Singapore, 10 April 2017 – More than 200 nurse leaders from 10 Asian countries have gathered in Singapore for the inaugural Temasek Foundation International @ 10 Asia Nurse Leaders Forum, organised by SingHealth and Singapore Nurses Association. Held from 10 to 12 April 2017 at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Campus, the Forum was officially opened today by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Environment and Water Resources.

Supported by the Temasek Foundation International (TF Int’l), the event is part of a series of forums and networking programmes to mark the Foundation’s tenth year of partnerships in building capabilities in Asia and beyond. The partnerships specifically focus in the areas of healthcare, education, public administration, urban management and disaster response. 

Attendees include nurse leaders, nurse educators and specialist nurses from China, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore.  With tracks in Education, Quality Management and Ethics, as well as Regulation and Regulatory Requirements; the Forum provides a learning and networking platform for nurses to exchange ideas and best practices.   

“Access to good healthcare support and services is crucial to the economic and social development of any country or community. This is why healthcare has always been one of the core areas that the Foundation supports, with nursing management programmes forming a significant portion of the work that we do to build capabilities in healthcare,” said Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation International.

Professor Ivy Ng, Group Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth, said: “Through continuous learning and higher education, nurses in Asia have stayed relevant and responded to the changing healthcare demands of their communities. SingHealth nurses have had the privilege to work with their overseas counterparts on training programmes. These have helped to build capabilities and broaden healthcare perspectives for all involved. We look forward to more collaboration opportunities with likeminded partners who share our goal to train a strong pipeline of nurses competent in clinical care, education and research.”

“The Singapore Nurses Association is thankful to Temasek Foundation International for their long-standing support of nursing programmes and for recognising the important role that nurses play in delivering quality patient care to their communities,” said Assoc Prof Lim Swee Hia, President, Singapore Nurses Association.

Since 2007, more than 3,200 nurse leaders and specialists in Asia have benefitted from the nursing capability programmes supported by TF Int’l. The programmes, which range from advanced skills training across clinical specialties to healthcare management, patient safety, infection control and medication management, are conducted by public healthcare groups SingHealth and National Healthcare Group; as well as tertiary education institutes including National University of Singapore, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic.