106th Anniversary Celebration and Community Care Day

On 3 December 2016, an enthusiastic crowd of over 500 people turned up at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) to join in the celebration of its 106^th Anniversary and Community Care Day.

Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, was the Guest-of-Honour for the event. In his speech, Mr Gan acknowledged KWSH’s role in caring for our seniors. Among the numerous plans which are already in the pipeline, Minister Gan elaborated on the upcoming Active Ageing Hubs (AAH) that will be set up by KWSH, thereby expanding the scope of KWSH’s services by going beyond its nursing home halls into the community.

This new AAH initiative where KWSH is taking the lead to set up the first AAH in the Kallang/Whampoa area, will integrate programmes and care services for the elderly residents within new housing developments. They will enable the elderly to stay active, healthy and connected with the community through a series of exercise routines, as well as educational workshops covering elderly-friendly topics such as health monitoring and assisted living.

In addition to sharing the AAH plans, Mr Gan also toured an exhibition which unveiled the latest plans for the redevelopment project at KWSH, before joining the residents and guests at the lively and bustling carnival.

There was also good news in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) field as KWSH entered into a partnership with the Academy of Chinese Medicine, Singapore (ACMS) with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two organisations. The partnership will focus on TCM research studies and training programmes for TCM physicians. Through collaborations on areas such as clinical studies and mentorship programmes, the MOU will not only expand KWSH’s TCM services in outpatient services and multi-disciplinary inpatient care, but at the same time benefit the local TCM industry by enhancing the capacity and capability of TCM physicians.

Moving on to the celebrations, one of the highlights was when residents of KWSH, together with its staff, put up an impressive drum performance to welcome the guests. The performing residents had been looking forward to the celebration to showcase their meaningful and activity-filled lives at KWSH. Among the performers was 100-year-young Mdm Cheong Mui, who had practised tirelessly with her fellow performers in order to drum up the atmosphere with their opening sequence.

Besides providing free health screenings and check-ups for the local community as part of the community care day, it was also yummy food galore at the carnival with the huge array of delicacies generously sponsored by the many kind organisations, all in the name of philanthropy.

Seeing the wide smiles on the faces of the participants as they enjoyed the entertaining performances and delicious food, it was indeed a great delight for the KWSH family and a wonderful start to the weekend!