SINGAPORE — Growing up, Mr S B Viknesan always had a certain bias against those who struggled with addiction problems. He labelled and dismissed them as “people who cannot kick their bad habits”.

But when he began doing social work at the SINDA (Singapore Indian Development Association) Family Service Centre, Mr Viknesan started to reflect on his ill-considered perception of addicts. Today, he is a senior counsellor in the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health.

Yesterday, Mr Viknesan and 107 other National Healthcare Group (NHG) professionals were recognised for their excellence in teaching and mentoring in areas such as clinical and pharmacy services, for seeking to impart their knowledge to their juniors and fellow workers.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Professor Chee Yam Cheng, Group chief executive officer of NHG, said: “We know a very special group of heroes who have nurtured our workers and brought out the best in us. We want to recognise their commitment and extraordinary efforts.”

Mr Viknesan said the work frustrated him in the beginning because he was unable to help, much less understand, families who suffered from addiction-related problems.

“I was so ignorant back then and incompetent to help the families, because of my lack of knowledge of their conditions,” said the 41-year-old.

“I realised (addiction) is not a bad habit; it is people who have illnesses. We must understand that it is not a bad person trying to be good, but a sick person with a disorder who is trying to get better.”

For the past 11 years, Mr Viknesan has helped numerous addicts overcome their problems. He has also been teaching other healthcare professionals, such as doctors, a technique called motivational interviewing to help them engage and help their clients.

“Many doctors are skilled in diagnosing their patients, but sometimes, they just need to spend time and understand the patients’ personal struggles. This is very important,” he said.

Another recipient of the award was Dr Win Mar Kyaw, a senior epidemiologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital who has taught medical students preventive measures against the transmission of infection.

Dr Win, 40, was involved in the 2009 H1N1 outbreak and other healthcare emergencies.

“I am so glad to have received the award, in appreciation of all the hard work in training my juniors for the past few years,” she said. Paul Lim