~ The annual visit is a tradition led by NTUC to spread festive cheers to workers ~
Showing Appreciation to Healthcare Workers During the Lunar New Year Festivities
Expressing appreciation to Singapore’s healthcare workers for their dedication in providing essential services during Lunar New Year (LNY), Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong and Madam Ho Ching joined Labour Movement leaders in visiting some 60 healthcare workers at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) this morning. They were accompanied by NTUC President and Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) President K Thanaletchimi, NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng, HSEU union leaders and management representatives from NTFGH and JCH.
During the visit, PM Lee engaged with and distributed LNY gift bags to allied health professionals, doctors and nurses across diverse clinical specialties, as well as ancillary staff. Each bag contained a pair of mandarin oranges and a red packet from NTUC, along with chips and a portable tea pot set provided by Madam Ho. Organised by NTUC and HSEU this year, the visit was hosted by Dr Quek Lit Sin, Chief Executive Officer and his team at NTFGH, a unionised public hospital under HSEU.
At NTFGH, NTUC Secretary-General Mr Ng Chee Meng said, “This Lunar New Year, we acknowledge and appreciate our healthcare workers who tirelessly provide care
for Singaporeans amid the festivities. As the healthcare sector evolves1 , the demand for skilled workers will increase. Thus, it is critical to embrace technologies to elevate the role of healthcare workers. I’m glad that Ng Teng Fong General Hospital has been working closely with Healthcare Services Employees’ Union on Company Training Committee (CTC) project to enhance workers’ skills for better wages, welfare and work prospects.”
Improving Wages, Welfare and Work Prospects for Healthcare Workers through NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC)
Since partnering with HSEU to establish a CTC in August 2019, NTFGH has been in talks with NTUC and the union to develop two projects. As part of the LNY visit, PM Lee learned how these projects, namely: Inventory Management System in Perioperative Services; and VitalScout smart monitoring, can help to enhance work processes and increase productivity of nurses at NTFGH by using technology. The projects aim to leverage the CTC Grant2 , administered by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), to raise productivity, redesign jobs and improve workers’ wages, welfare and work prospects through enterprise transformation.
With the inventory management system set to launch in 2024, NTFGH envisions improved efficiency in inventory monitoring and streamlined processes. The new system will eliminate the need for nurses to manually monitor inventory and free up their time to focus more on clinical work. It will not only reduce time spent on non-clinical tasks, but also allow them to upskill and focus on higher-value tasks by using the new system, thus, enhancing overall productivity.
The VitalScout smart monitoring project will leverage Internet of Things (IOT) to reduce labour-intensive tasks and empower nursing professionals to prioritise clinical and bedside care. It encompasses the automation of vital signs monitoring using patient wearables integrated with Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR).
Refer to the Annex for more information on the above projects.
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Chief Nurse Ms Ng Sow Chun, said, “As healthcare workers, we have seen the various challenges brought about by COVID-19. As we emerge from the pandemic, we are continually looking into how to leverage innovation and technology to improve processes, which will in turn enhance patient care and safety. Projects like the Inventory Management System in Perioperative Services and the VitalScout wearable featuring wireless vital signs monitoring will save a substantial amount of nurses’ time, freeing them up for direct patient care and other duties which require their nursing expertise. We recognise the value these projects bring, and will share them with our counterparts for future adoption to benefit more nurses.”
[1] Ministry of Health, Launch of Healthcare Industry Transformation Map 2023, 26 Jul 2023 https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/launch-of-healthcare-industry-transformation-map-2025
[2] The NTUC CTC Grant provides funding support of up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost for each project.
