​Nurses who give hope to patients through their monthly contribution to the NHCS Heart To Heart Fund (L-R): Chief Nurse, Amy Tay; Senior Staff Nurse Sharifah Farahlina Binte Syed Fathir, Post Anaesthesia Care Unit; and Senior Staff Nurse Mya Sandar Hlaing from Ward 44 – Coronary Care Unit. ​

“He was lost, depressed and out of money.”

Recounting her encounter with a terminally ill patient, Chief Nurse Amy Tay continued, “He was staying alone as he didn’t have any next-of-kin. Even though a social worker was assisting him, the battle he was facing – his health condition as well as financial burden, were more than he could bear.”

For our frontline healthcare colleagues, it is not uncommon for them to encounter patients who faced challenges other than their health conditions. This is why many of them have stepped forward to do their bit.

Senior Staff Nurse (SSN) Sharifah Farahlina Binte Syed Fathir from the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit sees to patients who completed their surgery and are recovering from anaesthetic effects, “As nurses, we remind ourselves that every patient we meet is someone else's loved one. Witnessing a loved one go through a critical condition or major operation can be emotionally and mentally draining, even worse if the patient is financially strapped. It is very tough for the patients and their families.”

SSN Sharifah has been contributing monthly to NHCS Heart To Heart Fund, “Knowing this little gesture will help them in some ways is definitely rewarding.”

Her colleague from the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, SSN Siti Julaina Binte Salim echoes the same sentiments, “I feel a sense of duty to give back to society. Depending on charity organisations alone will not be enough. I believe that every gift matters, even a small amount can create a huge impact on the lives of our heart patients.”

“Many of our patients with heart conditions require long term care. I hope to be able to help those in need to receive continuous follow-up treatment, and to see the smiles on their faces,” shares Assistant Director of Nursing, Lee Chin Hian.

Patients with leaky heart valves who cannot be treated by conventional procedures such as an open-heart surgery might require alternative therapies or treatments such as MitraClip and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) for better patient survival.

While Heart To Heart Fund helps to subsidise^* some of these novel treatments, there are many other challenges which the patients have to cope with such as their long term follow-up care as well as their daily livelihood.

“Well, to some of us, spending $10 on a meal is very common. So, why not donate this amount to others?” says SSN Mya Sandar Hlaing from Ward 44 – Coronary Care Unit who is a staff giver. “I feel happy knowing that my monthly contribution is able to help someone.”

As the famous quote by Helen Keller goes, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” Indeed, what SSN Mya can do may be small but with the combined support from her fellow nurses and each one of us, we can give hope to those in need – helping to ease the financial burdens and move on with the treatment they require.

Thank you, our nurses, for doing small things with great love!

*The amount of subsidies depend on each patient’s eligibility. 

To contribute or to find out more about NHCS Heart To Heart Fund, please contact our Development team at development@nhcs.com.sg or visit here.