children’s Medical Institute; General Manager, NHG Diagnostics; Acting CEO & General Manager, NHG Gulf

Business Development UnitKhong Lai Lin Cannie 4 Jun 85 Executive AssistantCorporate Communications& ServicesTao Mei Hwa Sally 25 Feb 85 ReceptionistEnvironmental ServicesChee Siew Kee

15 Jun 85 Senior Hospital AttendantJoseph Paul Francis 11 Jul 85 Hospital Attendant SupervisorKoh Kee Tin

10 Jul 85 Senior Hospital AttendantLee Lay Khim

31 Dec 85 Senior Hospital AttendantLim Bock Keow

12 Mar 85 Senior Hospital AttendantLim Siew Luang

1 Jul 85 Senior Hospital AttendantLow Keow Hua

15 Jun 85 Senior Hospital AttendantRokiah Bte Mohamed 3 Jul 85 Senior Hospital AttendantSalbiah Bte Sajalin 29 Jul 85 Senior Hospital AttendantSelamat Bin Liam 4 Jun 85 Hospital Attendant SupervisorTeh Ah Eng

10 Jun 85 Hospital AttendantWoon Kim Tee

1 Jun 85 Senior Hospital AttendantFinanceLee Anita Louisa 1 Jun 85 Patients Accounts / Service OfficerSyed Johara Bte Syed Kasim 17 Jun 85 ExecutiveJoseph Samuel Sathianathan 1 Oct 85 Senior StorekeeperHuman Resource

Lim Peck Geok Patricia 1 Jul 85 Executive AssistantMedical Records OfficeRubiah Bte Samin 24 Jul 85 Administrative AssistantWoon Hee Lee

2 May 85 Senior Administrative AssistantNUH Call CentreLoh Pai Loi

11 Jun 85 Customer Service AssistantSanthi D/O Vyravan 29 Jul 85 Customer Service AssistantOperations

Tan Joo Gertrude 25 Apr 85 Senior Administrative AssistantOperational Support ServicesIndira Devi D/O Nambiar 11 Mar 85 Administrative AssistantPatient ServicesNg Siok Wan

15 Jul 85 Senior Patient Account / Service OfficerQuality Improvement UnitNg Sow Chun1 Aug 85 Assistant Manager

NAME DATE JOINED CURRENT DESIGNATIONDepartment of Diagnostic ImagingSalaton Bte Daslan 1 Jun 85 Senior Assistant NurseWee Chuan Hock Bernard 4 Jun 85 Photo Technician SupervisorYeo Hong Lan 4 Jun 85 Senior Administrative Assistant

Laboratory MedicineChow Kau Carol 16 May 85 Principal Medical TechnologistGoh Soon Heok 12 Jun 85 Senior Materials CoordinatorKamsani Bin Sahari 24 Jun 85 Junior Medical Technologist Lim Su Thay 1 Jun 85 Senior Education CoordinatorMad Ali Bin Md Noor 20 May 85 Hospital Attendant SupervisorMah Kong Yeng Joanna 15 Aug 85 Nurse Manager Managa D/O Dharmalingam 11 Jun 85 Medical Laboratory TechnologistNora Bte Abdul Rahman 24 Jun 85 Junior Medical Technologist Ong Bee Ang Ricky 2 Dec 85 Deputy Manager Seong Peck Sheong 27 May 85 Principal Medical TechnologistVijayaletchumy D/O Udai Raj Si 29 Jul 85 Medical Laboratory TechnologistYuen Chee Seng Mark 10 Jun 85 Principal Medical TechnologistZarinah D/O Abdul Razack 10 Jun 85 Senior Administrative Assistant

Liver & Renal TransplantProgrammeManjit Kaur D/O Charan Singh 10 Jun 85 Chief Transplant Coordinator/Manager

Orthopaedic SurgeryLim Irene 14 May 85 Administrative Assistant

PathologyAng Low Sian Wendy 1 Jun 85 Senior Clerical Officer

PharmacyChan Wai Fun 27 May 85 Senior Pharmacy Technician

Rehabilitation MedicineSalinah Bte Abdullah 16 Dec 85 Therapy Assistant Shakila Begum 23 Dec 85 Therapy Assistant

Endoscopy CentreKamsia Bte Marsan 10 Jun 85 Senior Assistant NurseKok Lai Chun 1 Oct 85 Senior Assistant NurseKwok Fong Yee 2 May 85 Nurse Manager M Vijayaletchumi 20 May 85 Senior Patient Service Associate

ENT ClinicLim Lee Boon 31 Dec 85 Senior Nurse Manager

Obstetrics & Gynaecology ClinicKung Guat Beng 15 Oct 85 Senior Staff MidwifeLim Soo Lang 2 Sep 85 Nurse Manager

Orthopaedic/Hand ClincSun Mai Cheng Vicky 1 Jun 85 Senior Staff Nurse Tan Ang Chew Eng 12 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse

Radiotherapy CentreChai Chuen Fun 1 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse

