Singapore Health Quality Service Award winners 2019

Dr Ngu Chi Yong
Superstar Award
Consultant, Department of Surgery and Chairman, Morbidity and Mortality Committee
Changi General Hospital

Dr Ngu has been instrumental in championing and developing various programmes and surgical techniques, thanks to his dedication and commitment to providing patients with the best care possible.

In 2014, he championed the Enhanced Recovery Programme (ERP), which results in faster recovery time and fewer complications for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. The programme effectively shortened the average length of stay in hospital from 7 to just 4 days, and lowered complication rates by more than 50 per cent. This also resulted in fewer unplanned readmissions and improved patient satisfaction.

Working with a dedicated team of nurses and anaesthetists, Dr Ngu has also introduced methods to optimise the recovery of patients after colorectal surgery. These include pre-operative counselling, selective bowel preparation, goal-directed fluid therapy and early post-operative feeding and ambulation.

Outside of his official duties, Dr Ngu participates actively in humanitarian efforts overseas, such as a mission trip in 2016 to perform hernia surgery in Bangladesh. He also contributes to medical journals and is on the Reviewer and Editorial boards of several scientific journals. He received the Outstanding Reviewer Award by the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports in 2015, and the Reviewer Recognition Award by the Singapore Medical Journal in 2016.

Dr Ngu is a firm believer in knowledge-sharing and skills transfer, and trains his juniors not only to improve their surgical management and bedside manners, but also to be meticulous and professional.

                                                                       #     #     #     #     #

Assoc Prof Tan Heng Hao
Superstar Award
Head & Senior Consultant, Department of Reproductive Medicine
Deputy Chairman, Division of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Director, KKIVF Centre & National Sperm Bank
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

As Head or the In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Centre at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKIVF), Prof Tan has been journeying for over two decades with couples who have difficulty conceiving.

While the treatment outcome is important, Prof Tan believes that it is secondary to the support and care that the medical team provides to the couples during the process.

“There are couples who feel like giving up due to self-doubt. It is important for us to spend time to understand their fears and encourage them to press on, no matter how slim the chances are. Most feel regret because they perceive that they have not tried hard enough,” shares Prof Tan. 

Under Prof Tan’s leadership, the KKIVF Centre achieved improved implantation rates and reduced multiple pregnancy rates by actively identifying and encouraging suitable couples to undergo single-embryo transfers. Prof Tan also spearheaded a successful project in 2017 to reduce no-show rates for start of IVF cycle appointments – the default rate was reduced from a high of 37% in some months to an average of 12% in 2018. This improved the average waiting time for an appointment from 6 months to just one month.

Prof Tan is also a passionate and nurturing educator. Since 2008, he has been actively involved in the development of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) curriculum for Duke-NUS Medical School and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. In 2018, he was voted one of the Top 10 NUS Clinical Faculty Teachers, a testament to the impact he has on his students and his outstanding contributions as an educator.

                                                                       #     #     #     #     #

Adele Woon Pei Ning
Superstar Award
Senior Staff Nurse
National Cancer Centre Singapore

As an oncology nurse at the Ambulatory Treatment Unit at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Adele is responsible for administering chemotherapy to treat patients with cancer. To continuously improve and improve care outcomes for her patients, Adele also actively participates in multiple research and quality improvement projects.

Outside of work, Adele is currently pursuing a Masters in Nursing at the National University of Singapore to advance her knowledge to be a better clinician. She also finds fulfilment as an active volunteer with local and overseas humanitarian organisations, such as the Children’s Cancer Foundation and HealthServe, a non-profit organisation set up to provide medical care to migrant workers. At HealthServe, she performs basic nursing tasks such as wound dressing, blood taking, medication administration and dispensation.

“I’m happy to contribute in my own little way, even if it makes just a small impact in peoples’ lives,” she says.

                                                                       #     #     #     #     #

Ooi Shi Yang, Jess
Superstar Award
Senior Patient Service Associate
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Jess is part of the care team that looks after patients with scoliosis. Most are children and teenagers as scoliosis is a condition which causes sideways curvature of the spine that occurs most often during a child’s growth spurt just before puberty. With her caring and warm personality, Jess has built many close relationships with her young patients and their caregivers.

Having worked with many patients over the past 14 years, Jess is keenly aware of the concerns and worries patients and their familiar may have, and takes the initiative to try to allay their concerns to the best of her ability. After observing that patients scheduled for surgery feel more assured when they speak to patients who are already recovering from surgery, she was inspired to make a change and schedule clinic visits for pre-op and post-op patients to take place around the same time, giving them the opportunity to speak to each other and share their experiences.

Jess has no doubt that being in healthcare is her true calling. “Although I have been in this job for more than 10 years, I feel just as passionate about the work as I did on my first day!” she quips.

The Singapore Health Quality Service Award is Singapore’s first dedicated platform to honour healthcare professionals who have delivered quality care and excellent service to patients.