By Hasnita Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 16 May 2009 2240 hrs
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the battle with the H1N1 virus is far from over even though Singapore has downgraded its response to the threat and immediate danger has subsided.
Speaking at the Singapore Medical Association's 50th anniversary dinner, Mr Lee said Singapore must remain vigilant as the virus continues to spread to more countries.
Singapore must watch closely how the pandemic unfolds and continually update and improve its contingency plans.
He said Singapore will also have to address shortcomings, sharpen procedures and restock medical supplies to fight the virus.
Mr Lee said: "Pandemics are a dangerous threat that we must take seriously. Influenza and other viruses will continue to mutate and evolve, and if not Influenza A(H1N1), then some other new viruses will eventually emerge and reach our shores. We must be fully prepared when that happens."
At the event on Saturday, Mr Lee was also conferred an Honorary Membership by the Singapore Medical Association.
It is the highest honour the association can confer on those who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession.
Mr Lee acknowledged doctors have a difficult job and outlined five reasons why he thought so.
First, doctors have to perpetually learn and relearn, keeping abreast of the flood of medical knowledge, as patients depend on them to keep up with rapid medical advancements and offer the best advice.
Second, doctors must always do what is best for the patient and as such, the doctor's advice must always be honest, well-founded and based on what is in the patient's best interest.
Third, doctors are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards, otherwise they will lose patients' trust.
Fourth, doctors must have a good systems view of the whole healthcare system in that while they do what is best for individual patients, they also have to think in terms of what works for the whole medical system.
He gave the example of the US, which has many excellent doctors but a healthcare system that has major shortcomings.
PM Lee added: "Despite spending enormous sums each year, the US healthcare system is plagued by bad practices like over-servicing and defensive medicine, and poor outcomes in terms of coverage, life expectancy, etc.
"In Singapore, our doctors need to understand how our system works - the 3Ms financing network, the restructured hospitals, subsidies and means testing, etc.
"Not every doctor needs to be an expert in our healthcare system, but doctors need to appreciate enough to operate within it, so as to keep healthcare costs under control and to benefit the greatest number of patients."
Fifth and most importantly, doctors must value the human relationship between doctor and patient. This requires respect and empathy for patients and their families.
Mr Lee noted that technological advancements might have rendered some old practices unnecessary.
He gave the example of how some medical schools have dropped cadaveric dissection using computer simulation instead. Because there's no blood, no smell and no mess, there's also no emotional engagement.
Mr Lee continued: "Old timers worry that we have lost something important along the way. I recently read an article by a US doctor, lamenting the loss of a valuable tool for future doctors to learn about humanity and the emotional strains of doctoring. As she pointed out, 'we learn to heal the living by first dismantling the dead.'"
He said that in Singapore, the practice has also changed with a single body used to teach eight students at one time.
Mr Lee said that as Singapore updates its medical school curriculum to include new knowledge and skills that students must absorb, something has to give.
But its future doctors must still learn about the human and emotional aspects of doctoring and will have to do so in other ways as they progress through medical school and beyond. - CNA/vm
Speaking at the Singapore Medical Association's 50th anniversary dinner, Mr Lee said Singapore must remain vigilant as the virus continues to spread to more countries.
Singapore must watch closely how the pandemic unfolds and continually update and improve its contingency plans.
He said Singapore will also have to address shortcomings, sharpen procedures and restock medical supplies to fight the virus.
Mr Lee said: "Pandemics are a dangerous threat that we must take seriously. Influenza and other viruses will continue to mutate and evolve, and if not Influenza A(H1N1), then some other new viruses will eventually emerge and reach our shores. We must be fully prepared when that happens."
At the event on Saturday, Mr Lee was also conferred an Honorary Membership by the Singapore Medical Association.
It is the highest honour the association can confer on those who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession.
Mr Lee acknowledged doctors have a difficult job and outlined five reasons why he thought so.
First, doctors have to perpetually learn and relearn, keeping abreast of the flood of medical knowledge, as patients depend on them to keep up with rapid medical advancements and offer the best advice.
Second, doctors must always do what is best for the patient and as such, the doctor's advice must always be honest, well-founded and based on what is in the patient's best interest.
Third, doctors are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards, otherwise they will lose patients' trust.
Fourth, doctors must have a good systems view of the whole healthcare system in that while they do what is best for individual patients, they also have to think in terms of what works for the whole medical system.
He gave the example of the US, which has many excellent doctors but a healthcare system that has major shortcomings.
PM Lee added: "Despite spending enormous sums each year, the US healthcare system is plagued by bad practices like over-servicing and defensive medicine, and poor outcomes in terms of coverage, life expectancy, etc.
"In Singapore, our doctors need to understand how our system works - the 3Ms financing network, the restructured hospitals, subsidies and means testing, etc.
"Not every doctor needs to be an expert in our healthcare system, but doctors need to appreciate enough to operate within it, so as to keep healthcare costs under control and to benefit the greatest number of patients."
Fifth and most importantly, doctors must value the human relationship between doctor and patient. This requires respect and empathy for patients and their families.
Mr Lee noted that technological advancements might have rendered some old practices unnecessary.
He gave the example of how some medical schools have dropped cadaveric dissection using computer simulation instead. Because there's no blood, no smell and no mess, there's also no emotional engagement.
Mr Lee continued: "Old timers worry that we have lost something important along the way. I recently read an article by a US doctor, lamenting the loss of a valuable tool for future doctors to learn about humanity and the emotional strains of doctoring. As she pointed out, 'we learn to heal the living by first dismantling the dead.'"
He said that in Singapore, the practice has also changed with a single body used to teach eight students at one time.
Mr Lee said that as Singapore updates its medical school curriculum to include new knowledge and skills that students must absorb, something has to give.
But its future doctors must still learn about the human and emotional aspects of doctoring and will have to do so in other ways as they progress through medical school and beyond. - CNA/vm
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.
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