Surgery ClinicChua Siang Ee 4 Jun 85 Administrative Assistant

University Digestive CentreS Jayamalar 20 May 85 Patient Care Assistant

NAME DATE JOINED CURRENT DESIGNATIONNursingChan Bee Eng 31 Dec 85 Assistant Director, Nursing AdministrationSaroja Devi D/O Srinivasa Naidu 2 May 85 Cardiac Nurse, Nursing AdministrationSiti Zubaidah Bte Mordiffi 10 Jun 85 Senior Nurse Educator, Nursing AdministrationWong Mee Kin 10 Jun 85 Nurse Manager, Nursing Administration Zarifah Bte Ahmad Zakri 3 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Children s Emergency Alijah Bte Isnin 8 Jul 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Cardiothoracic ICUKalaivani Ramiah @ Priya 12 Nov 85 Administrative Assistant, Cardiothoracic ICUHaryati Bte Abdul Wahab 22 Jul 85 Patients Accounts/Service Officer, Day Surgery CentreFoo Boon Swee 10 Jun 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Day Surgery OTLim Boo Eng 13 Nov 85 Senior Operating Theatre Attendant, Day Surgery OT Ong Chin Chye 1 Jul 85 Senior Operating Theatre Attendant, Day Surgery OTPng Bee Hong 1 Aug 85 Nurse Manager, Day Surgery OTSinniah Balakrishna 2 Sep 85 Senior Operating Theatre Attendant, Day Surgery OTSiti Meriam Binte Rais 2 Sep 85 Nurse Manager, Day Surgery OT Yam Swee Fook Nee Ho 2 Sep 85 Nurse Manager, Day Surgery OT K T Meenaka 1 Jul 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Day Surgery Ward Wong Woon Kiew 15 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Day Surgery Ward Chan Yin Yee 1 Oct 85 Nurse Manager, Delivery Suite Dimney Patricia 15 Aug 85 Nurse Clinician, Delivery Suite Lee Siew Hong 15 Mar 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Delivery Suite Fu Lee Ping 1 Oct 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Emergency MedicineHeng Siew Hiang 15 Oct 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Neonatal ICUArumugam Magalingam 1 Jul 85 Operating Theatre Attendant, Operating TheatreChan Swee Lan 16 Dec 85 Patient Care Officer, Operating TheatreEng Foong Lan 1 Jul 85 Nurse Manager, Operating Theatre Ho Siew Foo 1 Aug 85 Nurse Manager, Operating Theatre Koh Watt Eng Mavis Regina 2 Sep 85 Nurse Manager, Operating Theatre Leo Kin 19 Aug 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Operating TheatreLeong Yuet @ Lee Yuet 15 Jul 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Operating Theatre Ong Teh 17 Jun 85 Senior Hospital Attendant, Operating TheatreTan Chwee Eng 2 Sep 85 Assistant Director, Operating Theatre, Endoscopy Centre & Diagnostic ImagingTong Kim Loo 2 Sep 85 Nurse Manager, Operating TheatreWong Mei Kin @ Tan Mei Kin 1 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Operating TheatreTan Bee Lan 2 Dec 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Paediatric ICUTan Lian Kheng 1 Jul 85 Nurse Clinician, Patient Education Support Services Chan Sok Yin 4 Nov 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 42Sharifah Bte Mohd Deh 1 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 51 Yu Chun Yen 1 Jun 85 Staff Nurse, Ward 64 Antony Florance 2 Sep 85 Senior Assistant Nurse, Ward 96Asnah Bte Abdool Aziz 29 Jul 85 Patient Care Officer, Ward 96 Ng Tze Fah 1 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 96 Rapiah Bte Abdul Patah 3 Aug 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 96 Yuen Mei Choy 10 Jun 85 Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 96

Our Processes. Our Challenge.We have made significant changes and improvements to our processes over the years. Our PatientsFirst philosophy has kept us going strong we are continuously seeking innovative and betterways to delight our patients!

In this section, you will be introduced to a few significant process improvement initiatives that wehave undertaken thus far — all for delivering high standard and better quality of patient care.

Intellectual victory is built on continuedefforts to challenge oneself and toconquer new grounds. What s yournext move?

ISO... Establishing An Efficient ManagementSystem

In December 2002, we were awarded the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS18001 certificates at one go! These awards were the results of more than ayear of hard work and dedication from our staff. Together, we have establishedan effective management system that ensures delivery of quality care andservices within a safe and fulfilling work environment.

This ISO initiative started in October 2001 when we decided to put in placea structured framework that ensures consistent management of our workprocesses as well as controls and minimises environmental hazards, health

and safety risks in the hospital.

With expert guidance of the consultants fromNeville Clarke, various project teams establishedand implemented consistent systems for nursingcare, equipment maintenance, waste disposal,hazards and risks control, as well as other workareas.

JCI... Achieving Consistency In Care Processes

We are recognised for our commitment inproviding continuous quality patient care withthe achievement of Joint CommissionInternational (JCI) accreditation in September2004. This accreditation signifies that theprocesses and procedures that we have putin place are of international standards.

All of us, from senior management team,clinicians to frontline staff, were involved in the10 months of intense preparation. Work beganin October 2003 — our colleagues from QualityAssurance division of Medical Affairs, armedwith only two booklets on JCI standards, beganon a self-assessment and identified gaps in ourhospital s processes.

In February 2004, expert advice and guidance was sought from two JCIconsultants, Dr R. Scott Altman and Ms Frieda A. Walter, who imparted tous the must-knows of JCI through a 3-day crash course.

The last act was an amazing 5-day audit race in July 2004. The three JCIsurveyors, Amrlis Daerr, Ann Fonville and John Porvaznik, certainly madetheir presence felt. Nonetheless, our staff have proven to be articulate, skilfuland knowledgeable as the surveyors went about their on-site observations,interviews and document reviews.

