Healthcare professionals honoured for teaching, work with children

SINGAPORE — On top of caring for patients, Professor Lim Shih Hui is also a firm believer in lifelong learning, a trait that has led him to take on the role of an educator.

For his efforts in inspiring and influencing medical students, junior doctors and specialists, Prof Lim, 57, was yesterday presented with the National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award at the 2015 National Medical Excellence Awards ceremony.

“There is more than (just) medicine in my life. Doctors don’t just treat patients; we do one or two more things, such as education, research and/or administration,” the senior consultant at the National Neuroscience Institute told TODAY.

Back in the 1990s, Prof Lim was one of the few Western-medicine-trained doctors to take up an acupuncture course at the Singapore Acupuncture Association, after he was appointed vice-chairman of the Acupuncture Research Committee at the Ministry of Health (MOH) .

To enhance his understanding of acupuncture, he bought various English and Chinese books on the subject, as well as consulted several senior acupuncturists, both locally and from China.

After receiving his acupuncture licence, Prof Lim set up an acupuncture unit at the Singapore General Hospital.

One of the many things he discovered during his two-year study was that an acupuncture point on the outer side of a patient’s little toes can be used to treat poor vision — a finding that has been supported by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

As an educator, Prof Lim said he values the process of learning through teaching. He believes that it is through explaining a concept to a student that an educator is able to learn the most, as he is required to first understand the subject thoroughly.

“The objective of education is learning, not teaching, though teaching is one of the important methods of learning,” said Prof Lim, who is also group director of education at SingHealth and master of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

He added: “(I have learnt) more after graduation and in practice as a doctor, compared with my years in medical school.”

The award Prof Lim received last night was among several given out by the MOH to honour healthcare professionals who have made significant contributions in areas such as innovation in healthcare, patient safety, biomedical research, as well as mentoring and education of clinicians.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who presented the awards at the ceremony, which was held at Shangri-La Hotel, said: “At its heart, healthcare is delivered by dedicated professionals who contribute in various roles to achieve the best care outcomes and inspire younger colleagues.

“We will have to continue to transform the way we deliver care to the community, to stay in line with changes in Singapore’s demography and health needs.”

This year, the National Clinical Excellence Team Award was given to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s (KKH) department of child

development.

Between 2006 and 2008, the team worked on a pilot project, known now as the Developmental Support Programme (DSP), to provide learning support to pre-schoolers with mild developmental delays.

Under this programme, which is offered in more than 300 pre-schools, experienced early childhood educators are trained and equipped to be learning support educators (LSEds), with the ability to detect early signs of developmental delays in children, in the areas of language development, literacy, motor skills, social skills and behaviour. A child’s needs are evaluated by LSEds, with the help of medical professionals, and suitable intervention programmes are then recommended for the child.

The DSP, which was previously funded by the MOH, is now supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

The programme is slated to be made available to 1,200 pre-schools and childcare centres in Singapore over the next three to five years.

A member of the KKH team, Dr Sylvia Choo, who is senior consultant of the child development department, said: “The majority of the parents, pre-school teachers and preschool centre supervisors gave positive feedback on the programme.”

The DSP has seen some success. Children who have gone through the programme have shown more self-confidence, and their parents and teachers now have greater knowledge on how to optimise their child’s developmental and learning potential.

Dr Choo added: “We are heartened by the recognition that good clinical practice is being translated beyond our hospital doors into the community, and that the community has played a significant role in informing and shaping policies for our landscape.”

OTHER RECIPIENTS

*National Outstanding Clinician Award: Professor Tan Puay Hoon

*National Outstanding Scientist Award: Associate Professor Tai E Shyong

*National Outstanding Clinician Mentor: Adjunct Professor Koh Tian Hai and Professor Lee Chuen Neng

*National Outstanding Clinical Quality Champion Award: Associate Professor Thomas Chee Swee Guan and Associate Professor James Yip

*National Clinical Excellence Team Award: Associate Professor Lim Sok Bee, Dr Sylvia Choo Henn Tean, Mr Tang Hui Nee and Ms Oh Shujun