Media Release
Generosity amid the pandemic:
SingHealth cluster raises over $1.37 million for
President's Challenge 2021
26 November 2021, Singapore – After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SingHealth cluster has raised a collective sum of more than $1.37 million – a record since it first started fundraising for President’s Challenge in 2004. This year’s campaign, themed “Compassion with #OneKindAct”, was led by the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) which celebrates its bicentennial. It also marks 200 years of Medicine in Singapore.
The past two years have been particularly challenging for healthcare workers as they put in many more hours at work caring for many more patients during the pandemic. Despite so, many across the cluster still made time to do their part for the five benefitting agencies it adopted this year for the Challenge – SingHealth Fund (Changi General Hospital HomeCare Assist), South Central Community Family Service Centre, Yong-En Care Centre, Metta Welfare Association and Rainbow Centre.
“It’s been an extremely challenging year for us in the rapidly evolving situation of the pandemic. However, we know that many in the community have faced very difficult times too. This was the reason why we decided to again rally the SingHealth family to raise funds for the five benefitting agencies we adopted for the campaign this year. It was uplifting to contribute to this worthwhile endeavour, and I am delighted that we have raised a record amount of more than $1.37 million through our collective efforts,” said Professor Ivy Ng, Group Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth.
Prof Ng presented the final cheque to President Halimah Yacob, at the SingHealth President’s Challenge Grand Finale, which took place on Friday, 26 November 2021, at the revamped SGH Museum.
One of the campaign’s key events was the SingHealth Digital Relay that took place from 13 to 14 November 2021. This Singapore Book of Records achievement saw more than 450 staff run 230km in 24 hours, past all SingHealth institutions and polyclinics.
“SGH, with its humble beginnings in the cantonment for British troops two centuries ago, is today a leading hospital globally. A key factor behind this progress is the compassion for our patients. Our strong sense of empathy for our patients is the motivating force behind generations of SGH staff to want to do more to comfort patients and to heal them. It is for this reason that we have chosen this deeply ingrained ethos as the theme for SingHealth President’s Challenge this year, ‘Compassion with #OneKindAct’, to help those in need,” said Professor Kenneth Kwek, Chief Executive Officer, SGH.
After the Grand Finale, Madam President officiated the opening of the revamped SGH Museum, which is housed within the Bowyer Block, a national monument built in 1926. She also viewed a display of items unearthed from a time capsule buried in the Museum in 1996 to mark the Hospital’s 175th Anniversary celebrations and at the same time launched a new digital time capsule to be unsealed at the opening of the revamped SGH Campus in about 20 years’ time. Madam President contributed the first item – a SingHealth President’s Challenge 2021 baton which she autographed – to the digital time capsule.
For media enquiries, please contact:
M Vikneswaran
SGH Communications
Email: m.vikneswaran@sgh.com.sg
