About our Panelists
Mdm Catherine Chua
Currently a volunteer manager and retired nurse with the Institute of Mental Health, Mdm Chua has dedicated her past 50 years to caring for patients with mental illness and was one of three nurses in Singapore who received the first President’s Award for nurses more than two decades ago. More recently, Mdm Chua had also volunteered to guide and support a team of Duty Care Officers who manned the National Care Hotline during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Mdm Irene Lim
For the past 10 years, Mdm Irene Lim has been the President of the Lupus Association Singapore at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Stemming from personal experience, Mdm Lim had lost her sister to lupus in 1992 before discovering her own diagnosis almost a decade later. While undergoing treatment for lupus with kidney involvement, she sought support from the Lupus Association (Singapore) and subsequently become a member and volunteer and encourage other patients with lupus as well.
Mr Chow Peng Yip
Becoming a volunteer alongside his wife, Mr Chow Peng Yip is the present Volunteer Leader at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. Over the past 17 years, Mr Chow has been assigned to many different wards such as the Rehabilitation Centre. Today, he uses his vast experience to guide and train new volunteers and runs the hospital’s activities for the elderly.
About our Hospitals
Institute of Mental Health (IMH)
The Institute of Mental Health (IMH), a member of the National Healthcare Group, is the only tertiary psychiatric care institution in Singapore. Located on the sprawling 23-hectare campus of Buangkok Green Medical Park in the north-eastern part of Singapore, IMH offers a multidisciplinary and comprehensive range of psychiatric, rehabilitative and therapy services in hospital-based and community-based settings. IMH volunteers give patients an opportunity to build friendships and develop relationships with more people, other than their hospital care team. They help patients to feel that they are not forgotten and forsaken by society and play a vital role in normalising their lives.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
Volunteerism at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) officially started in 1948 with the formation of the Diversional Therapy Unit. It has since been an active group for more than 70 years, with the volunteers engaging patients with tuberculosis back then to creating handmade crafts to raise funds for the needy patients at TTSH. Today, TTSH has more than 30 volunteer groups and volunteers are an integral part of our care team in providing a better care experience for patients and their caregivers. They are the advocates for good care practices and positive thinking for our patients. For this year’s Singapore Heritage Festival, we shine the spotlight on our Lupus Patient Support Group. Formed in 2002, the group was under the auspices of the Lupus Association (Singapore) as part of a weekly visitation programme in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Volunteers formed network of friendship and support for the lupus patients and their families, educating them about their illness through the sharing of personal experiences, motivating them to take on a positive attitude towards their condition.
Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH)
Established in 1910, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) is a charitable healthcare organisation and is registered as an Institution of Public Character, committed to looking after the sick and needy. At present, KWSH operates a nursing home, a rehabilitation centre, a traditional Chinese medicine centre, a community training institute, community care centres, and offers home care services. It is now one of the most established providers in the Community Care sector. As a charity organization, volunteers are valued partners in our efforts to provide quality care for our residents. KWSH’s volunteers have sacrificed time and energy in helping us during many of our fundraising and community events organised to benefit the elderly at large. Even during this COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers have continued to step forward unreservedly, contributing significantly to our Hospital by adding a variety of activities and bringing cheers to our residents.
About our Partner
Museum Roundtable
The Museum Roundtable is a collective established by the National Heritage Board in 1996 to promote a museum-going culture amongst Singaporeans and to position museums as unique cultural destinations. The members comprise over 60 public and private museums and heritage galleries covering the subjects of national history, culture and community, art, defence, lifestyle and collectibles, healthcare, science and innovation. Together, members collaborate on exhibitions, festivals and programmes, share best practices and focus on raising the capabilities of members. Find out more about the Museum Roundtable here.