The commitment of hospitalleadership to quality and safety

in patient care is inspiring. It israre that a large and complex

healthcare organisation canachieve the degree of

consistency in care processesas the staff has achieved at

National University Hospital.

~ Marlis Daerr, Surveyor, Joint Commission International

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Processes. Our Challenge. 30 & 31

NAUT1CUS... Improving Patient ServicesTo Achieve One Patient Vision

As the last leg of the NHG IT harmonisation initiative, we successfullyimplemented Naut1cus in October 2004. An administrative system, Naut1cusintegrates patient management and accounting as well as materials andfinancial management across all NHG institutions, thus achieving our OnePatient vision.

It was definitely months of hard work for our staff following the intensepreparation of our JCI accreditation. Here s a glimpse of our journey...

With Naut1cus…¥ We bring convenience to patients — a single master record with information

such as registration, admission, transfer and discharge for each patient.¥ We achieve greater efficiency — an Integrated View of the Customers

(IVOC) allows staff to view information about the patient on a singlescreen.

¥ We make it easier for patients to make comparison in prices between healthcare providers — the standardised format for bills and statement ofaccounts are being used across all the NHG hospitals.

¥ We help to bring cost down for patients — the central vendor managementsystem facilitates negotiations for better prices.

Total commitmentduring trainingsessions...

Briefings,discussions anddilemmas?

Going live ...

Reducing The Waiting Time... Through Project

NEMOAimed at improving our Department of Emergency Medicine s admissiontime, Project ‘NEMO’ looked at admission and discharge processes as wellas the turnaround time of various support services.

The team, comprising representatives of relevant departments, identifiedand explored ways to reduce the waiting time for admission at ourEmergency. After much effort, the waiting time (at 80th percentile) was broughtdown from 3.5 hours to 2.5 hours.

CPSS... Improving Patient Care ThroughTechnology

Our patients can receive even safer, more efficientand effective care with the Computerised PatientSupport System (CPSS). A computerised medicalrecords system, CPSS allows medical staff quickaccess to patients medical records from allthe departments in the hospital, 24 hours a day.

CPSS contains everything from case summariesand details of drugs dispensed, to x-ray reports and other clinical test results.A key feature of the system is an alarm prompt that warns doctors of patientsdrug allergies and alerts them if the medicine dosage is incorrectly prescribed.CPSS also helps to prevent unnecessary repeated tests on patients, thusoptimising efficiency and reducing medical costs. With the help of wirelesstechnology (such as tablet PCs), doctors on their ward rounds can also gain

access to CPSS. This facilitates the retrieval of essentialmedical information to help in their clinical diagnoses.

This patient-centred initiative has even won us an awardin the IT Category at the Asian Hospital ManagementAwards 2003 in Manila, Philippines.

For every service that we provide,

we will do it safer, better, faster and cheaper.

Our Quality CultureIn NUH, Quality is everyone s business. From the CEO, Chairman of MedicalBoard, to the frontline staff who are actively involved in providing care andservice to our patients, each of us has an important role to play in ensuringthat we provide quality and affordable healthcare services.

Our Quality Policy:¥ To Our Patients — Quality Care and Service¥ To Our Staff — Safe and Fulfilling Work

Environment¥ To Our Community — Responsible Citizenry

1985Together with our dedication to medicalexcellence, we actively strive to build a Culture of Caring. Our patient-centred Culture of Caring is one that is conscientiously practised throughoutthe patient s stay with us.

1990We launched a hospital-wide training programme— CARE in January. CARE seeks to instill a set ofpositive and practical values in our staff that willmotivate each staff to provide quality standardsof care to our patients.

In a survey in August 1990, 90% of the respondentsrated our customer service as good, compared to only 71% in 1989.

1991We established our Total Quality Management (TQM) Programme in 1991to seek ways to improve our services through active involvement of qualityimprovement projects/initiatives. Quality improvement teams were formedto look into improving services for our patients.

1998We launched our NUH Quality Circle — Quest teams on 6 Mar 1998. A yearinto our Quality Circle launch, we have seen some dramatic changes in ourproductivity levels. Started out with ad-hoc Work Improvement Teams (WITs),we have since moved forward to a systematic method of training, coachingand rewarding Quest team members.

Our very first in-house Quality Convention (QC) was held on 30 Apr 1998.Each year, four QCs were held in NUH to applaud winning Quest teams fortheir effort. There are four contest categories: Outstanding Project, Innovation,Patient Care and CEO s Award. In 1998 alone, 20 teams presented theirprojects during these conventions.

1999To keep the spirit of Quality Circle alive andthriving, three Quest showcases were held tohighlight commendable Quality Circle projectsby various Quest teams. Quality Circle teamsfrom other organisations who had won NationalQuality Circle awards were invited to presenttheir Quality Circle projects to promote anenvironment of continual learning and sharing.

A total of 21 teams participated in the Quest conventions in 1999, vying forthe three contest categories — Outstanding Project, Innovation, Patient Care,with 14 teams winning awards.

2000

Our Quality Focus received renewed emphasis with the launch of the1st NUH Quality Day in October 2000. The event was a reaffirmation of ourcommitment to quality improvements and an opportunity to reward andrecognise staff for their outstanding and valuable contributions. Top achieversin their respective areas walked away with prizes under categories of QualityPillar Award, Outstanding Project Award and Handwashing Activity Award.

To learn from best practices, we also invited the award-winning team fromthe Central Provident Fund Board, and the Singapore Quality Class awardwinner, Philips Electronics, to share on their quality projects.

