Assoc Prof Siau Chuin (left) at the CGH community mural unveiling, commemorating 88 years of trusted care for the community, with Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of National Development, and East Coast GRC GROs Adviser.
At 18 years old, Siau Chuin already knew that he wanted to have a career that could positively impact others, and medicine was the natural choice that stood out to him.
He was posted to TPH in 1996 as a House Officer in the Department of Medicine, attending to patients at the general ward. TPH only had a four-bedder intensive care unit which was located amidst the general ward. “I am someone who wants results instantly and I do not shy away from an intellectual challenge. At the ICU, I saw the potential to bring positive change very rapidly to the patients. This sparked my interest in intensive care,” says Assoc Prof Siau. Today, he continues to care for intensive care patients as a senior consultant at CGH’s Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and an accredited specialist in Respiratory Medicine, Internal Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine.
The guidance from the warm and close-knit team of colleagues at TPH was invaluable for him as a House Officer. “My seniors and the nurses took good care of me and my peers, guiding us to perform procedures which were real-world applications of the theory we learnt in school. I learnt how to use the electrocardiogram machine from a nursing colleague,” adds Assoc Prof Siau with a smile.
Starting a new hospital
As fate would have it, Assoc Prof Siau’s first Medical Officer posting was to the New Changi Hospital, which was formed through a merger of TPH and old Changi Hospital.
“There was an upgrade in facilities and equipment, as well as inevitable teething issues while working out new workflows and processes,” says Assoc Prof Siau. “Despite the challenges, everyone was clear in our mission — we are here to start a new hospital; and everyone went above and beyond their duties to ensure that patients received timely care and were able to recover, get well and go home.”
He paid tribute to the planning and leadership team of that time for growing the hospital. “Teams from both the old Changi Hospital and TPH merged so well that you could not tell who were from which hospital. It was great how the staff from different backgrounds and cultures were able to integrate and work together seamlessly,” says Assoc Prof Siau.
Assoc Prof Siau Chuin (centre) distributing care packs to CGH’s junior doctors in appreciation of their tireless work.
Assoc Prof Siau Chuin (second from left) making stops around the hospital to express appreciation to CGH’s nurses during this year’s Nurses’ Day celebrations.
Driving clinical education
As an avid educator, Assoc Prof Siau believes in motivating students instead of spoonfeeding them so that their learning journey is enriched. “I believe that clinical medicine is best learnt by the bedside and not through rote learning,” he says.
Appointed the Director of the Changi Simulation Centre in 2012, Assoc Prof Siau tapped on simulation capabilities to train students in real-life scenarios. After all, real-life patients do not behave like in a textbook or a television show. “In simulation training, we can adjust the outcomes and situations so that our learners apply the skills and knowledge they have learnt and respond appropriately. After the exercises, we debrief and exchange ideas, and I find that I also learn new things from my students.”
His dedication to bringing the spark of medicine to the next generation has earned him multiple Best Educator Awards over the span of his career, both at CGH and institutes of higher learning.
Training over the years: Assoc Prof Siau Chuin training the care team as a clinical educator.
Building on a legacy of innovation
Many of the best practices and a strong culture of innovation at TPH remain evident in CGH today. “When we think of innovation, a lot of us think about devices and technology. But to me, innovation is more than that, it is also about being forward thinking and having the DNA of embracing new ideas, being able to evolve based on the challenges on the ground, and working from the ground up to improve care for our patients.”
Multi-disciplinary team-based care, which was relatively new then, was a key area that has carried over from TPH to CGH. This involves doctors, nurses and allied health professionals coming together to provide holistic and integrated care to patients. Today, CGH has several multi-specialty centres where patients receive one-stop, fast-tracked treatment for enhanced health outcomes.
Assoc Prof Siau Chuin looking into a patient’s case at the medical intensive care unit.
