Professor Judyth Sachs, Chair of Academic Board, The University of Sydney;

Mr V. Maheantharan, Member of SIM Governing Council;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good afternoon

Thank you for inviting me to this year’s SIM-University of Sydney Graduation Ceremony. I would like to congratulate all the graduands on their achievements. We are also here to acknowledge the family and friends of our graduands for supporting them in their quest for knowledge and professional achievement.

Singapore's medical standards are amongst the highest in Asia. As we develop into a regional centre for medical excellence, we will focus on a integrated approach that includes strong R&D, leading-edge services and products, and the nurture of world-class medical professionals. But today, many pressure points affect the profession. With the proliferation of new business models, managed care requires constant attention to bottom lines. Patient attitudes have changed. This is bolstered partly by widespread medical and technical information on the Net. At the same time, rapid medical advancements continue to outstrip physicians’ ability to keep pace with the latest protocols. You will find that there are many occasions when patients and your students know more about a particular topic than you do. These are inevitable realities in the light of increased demand and intensified cost thresholds.

The health industry, like all other people-oriented sectors, will be serving a different generation of people, who are affluent, highly informed and tech-savvy. The prevalence of a sophisticated public in Singapore has led to rising customer expectations. Our patients are now more proactive. They demand and expect to work together with us as partners in managing their health. They measure the service qualities and standards of healthcare providers according to those set by other industries. Health organisations therefore need to rethink the ways they render their services and conduct business. The nature of the relationship has changed.

But while technology and science continue to alter medical procedures and techniques, health care at its core remains a high-touch profession. Care is provided by people, not technology, buildings or drugs. Technology and science cannot replace the need for healing relationships. Healthcare professionals need to continue nurturing and enhancing their capacity to communicate and care. New approaches to care giving involving specialised rehabilitation and user-friendly equipment have enormously benefited the lives of many disabled, ill and infirm individuals. But we need to do more to ensure that today's developments in laboratory and medical science will lead correspondingly to new developments in patient care.

Effective communication is vital for the caregiver-patient relationship to be truly therapeutic. In my experience, more medico-legal problems arise due to poor communication rather than poor treatment. Research studies have consistently shown that caregivers tend not to communicate effectively with patients. Caregivers focus more on running wards than on skilled and thoughtful therapeutic interaction with patients. There is also the need for caregivers to check their attitude as it influences the way they view patients and people in general. A pivotal element lies in the development of the patient-caregiver relationship as a creative partnership. Increasingly, healthcare professionals will need to work ever more closely with their patients to explore the best treatment that best meets their needs. Patients and users have already begun to demand a stronger voice in the way they are being treated and cared for.

In the light of these developments, trends and issues, we are reminded by Plato, who declared that "the error…in the treatment of the human body (is) that physicians separate the soul from the body." The call for medical and healthcare professionals today is to be healers of both body and soul. Science and technology can treat the former. Compassion, empathy, understanding and communication are essential for the latter.

Ultimately, the education of tomorrow's healthcare professionals will determine their competence in total patient care. There is a greater need today for healthcare providers to train their professionals in critical human skills and intuitive abilities to complement their scientific and technical expertise. The blending of both hard and soft skills will make healthcare professionals more sensitive. They will be enabled to better understand holistic human needs that make for stronger therapeutic relationships with their patients.

I am pleased that our graduands today have sought to better equip themselves for deeper challenges ahead. You are valuable members of a vital and dynamic industry and I am confident that you will excel in your chosen fields. I commend your perseverance in successfully managing work and family commitments to achieve this important milestone in your life. And I am confident that beyond the knowledge and skills acquired, you would also be instrumental in becoming catalysts for the healing of the "souls" under your care. I am proud of your dedication to a very noble profession and I wish you a fulfilling career ahead as you re-dedicate yourself to healing and caring for your fellow human beings.

Thank you.

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