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Quality Culture 32 & 33

Our 1st NHG Quality Week on 21 Oct 2000 was launched by the then NHGCEO, Mr Tan Tee How, to heighten the awareness and importanceof quality amongst the staff and to promote a cluster identity within thenewly incorporated NHG. At our annual Quality Week, leading qualitypractitioners and leaders from around the world were invited to share ideasand best practices on patient safety.

Themes for NHG Quality Week:¥ 1st NHG Quality Week 2000 — Synergy

in Quality¥ 2nd NHG Quality Week 2001 —

Communication Clear. Concise.Complete

¥ 3rd NHG Quality Week 2002 — Quality:Our Commitment, Your Trust

¥ 4th NHG Quality Week 2004 — PatientsFirst, Safety Always

2001In line with NUH s mission to hold the interest of the patient paramount, adedicated Quality Improvement Unit (QIU) was set up in September 2001to enhance the quality and standards of our patient service. Our PatientRelations Team regularly visit inpatients to seek their feedback and provideany necessary assistance. Through periodic patient focus group meetings,improved feedback management, patient satisfaction surveys, speedyservice response and recovery, QIU aims to improve the quality and levelof service that we provide to our patients.

Committed to excellence, we launched our CARE service standards in June2001. By showing Confidence, Attentiveness, Respect and Empathy, we wantto make a difference in the lives of patients we care for, everyday.

We had our first Learning From The Best series in 2001 where award-winningand outstanding quality organisations were invited to share with our staffon their quality journey.

Service With A Thought (SWAT)

To facilitate quick organisation-wide learning by sharing actual happeningsin the hospital and highlighting learning points for improvement, SWAT waslaunched in 28 Sep 2001. Since then, we have been receiving positivefeedback on SWAT and some of our departments have used SWAT for theirsharing and learning.

Since it started, SWAT has a total of four makeovers. Each change is aimedto ensure that the text is easy to read and the contents are comprehensive.With each new layout, a lot of thoughts were given into making the cases,and its actions steps, as concise and easy for staff to understand.

2001

Current

Quality Wall of Fame1997Singapore Quality Class (SQC)In 1997, NUH was awarded the SingaporeQuality Class (SQC) Business ExcellenceCertification. This award (SQC) recognisesorganisations for their commitment to achievingbusiness excellence. The Business ExcellenceFramework reinforces NUH s commitment to

apply an excellence model to adopt a total approach in managing people,processes and customers to achieve better business results.

2001With a strong commitment to providing smooth, efficient and consistentquality service delivery, our Department of Diagnostic Imaging attained theISO 9001:2000 standards.

2003We are the 1st hospital to achieve the three international standards — ISO9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environmental ManagementSystem) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety ManagementSystem), all at one go and within a year in December 2002.

This means that our integrated Quality, Environmental, Health and Safetymanagement systems are in line with international standards. We will continueto focus on improving our existing processes and systems, to deliver betterquality care and service.

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Quality Culture 34 & 35

2004Joint Commission International (JCI)In recognition of our ongoingcommitment to provide highstandards of patient care, we are the1st hospital in Singapore to be grantedaccredi tat ion f rom the JointCommission International in August2004.

Being accredited with JCI is a recognition of our ongoing commitment toprovide continuous quality patient care. It also affirms that the processesand procedures, which we have put in place, are of international qualitystandards that represent a worldwide consensus on quality patient care andreflects state-of-art healthcare practices and delivery trends.

Singapore Service ClassWe are proud to be the 1st hospital inSingapore to be awarded the prestigiousSingapore Service Class (S-Class). Itreflects our hospital’s pledge towardsservice excellence and recognises ourefforts to provide quality customer careto our patients.

The S-Class membership will also allow us to connect with a network ofleading service-oriented organisations to learn and share best practices.These will help us in our service excellence journey, which benefits ourpatients.

Our Research PhilosophyWe believe that biomedical and clinical research excellence isvital in maintaining NUH s position as a leader at the cutting edgeof medical technology and expertise. Together with the NationalUniversity of Singapore (NUS), our hospital will encourage andfacilitate the development of clinical research.

Our hospital is in a unique position to be a research centre. TheFaculties of Medicine and Dentistry, located within the hospitalpremises, bring along with them a legacy and tradition of clinicaland basic research. Besides our close proximity with the NUS,we are also fortunate to be located in an academic environmentof the other centres of biotechnological research, including theInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the ClinicalResearch Centre. Our Hospital also enjoys close links andcollaborative arrangements with both local and foreign researchcentres.

Healing Heads

In 2003, researchers from NUH and NUS have jointly developed a betterand yet cheaper treatment for patients who have undergone operation ontheir skulls for head injuries.

The core research team has developed a biodegradable mesh-like plasticthat allows the bone tissue to grow and cover the holes in the skull ofpatients who are being operated on. This plastic can be cut into any sizeand is a more natural option as compared to the conventional method ofharvesting a bone from another part of the body or implanting a titaniumplate in the skull. It is also much cheaper — about half the cost of a titaniumplate implant.

Research work is being carried out to determine how this plastic can beused for certain spinal problems as well as to regenerate cartilage. Thereare also plans to extend the use of this research breakthrough to re-growor re-shape the bone in the eye area to benefit accident victims.

