MASTER'S MESSAGE 

18 December 2015

Dear Fellow Academicians
 
As we reach the close of another busy and fruitful year, I would like to thank one and all for your fellowship and support as we made steady and significant progress towards fulfilling our profession’s vision and mission.
 

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones an enjoyable holiday season and a wonderful year for 2016.
 

To wrap up 2015, I am pleased to highlight several key events which took place in the last few months.

The Academy Council continued our dialogue programme with the Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH), to ensure that our profession stays engaged in supporting the national healthcare agenda. 

This round, the Council hosted Mr Ng Chee Khern, Second Permanent Secretary (Health) to our Dinner and Dialogue session on 28 October 2015.  The lively and engaging dialogue centred on the following topics:
 

•  Developments of the Academy
•  Maintenance of Competency (MOC)
•  Professional Opinions and Feedback to MOH
•  New Home for the Academy
 

Mr Ng shared his view that the relationship between the government and professional bodies will need to synergise to a different level where both parties work together to increase the nation’s standards and capability.  He also welcomed the Academy’s idea of a structured life-long learning for the specialists’ profession and commended the Academy’s passion and vision in this pursuit.  He upheld that the Ministry will find it worthwhile to work with the Academy that demonstrates standards and professionalism, and contributes valuably to the medical community.

On behalf of the Council, I am grateful to Mr Ng for taking time off his busy schedule to hear our strategic plans and directions and to share his insightful views and opinions.  Moving forward, the Council aims to increase the dialogue frequency as we view regular dialogues with MOH to be constructive in enabling the Academy to play a more active role in maintaining Singapore’s healthcare standard.
 

The College of Surgeons, Singapore held its Lectureship Dinner on 2 October at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.  Dr Lam Pin Min, Minister of State for Health, Ministry of Health, Singapore, graced the occasion as Guest-of-Honour.  The message he addressed is worth recounting to all. “[M]edical excellence does not necessarily mean using the latest gadgets on the market; medical excellence also comes from having an integrated, patient-centric healthcare system with a focus on clinical quality, run by well-trained healthcare professionals, that delivers consistently good outcomes”. 
 

The evening was privileged to have the 10th College of Surgeons Lecture delivered by Professor Lee Seng Teik, Emeritus Consultant, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, Singapore General Hospital.  Professor Lee shared an insightful and enlightening perspective on ‘Altruism in Medicine – A Personal Odyssey’.  This is the second time Professor Lee had been invited to deliver the Lectureship; he was the first speaker when the College started the Lectureship in 1990 to recognise eminent surgeons.

The evening’s highlights also featured the 20th Yahya Cohen Memorial Lecture where Dr Wong Chin Ho, Consultant, W Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, gave an excellent lecture on ‘Early Diagnosis of Necrotizing Fasciitis’.
 

It was a great evening for learning, exchanges and fellowship and I congratulate the College Council for putting together yet another outstanding lectureship programme.
 

I am pleased to report that the Academy, along with the Colleges and Chapters, has approved 147 FAMS applications this year.  With the addition of 2015 numbers, our membership strength now stands at 3,213.
 

As 2015 draws to a close, the Academy and its Colleges will share and summarise the year’s progress and achievements along with the Financial Statements in the Annual Report 2015.  The publication will be made available online to all before the next Annual General Meeting.
 

Meantime, I encourage you to keep up with our news and updates through the websites of the Academy and its Colleges.

As a prelude to the New Year, I would like to invite you to attend the following events of the Academy in the first half of 2016:-

•  Chinese New Year Open-House Celebration (18 February, 6pm @ AMS) 
•  Induction Comitia (23 April, 2pm @ NUHS Auditorium)
•  38th AMS Annual General Meeting (11 June, 2pm @ AMS)  

Please mark these dates in your calendar as the Academy will send official announcement to all in due course.
 

In reflection, I am grateful for the contribution and support of many Council members and countless Fellow Academicians.  It is your hard work, leadership and resolve that have kept the Academy and its mission buoyant amidst the many challenges in a changing landscape.  Looking ahead, we can expect the pace of transformation in healthcare to stay unrelenting and as well demanding, but we must remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold our honourable profession and high standards.
 

As we cross over to another year, here’s wishing all Happy Holidays and a good year ahead.

Best Wishes

Dr Lim Shih Hui
Master
Email: master@ams.edu.sg

 

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