Good afternoon,
Mr Liak Teng Lit, Group Chief Executive Officer, Alexandra Health System
Mrs Chew Kwee Tiang, Chief Executive Officer, KTPH
Senior Management of KTPH
Sister K. Thanaletchimi, President, HSEU
Sister Diana Chia, General Secretary, HSEU and President, NTUC
KTPH Union Branch, Brothers and Sisters.
Firstly, thank you for having me here at your celebration today. This is my third time celebrating National Day with KTPH and I can see that this year is especially different with the outdoor setting for a celebration.
Singapore has a well-established healthcare system and prides itself on its focus of providing quality healthcare. Even as the changing demographics of our society pose challenges to the healthcare industry, our healthcare workers never stop putting in their best effort to raise the standards of health care as they help our people to live well and live long. You have a tough job but you never fail to provide the utmost care and service to your patients. In KTPH, besides those living in the North, you also serve the entire Yishun population and many of you live within Yishun. When I meet residents, I often receive many positive feedback on how good you are…... even non-patients also come by the hospital to have meals at your foodcourt and soak in the atmosphere here. All this is testimony of the great work each and every one of you have put in to make this a great place. I therefore like to thank each and every one of you for your continued efforts in shaping our healthcare landscape to be one of the best in the world including the recently reported “healthiest nation in the world.”
At the NTUC level, the Labour Movement has regrouped its 61 unions into key industry clusters to better help workers boost their productivity – and ultimately, raise their wages progressively. For the healthcare cluster, I am delighted to share with you that NTUC has initiated the formation of a tripartite workgroup consisting of MOH, NTUC, WDA, e2i and the 6 hospital clusters. The tripartite workgroup will be focusing on improving productivity at the institutional level, as well as raise the image and professionalism of certain categories of staff in the healthcare sector, in particular, the Health Attendants, Healthcare Assistants, Patient Care Assistants, Patient Service Associates and Staff, for better jobs and ultimately, better pay. These initiatives will be spearheaded by the public healthcare cluster/hospitals for the first phase, and moving ahead, we will also aim to work on the ILTC (Intermediate to Long Term Care) sector for the second phase. This Healthcare Cluster Tripartite Workgroup will be launched next month on 14th September 2012, which will be graced by Minister Gan Kim Yong. We will also be making certain impactful annoucements on that day including showcasing some of the best practices in KTPH for the non-nursing admin and ancillary staff.
On a personal note, I like to thank the Management and staff for your relentless support for the Union. The harmonious relations between the Management and Union here at KTPH has made all great things possible to not only our Members, but also to all staff at KTPH, such as the Union-Management collaborations on events like the Chinese New Year celebration, and also the recent conclusion of the annual bonus. This serves as a testament of the good Union-Management relationship in KTPH. Incidentally, KTPH was also recently recognised by NTUC with a May Day Award – Plaque of Commendation for its great work in building strong partnerships with the union and looking after its staff and driving key NTUC programmes in KTPH.
With that, I thank you once again for having me here today and I wish you all a Happy 47th National Day!