Co-ordinating Clinical Research Activities

With the numerous clinical research activities going on within the Hospital,there was a need for a facility to be set up to co-ordinate such activities aswell as epitomise use of resources needed for clinical trials undertaken bythe NUH doctors. In September 1997, we set up The NUH Clinical Trials Unit

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Research Philosophy 36 & 37

(CTU) to primarily meet this need. As a key partner of NUS, the CTU maintainsa strong link with the University and provides a conducive environment forconducting clinical trials.

Partnering With Top Medical College

ON 28 Jun 2004, NUH and NUS officially inked a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) with Christian Medical College (CMC), a top medicalcollege in India. As a strategic partner of NUS and the main facility whereits Faculty of Medicine provides clinical care, NUH strongly supports andendorses this collaboration.

The signing of this MOU allows our hospital and CMC to share and exploredevelopments in patient care, medical research and education. There willalso be opportunities to learn from each other s best practices. Patients fromboth countries will ultimately benefit from this partnership.

Converting Clinical Waste Into Biological Treasure

Together with NUS, our hospital set up a NUH-NUS Tissue Repository (TR) asa central tissue repository supporting research at NUH in 2005. The TR collectsand stores unwanted tissues removed during surgery, and preserves themfor medical research that is aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment

of diseases. This tissue repository aimsto provide medical researchers with highquality samples and data, in a safe,efficient and ethical manners, and tosupport the development of SingaporeTissue Network.

Through research, we bring to our patients, as safely and quickly as possible, treatments on theforefront of responsible medicine. Research is our investment in the care of our patients of todayand tomorrow. Its value is evident in the quality and breadth of research conducted by our doctorsand researchers in the recent years.

Some of our Outstanding Research Achievements1993The Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery was given theAward for the Best Basic Science Research Paperby the Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of NorthAmerica. It gained recognition for its researchwork on the deformities resulting from injury tothe growth plate and methods of transplantationof growth plate tissue to repair such injuries.

1996Dr Euan Murugasu (Dept of Otolaryngology) wasawarded the Master s Gold Medal at the 9th

British Academic Conference in Otolaryngologyand the Inons Registrar s Prize from the JoannaSheldon Prize from the Sussex Medico-ChirurgicalSociety. The awards were for his research indetermining the mechanisms of neural efferentcontrol from the brain in regulating the functioningof the ear and the effects of ototoxic drugs onthe ear.

1997Dr Chong Yap Seng, Dept of Obstetrics andGynaecology, was awarded the YoungInvestigator Award by the Australian and NewZealand Col leges of Obstetr ics andGynaecology for his research paper on thealternative use of misoprostol for post-partumbleeding.

The NUS Medical Faculty was awarded75 research grants from the National MedicalResearch Council and the University AcademicResearch fund of which 60% was given to clinicaldepartments in NUH.

1998Dr Shirley Ooi, Dept of Emergency Medicine,won the Young Investigator s Award from theEmergency Medicine Foundation, USA for herstudy on Troponin-T.

Dr Denise Goh, Dept of Paediatrics, won theYoung Investigator s Award at 9th ASEANPaediatric Federation Conference for her workon The clinical syndrome of birds nest allergyand immunochemical characterisation of theallergen(s) of the edible nest of swiftlets,collocalia SPP .

Dr Kuo I Chun, Dept of Paediatrics, was awardedthe Young Scientist Award at the 2nd NUH — Facultyof Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 1998 forhis work on A novel murine model for airwayinflammation induced by a major dust miteallergen .

Dr Kong Hwai Loong, Medical Oncology Dept,won the National Science and Technology Board

(NSTB) Young Scientist s Award for this research— Suppression of tumour growth throughinhibition of tumour blood vessel formation usinga gene therapy approach .

Dr Jenny Chang, Dept of Medical Oncology, wonthe best poster prize at the 23rd European Societyfor Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress for herposter Germline BRCA1 mutations in young onsetbreast cancer in Singaporean women .

Dr Calvin Fones, Dept of Psychological Medicine,won the first prize in research at the 7th Congressof Asean Federation for Psychiatry and MentalHealth in Selangor, Malaysia.

Dr Aymeric Lim, Dept of Hand and ReconstructiveMicrosurgery, won the Young OrthopaedicInvestigator s Award at the 18t h AseanOrthopaedic Association and 21st SingaporeOrthopaedic Association Meeting. The paper onThe neuromuscular compartments of the flexor

carpi ulnaris was among the best five selectedpapers submitted.

1999A team from the Dept of Paediatrics, Children sMedical Centre, discovered the linkage betweenasthma and atopy, and chromosome 5q.

For leading the research team, Dr Lynette Shek,Dept of Paediatrics, won the 1999 NUH-YoungDoctor s Award at the NUH-Faculty of MedicineAnnual Scientific Meeting.

Dr Tan Gim Huat, Dr Heng Chew Kiat, Dr DanielGoh and Professor Yap Hui Kim of the Dept ofPaediatrics were recognised with the BestPaediatric Paper Award at the 24th Australian andNew Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting onIntensive Care. The team s research sought todetermine the relationship between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokinesand the risk of Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome(MODS) and mortality.

Dr Tan Gim Huat, Dept of Paediatrics, Children sMedical Centre, won the Best Paediatric MedicalPaper award at the 24th Australian and NewZealand Annual Scientific Meeting on IntensiveCare and the 6th Australian and New ZealandPaediatric and Neonatal Intensive CareConference. His research paper on Low HLA-DRexpression on monocytes was predictive ofincreased mortality in critically ill children .

