This week has been significant in our organization as it marks the tenth anniversary visit of our Singapore partners the National Healthcare Group.
The visit was memorable as it reinforced the strength of the partnership we have had with our good friends over the past decade and gave rise discussions which in turn created new opportunities for collaboration in other areas of telehealth.
10 years ago the first delegation from NHGD visited our little office and this wonderful relationship was born. It was followed by several other visits by other delegations, and several visits on our part to Singapore, on the first of which we were honoured to be introduced to their visionary health minister Mr Khaw, whose support and encouragement led to this landmark partnership – TRS was the first organization outside of Singapore to be accredited by the Singapore’s Ministry of health.
A hallmark of the collaboration has been its focus on quality and academics. In keeping with this Prof Lenny Tan, who is widely considered to be the father of Interventional Radiology in Singapore delivered an outstanding lecture on the Management of Malperfusion Syndromes in Aortic Dissection at our auditorium during the visit. A gilded orchid was presented to us by our friends, and joins other mementoes of our relationship on our Singapore wall which occupies pride of place in our office lobby.
Another far more significant milestone earlier this week was the passing of the passing of a giant in Singapore’s history – Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, and later the Minister Mentor. He was a great and strong leader who proved to all Asians what we are capable of achieving with discipline and integrity. In this manner he has been an inspiration to all of us everywhere in Asia. In his book Asian Tigers, he analyzes with remarkable insight the similarities and differences that the financial powers of Asia including Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong possess that enables them to achieve what they have.
We were greatly honoured by Mr Lee mentioning us in a speech in Parliament back in 2006. In his words at the time ” In Singapore… 98% of X-rays, which are now read in India, are turned around within one hour. This is a tremendous improvement over past practice where patients had to wait 2-3 days and comes at much lower costs. Their quality of X-ray reading is excellent.”
In our relationship with NHGD over the past decade we have come to recognize and respect those same levels of discipline and fortitude in the organization that Mr Lee stood for, as he has imbued generations of Singaporeans with his uncompromising values and work ethic.
May Mr Lee’s soul rest in eternal peace.
And may our partnership with NHGD endure and flourish for many more decades!