113th Anniversary Charity Gala: A Tribute to Former Chairman, A New 10-Year Plan

KWSH held a charity gala dinner on 5 November as we commemorated the Hospital’s 113^th anniversary. Held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, the event was graced by guest of honour, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. The Members of Parliament from Jalan Besar GRC (Minister Mrs Josephine Teo, SMS Mr Heng Chee How, Mayor Ms Denise Phua and Dr Wan Rizal), Hong Kah North SMC (SMS Dr Amy Khor) and Potong Pasir SMC (Mr Sitoh Yih Pin) also attended the event. The event celebrated Kwong Wai Shiu’s accomplishments in establishing a comprehensive network of care across multiple locations and also paid tribute to Mr Patrick Lee, the former KWSH Chairman who had been instrumental in our recent developments.

Themed “Soaring Through Our Treasured Memories”, the event first greeted our guests with a photo exhibition outside the ballroom that illustrated our KWSH story. The exhibition panels showcased our rich history including our conserved colonial buildings before moving on to introduce our facilities and services. As our guests walked through the key milestones of one of the oldest charitable healthcare institutions in Singapore, it was not merely a trip down KWSH’s memory lane, it was also a glimpse of Singapore’s healthcare history. Inside the ballroom, there was a further touch of Singapore flavour during the banquet as guests were entertained by our very own local music talents, with the line-up featuring famed jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro, veteran media personality Ng King Kang and local artiste Cheryl Wee.

It was a night when KWSH’s donors and partners joined us in basking in our achievements, but the Hospital’s future plans equally brought about enthusiastic applause and cheers from those in attendance as KWSH Chairman Mr Tang Kin Fei unveiled the key developments of our latest 10-year strategic plan. Having only just held the official opening for our second nursing home at Potong Pasir a year ago during our 112^th anniversary celebration, KWSH has built on the expansion momentum to work on further increasing our total nursing home capacity from 1,200 beds to 2,000. The strategic plan, which was devised specifically to support Singapore’s national initiatives of healthy ageing in community, will also see Kwong Wai Shiu at least double our six active ageing and care centres within the next 10 years.

In his welcome address, Mr Tang Kin Fei also paid tribute to former Chairman Mr Patrick Lee. Mr Tang had succeeded Mr Lee at the helm earlier this year in July following Mr Lee’s retirement from the Board. First appointed to the Board in 2001, Mr Lee served KWSH with distinction for 22 years, where he especially delivered an impressive resume during his 12-year tenure as Chairman from 2011 to 2023. Leading Kwong Wai Shiu as Chairman, Mr Lee transformed the KWSH premises into a community healthcare hub boasting the largest single-site nursing home in Singapore as well as offering a slew of healthcare and eldercare services for the community. Our second nursing home was also realised under his leadership, with KWSH growing from a single nursing home to six service locations.

Mr Lee was invited onto the stage after a heartwarming tribute video specially prepared for him, and a rousing ovation from the audience ensued. Among them were many long-time supporters of KWSH who have forged close friendships with Mr Lee and the Hospital over the years. As Mr Lee acknowledged and thanked the audience, he made it a point to remind all of us he will continue to dedicate himself to the good of the Hospital, albeit in a different capacity – as Chairman of the KWSH Foundation.

The tireless efforts of our Board members, volunteers and staff have propelled KWSH forward in our 113-year history, but it is the contributions from our donors that have been crucial in making our work possible and sustainable. KWSH is once again heartened by the forthcoming support of our donors toward this charity gala dinner. Witnessed by DPM Heng, Chairman Tang presented tokens of appreciation to the table sponsors at the dinner where more than 500 guests came together in support of our fundraising efforts.

Through the table sales and cash donations, more than $4.75 million was raised through the gala and KWSH would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone for your generous contributions. Beyond providing us with the funds necessary to sustain KWSH’s operations, your selfless giving has also given us the confidence that Kwong Wai Shiu is capable of doing more for the community!