Dr Marion Aw, Dept of Paediatrics, Children sMedical Centre, won the Young Investigator sAward at the 33rd Malaysia-Singapore Congress

of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur for her work oncytokine profiles in paediatric renal transplantrecipients.

Dr Jimmy So, Dept of Surgery, won the YoungSurgeon s Award at the 33rd Annual CombinedSurgical Meeting for his research on expressionof cell cycle regulators p27 and cycline in gastriccarcinoma and its prognostic implication .

Prof Robert Pho, Dept of Hand and ReconstructiveMicrosurgery was awarded Doctor of Medicinedegree from University of Sydney for his workon vascularised fibular graft.

Dr Aymeric Lim, Dept of Hand and ReconstructiveMicrosurgery, won the Young Investigator sAward at the 3rd NUH-Faculty of Medicine AnnualScientific Meeting for his work on Theneuromuscular compartments of the flexor carpiulnaris .

A/Prof Stephen Hsu, Dept of Preventive Dentistry,won the International Association for DentalResearch (IADR)/Colgate Research award inpreventive dentistry , USA, for his research onlaser treatment in preventing tooth decay.

Dr Keson Tan, Dept of Preventive Dentistry, wonthe IADR SEA Division Implantology ResearchAward for the Best Research Paper inImplantology research, at the IADR Division 14th

Annual Scientific Meeting.

Dr Kong Hwai Loong, Head of the Cancer GeneTherapy Laboratory at NUS was awarded theSingapore Youth Award for his contribution tocancer research.

2000Dr Looi Kok Poh won the Annual Scientific MeetingYoung Doctor s Award for his paper on A newtechnique to correct carpal instability due toscapholunate dissociation .

Dr Joyce Lim and A/Prof Yong Eu Leong, Deptof Obstetrics and Gynaecology, won the 2nd prizefor their poster presentation at the InternationalMeeting of the XVIIth Asian and Oceanic Congressof Obstetrics and Gynaecology for their discoveryof a novel molecular mechanism involving theandrogen receptor and a coactivator responsiblefor low sperm counts in a sub-population ofinfertile males.

The Paediatric Orthopaedic Division won the BestBasic Science Research Paper award at the AnnualScientific Meeting for their research Tissueengineering in repair of cartilage defects .

Dr James Hui Ho Po won the Best Basic SciencePoster Award for his poster entitled Efficacy ofcultured mesenchymal stem cells transfer with andwithout periosteal flap, chondroctes, transfer,mosaicplasty and frilling on repair of full thicknessdefects in articular cartilage: an experimental study .

A/Prof Loke Kah Yin, Dept of Paediatric, receivedthe Singapore Youth Awards (Individual), for hisbreakthrough research on the genetics of inheritedadrenal disorders and other achievements in thefield of science and technology.

Dr Lee Yung Seng won the Young Doctor s MeritAward at the 4th Annual Scientific Meeting for hisresearch into the benefits of pamidronate inchildren with Osteogenesis imperfecta.

Dr Gong Wei-Kin, Dept of Paediatric Department,won the Young Doctor s Award at the 4th AnnualScientific Meeting, and the National KidneyFoundation s Young Investigator s Award at the7th Asian Congress of Paediatric Nephrology, forhis study on mononuclear cell 12/5 Lipoxygenaese(LO) GeneActivation: A novel pathogeneticpathway for induction of minimal change nephriticsyndrome .

Dr Marion Aw, Dept of Paediatrics, won the YoungInvestigator Award for her poster presentation atthe First World Congress of PaediatricGastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition forher study on Mycophenolate Mofetil — its use inpaediatric liver transplant .

A/Prof Keng Siong Beng, A/Prof Keson Tan, DrAdrian Yap and Mr Tok Wee Wah won theCraniofacial Biology Prize for the best paper atthe 15th International Association for DentalResearch for thei r research work oncharacterisation of TMJ sounds of normal, clickingcrepitations into different sound wave patterns.

Dr Joyce Lim and A/Prof Yong Eu Leong won arunner-up poster prize at the 2nd combined AnnualMeeting of the Biochemistry and MolecularBiology and Singapore Society of Microbiologyand Biotechnology, for their presentation on theability of mesterolone to compensate for thesuboptimal activity of a mutant androgen receptorat the molecular level.

Dr Chan Poh Chong, Dept of Paediatrics, won BestOral Paper Presentation Award at the 11th Congress,Western Pacific Association of Critical CareMedicine held in Singapore, for his paper on apredictive model of mortality for patients underintensive care.

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Research Philosophy 38 & 39

2001A multi-disciplinary team from the Departmentsof Medicine, Surgery, Medical Oncology andPathology, research efforts into gastric cancershave been awarded a prestigious Poster ofDistinction at the international Digestive DiseaseWeek, San Francisco, USA.

Dr Teo Swee Guan, Cardiac Department wonthe third prize at the Young Investigator Contestat the Singapore Cardiac Society s 14th AnnualScientific Meeting for his work on electron-beamcomputerized tomography (CAT scan).

A/Prof Stephen Hsu, Consultant, PreventiveDentistry, received the Foundation ResearchAward form the American Academy of PaediatricDentistry, USA for his work in using low-energylaser with organic matrix to prevent enamelcaries .

Dr Yong Than Fui, Preventive Dentistry, won theInternational Association for Dental Research SEADivision Travel Award (runner-up) for his researchpresentation on comparison of 3D and 2Dmethods of space assessment .