With his intensive care experience, Assoc Prof Siau started to think about system interventions to enhance outcomes so CGH can continually improve as a hospital. He became more interested in data and improvements in clinical quality, and saw the potential to integrate quality improvement and data analytics as one unit. “We were looking into whole value proposition and value-driven care more than 10 years ago. Hospitalisation is not episodic care but an entire process. We were one of the first to formalise data analysis and used data to drive change and quality improvement which helped us to make strategic decisions more efficiently — I believe this was a primer for the population health model we know nowadays.”
Forging a path of excellence
Over the years, the CGH team has forged areas of excellence in the hospital and beyond. With the identification of opportunities, the hospital has established several innovative programmes to provide support to the community.
For example, sports and exercise medicine, which was not a recognised specialty in the 2000s, has evolved over the last two decades with the set-up of the Singapore Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre at CGH for athletes as well as the general population.
More recently, CGH established healthcare services in aviation medicine, catering to aviation professionals in this unique field. It is also leading in correctional health, to provide a new lease of health and life for inmates.
“These establishments are a reflection of CGH’s openness to embracing new concepts and pushing ahead as a pioneer and thought leader in these fields,” says Assoc Prof Siau. “Whichever segment of population it is, no one is left behind.”
Impacting more lives
When Assoc Prof Siau was first approached to take on the role of Chairman, Medical Board of CGH in 2020, his first reaction was of surprise as he felt there were better people for the role. He contemplated for a long time before coming to the realisation that as an individual clinician, he could impact his patients’ lives, but as a clinical leader, he had the opportunity to positively impact even more lives every day.
“CGH has adapted very well to the times, reflecting our ability to adapt as an organisation. Our staff have this indomitable spirit of resilience, and every day, we ask ourselves how we can continue to impact the lives of those around us. I too, continue to want to make the lives of my patients, peers and colleagues better. Making one person’s life better every day is a pretty good goal to have.”
Automated industrial porridge stirrers, rice cookers and ovens help improve efficiency in CGH’s kitchen.
“Seeing the patients enjoying their healthy food makes me happy,” shares Mr Foong. Mr Foong, who previously worked at a hotel restaurant and ran his own duck rice stall, has always had a passion for cooking. When he joined TPH, he was the youngest chef in the kitchen and the senior kitchen staff treated him like a son.
After a year at TPH, Mr Foong moved to the New Changi Hospital (now known as CGH) following the merger of TPH and old Changi Hospital.
A taste of change
At the new Simei premises, CGH grew its kitchen crew by more than three times and increased the number of dietitians to serve a larger number of patients. The kitchen crew also developed a more varied menu for the patients at CGH, bringing about a smorgasbord of food choices with higher nutritional value and better taste for patients. This gave Mr Foong the opportunity to pick up new skills and expand his cooking repertoire. The menus at CGH are planned by the Executive Chef in discussion with the dietitians. There is a wider choice of options — from soft diets, food that is cut up into smaller pieces and vegetarian options — to meet patients’ individualised needs based on their medical conditions, where possible.
His most noteworthy creation — as Mr Foong fondly remembers — is the spicy and sour soup that he whipped up, for which he received compliments from his supervisor and consumers of the dish.
Innovative infusions
Now in his mid-50s, Mr Foong has witnessed the transformation of the kitchen at CGH. Traditional woks and equipment were used for cooking at TPH. The food would then be delivered in bulk by the hospital porters, who would bring it to the wards for serving to the patients.
Today, automated industrial porridge stirrers, rice cookers and ovens help improve efficiency in CGH’s kitchen. As a smart hospital, CGH uses assistive technologies and innovative solutions, including automated kitchen equipment, to improve efficiency. This allows the Food Services team to cook a larger amount of food with less manual labour. After the meals are prepared and plated, they go onto automated guided vehicles (AGV) for delivery to the wards in the hospital.
Meals on wheels: Mr Foong packs patients’ meals in AGVs for delivery to the wards.
Reflecting on his decades of service, Mr Foong says, “We all have a role in caring for our patients at the hospital. Our focus is in meeting their dietary needs and enabling them to enjoy the food we prepare, so that our food can help them on their recovery journey.”
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