Mr. Anil Thadani
Chairman, Parkway Holdings Limited

Mrs. Nellie Tang
General Manager, Mount Elizabeth Hospital

Dr Alex Ooi
Chairman Organizing Committee

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

From the time that Mount Elizabeth Hospital was opened some three decades ago, it has been at the forefront of many of the developments in the private hospital sector.

For example, neurosurgical and cardiothoracic care were first introduced in the private sector in the 1980s at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. The hospital carried out the first cardiomyoplasty in Singapore as a therapy for heart failure. Mount Elizabeth Hospital also pioneered the use of health care assistants in the 1980s to allow for a more efficient and effective staff mix and trained its nurses to perform simple medical procedures like venepuncture and intravenous canulation.

More than just providing personalized clinical care to patients, all the private hospitals as a group have also been committed supporters of quality improvement systems in the acute care hospital setting. These help to provide hospitals with data and tools upon which quality improvement efforts can be based.

In spite of the current difficult economic climate, the fact that the private hospitals are wholeheartedly supporting these programmes is very commendable. By this, they have shown their commitment to the patients they serve and their desire to continually improve on care processes and outcomes.

The quality of care which is delivered to our patients is also dependent on the medical professionals and the hospital keeping up with advances in patient care.

Accordingly, I am happy to note that the private hospital sector has had a long tradition of organizing and hosting regular scientific meetings, medical conferences and continuing professional education activities. And it is not just the hospital professionals that benefit. It is in fact not unusual to see many general practitioners coming to the hospital for lunchtime continuing medical education sessions. In this regard, Mount Elizabeth is to be commended for its efforts in bringing together the primary and secondary care professional communities through its range of training activities.

Turning to advances in therapeutics and care, the private hospital sector has also created its own platforms for its doctors to advance the treatment of disease through innovation and the use of the latest technology. Minimal access surgery is one example of this where support by the private hospitals has allowed this subspecialty to develop rapidly. I am told that Mt Elizabeth Hospital will be opening two new state-of-the-art operating theatres – these will help ensure that the hospital’s patients are managed in well-equipped facilities. I congratulate the management of Mt Elizabeth Hospital on these initiatives to keep Mt Elizabeth hospital at the cutting edge of surgical advances. This will ensure that Mt Elizabeth continues to remain the premier hospital in the region and the hospital of choice for the rich and famous in Asia.

The ERC Services sub-committee has made wide-ranging recommendations to revitalize and develop the healthcare sector. When these measures are implemented, we expect the healthcare sector along with the other service sectors to be one of the growth engines of the Singapore economy. The healthcare sector will then attract new investments and create new jobs. This is therefore an exciting time of opportunities for everyone in the healthcare sector – doctors, nurses, hospital management, and healthcare sector investors.

To conclude, I would like to once again congratulate Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s Annual Clinical Meeting and Seminar organizing committee for organizing this meeting and creating opportunities for hospital staff and medical professionals to share and exchange new knowledge and ideas. When the people in any organization develop and grow, so too will the organization as a whole. With this, I wish all of you a fruitful time of learning and interaction.

Thank you.

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