Dr Allen Yeoh Eng Juh, Children s MedicalInstitute, received the Neustein NovelTechnology Award by the Society of PaediatricPathology, USA, for his project MolecularFingerprinting for Sub-classification in childhoodALL using the affymetrx gene-chip . He was alsoawarded the American Society of HaematologyMerit Award, Florida, for his work on expressionprofiling of Paediatric ALL blasts at diagnosisaccurately predicts both the risk of relapse andof developing therapy induced acute myeloidleukemia .

A/Prof Loke Kah Yin, Children s Medical Institute,was awarded the Best Clinical Service PosterAward at the 5th NUH-NUS Faculty of MedicineAnnual Scientific Meeting, for his work on Threenovel mutations of the CYP21 Gene in congenitaladrenal hyperplasic .

Dr Stacey Tay Kiat Hong was conferred the YoungDoctor s Award at the 5th NUH-NUS Faculty ofMedicine Annual Scientific Meeting for herresearch project a novel approach to detectingpathogenic mutations in duchenne and beckermuscular dystrophy by protein truncation analysisusing transformed lymphocyte cell lines .

Dr Christopher Wynne and Dr ThomasShakespeare of Dept of Haematology-Oncologywon the Best Poster Award at the Royal Australiaand New Zealand College of Radiologist

Scientific Meeting in Melbourne for their jointpaper on Radiation oncology specialist trainingin Singapore .

2002Dr Lee Yung Seng, Children s Medical Institute,won the Young Researcher Award at the 11th

ASEAN Paediatric Federation Conference for hisresearch on obesity genes and the molecularpathogenesis of obesity.

Dr Allen Yeoh, Children s Medical Institute,received the prestigious Singapore Youth Award(Science and Technology) 2003 for his outstandingachievements in the diagnosis and treatment ofacute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

A/Prof Ho Khek Yu, Department of Surgery, wonthe poster of Distinction at the World Congressof Gastroenterology, for his paper entitled CurryReduces Symptoms Threshold to GastricDistension Following Water Ingestion .

Dr Allen Yeoh Eng Juh, Children s Medical Institute,received the NUS Young Investigator Award forhis research Bioldiscovery and development ofDNA and proteomic diagnosis biochips inchildhood ALL .

A/Prof Loke Kah Yin, Children s Medical Institute,was given an award at the Haridas Memoriallecture of the Singapore Paediatric Society forhis project molecular characterisation of theCYP21 gene for congenital adrenal hyperplasiain Singapore .

Dr Chng Seo Yi, Children s Medical Institute, whowas the winner of the Lung and Childhood YoungInvestigator Award at the 5th InternationalCongress on Paediatric Pulmonology held inFrance, for her paper, Prevalence and factorsassociated with snoring and Obstructive sleepapnea syndrome in Asian Primary Schoolchildren .

Dr Dawn Lim Li-Chen, Children s Medical Institute,was awarded the Travel Grant at the 58th AnnualMeeting of the American Academy of Allergy,Asthma and Immunology in New York, USA, forher work on Pattern of sensitisation to BlomiaTropicalis and its recombination allergens in fourtropical Asian populations .

Nurse Foong Pei Pei was awarded theInternational Society for Peritoneal Dialysis Awardfor the Best Submitted Paediatric abstract by anon-physician (Florida, USA) for her paper Apaediatric renal nurse specialist is critical in the

optimal management of children on chronicperitoneal dialysis .

2003Dr Allen Yeoh, The Children s Medical Institute,and his team from the Institute of InfocommResearch clinched the Gold Award at the 6th AsiaInnovation Awards 2003, for their work indeveloping a simple diagnostic kit to detectAcute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in children.

2004Dr Chng Wee Joo (Dept of Haematology-Oncology) and Dr Alphonsus Chong Khin Sze(Dept of Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery),clinched two out of the four 2004 A*STAR(Agency for Science, Technology and Research)International Fellowships. The winners alsoreceived the prestigious Scholarship Award fromDr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State, MTI &MND at the A*STAR Scholarships AwardCeremony 2004.

A/Prof Lim Thiam Chye (Senior Consultant, Deptof Surgery), Dr Chou Ning (Consultant, Dept ofSurgery) and team won a Gold at the prestigious7th Asian Innovation Awards, for creating creativeways of improving the lives of neurosurgerypatients.

This project has also bagged another win at theprestigious Engineering Achievement Awards2004 organised by the Institution of Engineers,Singapore (IES).

Ms Foong Pei Pei, Shaw-NKF Children’s KidneyCentre, CMI, won the Best Oral PresentationAward — Nursing at the NHG Annual ScientificCongress for her abstract titled Algorithm toAchieve Prescribed Dialysis Adequacy Targetsfor Non-compliant children on AutomatedPeritoneal Dialysis (APD) .

Dr Narasimhan Kothandaraman, Department ofObstetrics and Gynaecology, won the Best OralPresentation Award at the NHG Annual ScientificCongress, for his abstract titled Early DetectionOf Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Using A ProteomicsBased Protein Profiling Approach Combined WithA Novel Selection Strategy.

2005Dr Goh Boon Cher, Hematology-Oncology, TheCancer Institute@NUH and Prof Yong Eu Leong,Director of Research, NUH & Senior Consultant,Obstetrics and Gynaecology, NUH were therecipients of the inaugural Clinician-ScientistInvestigator (CSI) Award, Category A: SeniorClinician-Scientists.

