Two new scholarships which aim to nurture promising SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) clinicians, faculty members, nurses and allied health professionals have been established with a combined gift of $1 million from Mr Oei Hong Leong, Chairman of Oei Hong Leong Foundation and his younger brother Mr Frankle Widjaja, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bund Center Investment. The gifts were made in memory of their father, Mr Oei Ek Tjhong.

As one of the key pillars of Academic Medicine, continuing education and training is a central driving force that spurs innovation and discovery in Medicine. Investment in education is critical to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped with the most up-to-date medical information and skills so as to achieve the goal of delivering care that is patient-centred, effective and safe. The new ‘Scholarship for Advancing Education in Medicine’ and ‘Scholarship for Advancing Education in Nursing and Allied Health’ will enable the AMC to improve the training pathways and development opportunities available to clinicians, educators and healthcare professionals.

This generous gift from Mr Oei and Mr Widjaja is also an impactful pledge of support for healthcare professionals who have gone beyond their call of duty during the COVID-19 pandemic. 　

Mr Oei who is known for his staunch belief in giving back to society and philanthropic support for community, especially needy families, shares that "healthcare professionals play an important role in keeping us safe and well. We hope the scholarships will enable more talented and deserving healthcare professionals to better hone their skills and knowledge so that they can, in turn, take good care of those who are sick."

"It is inspiring to see how clinicians, scientists, researchers, nurses and the allied health professionals have come together for a common purpose to bring healing to those who are unwell. We are proud to play a part to support those whose who are passionate in pursuing medical excellence and who will continue to define new frontiers and improve lives for all." adds Mr Widjaja.

With this gift, the SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC hopes to award full or partial medical scholarships of up to $50,000 each, as well as nursing and allied health scholarships of up to $30,000 each, every year.