Dr Lynette Shek, Consultant, Children’s MedicalInstitute, NUH and Dr Allen Yeoh, Consultant,Children’s Medical Institute, NUH were recipientsof the inaugural CSI Award, Category B: JuniorClinician-Scientists.

Dr Sudhakar Venkatesh, Assoc Consultant, andA/Prof Wang Shih Chang, of the Dept of DiagnosticImaging at NUH and Diagnostic Radiology at NUS,won the Best Scientific Paper Award (Chest section)at the European Congress of Radiology 2005 fortheir winning paper on Severity Assessment &Quantification of Pulmonary Embolism with CTPulmonary Angiography as Predictors Of PatientOutcome .

The Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) of theAgency for Science, Technology and Research(A*Star) has dished out $48.2 million in its third andlatest Grant Call to 74 biomedical projects. Thebiggest grant of $3.5 million went to A/Prof YeohKhay Guan at the National University of Singaporeand National University Hospital. He is workingon the identification of novel biomarkers for thescreening of stomach cancer in Singapore.

The A*Star Research Grant awardees from NUHwere A/Prof Mahesh Choolani (Dept of Obstetrics& Gynaecology), A/Prof James Hui (Dept ofOrthopaedic Surgery), Dr Lynne Lim (ENTDepartment), A/Prof Wong Hee Kit (Dept ofOrthopaedic Surgery), A/Prof Yap Hui Kim (Deptof Paediatrics) and A/P Yong Eu Leong (Dept ofObstetrics & Gynaecology).

Professor Yong Eu Leong, Dept of Obstetrics &Gynaecology, was given the inaugural Clinician-Scientist Investigator (CSI) award for his researchon The link between molecular genetics and humaninfertility, prostate cancer and sexual ambiguity .

Dr Goh Boon Cher, Dept of HaematologyOncology, Division of Medical Oncology, wasgiven the inaugural Clinician-Scientist Investigator(CSI) award for his research on How the differentAsian ethnic groups respond to the toxic levelsin chemotherapy .

Dr Alleh Yeoh, Dept of Paediatrics, was given theinaugural Clinician-Scientist Investigator (CSI) awardfor his research on How to accurately predictchildhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, themost common cancer in children .

Dr Lynette Shek, Dept of Paediatrics, was giventhe inaugural Clinician-Scientist Investigator (CSI)award for her research on To find out causes ofchildhood allergies such as asthma and how toprevent them .

Our Learning & Teaching CultureNUH supports clinical teaching for medical students through its strong partnership withthe Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore. With a tradition steeped inteaching, the early goal at NUH was to inspire and instruct medical students and doctorsin training. The diversity of clinical problems seen at NUH and the opportunity toparticipate in a multi-disciplinary group practice of medicine, provide an ideal learningand teaching environment. That charge has expanded over the years to include formaltraining programmes and continuing medical education programmes not only fordoctors but other healthcare professionals in our hospital.

The Japanese origami crane is a well-known symbol of peaceand health. Legend depicts that a crane lives for a thousandyears and anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes willhave their heart’s desire come true. Folded cranes are also givento people who are unwell to wish them a quick recovery.

The legend was dramatised in the true story of Sadako & theOne Thousand Paper Cranes, and has been used by educatorsworldwide to teach children about the power of the individualto create change and values that are cherished by all cultures.

NUH 20th Anniversary Commemorative Book | Our Learning & Teaching Culture 40 & 41

Training the Doctors of Tomorrow

Recognising that continuing education is the key to delivering the highestquality of care to our patients, we continue to build on a structuredpostgraduate training programme for basic and advanced trainers to ensurea high level of professionalism in our doctors.

Some of our programmes include weekly Grand Rounds where doctorsshare new trends in clinical medicine, impart clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills and foster development of professional and ethical attitudes;the Evidenced-based Medicine (EBM) Committee to raise the level of awarenessof and develop EBM clinical guidelines; and the GP Training Committee toempower our GP partners to participate in providing integrated andseamless healthcare through co-ordinated Continuing Medical Education(CME) and Shared Care programmes. The Hospital also holds Annual ScientificMeetings (ASM) to provide a platform for young doctors and scientists topresent the best of their academic and research activities. Gathering medicalprofessionals from Singapore and around the world, the ASM provides anideal base for presenting the latest research findings and forming networks.As we learn from and teach our counterparts both locally and internationally,we hope to work towards the resolution of the complex problems in clinicalpractice.

NUH recognises that it must keep abreast of the latest medical advancesin the local and international arena. Thus, our doctors through the sponsorshipof the hospital, regularly participate in conferences locally and overseas,and attend training in internationally recognised centres to undergo sub-specialisation.

Training Healthcare Professionals for the Future

Training activities are not confined to clinicians and medical students butextended to all staff. Nursing, paramedical and administrative staff are alsogiven the opportunity to upgrade themselves to better serve the needs ofpatients.

Staff at NUH attend relevant development programmes conducted in-house,locally and overseas. Overseas programmes include attachments withhospitals or tertiary institutions in other countries. These learning opportunitiesallow staff to acquire knowledge of leading medical technologies in diseasemanagement.

In addition, staff are trained in continuous improvement skills (such as ClinicalPractice Improvement Programme, Plan-Do-Check-Action, and Six Sigma)and LeaderONE programmes, which aim to empower and equip staff withthe necessary skills to take responsibility and initiate change at every levelfor better services and for clinical competence.