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“I’ve had the benefit of support from good leaders who share in many philosophies that I enthuse.

Take for example, once, there was a patient who demanded to see a senior doctor despite repeated attempts by the nurses to calm him down. The senior doctor responded and spent hours talking to the patient, till late into the night – being mindful the entire time (attentive, present and non-judgmental). 

While it would have been easy for the doctor to dismiss this, it was gratifying to see that the doctor understood the difficulties faced by the team and chose to solve the problem together with them. This is important in patient care where the strength of the unit is not based on the individual, but on the contributions of each team member. This leads to a force multiplier effect, creating a strong solution to a difficult problem.

Similarly, having noticed a steady increase in the number of frail elderly patients requiring surgery, I felt compelled to help improve outcomes for these patients by establishing as a standard of care. This initiative was strongly supported by senior management and together with a team comprising allied health, strategic planning, finance, nursing, admissions, communications and surgeons – led to the birth of PEERS (Programme for Enhanced Elderly Recovery @ Sengkang).

To me, good leadership is best defined by the mnemonic P,S,L,E – People (to help everyone thrive), Steadfastness (to remain resilient in adversity), Legacy (to create a long-lasting culture) and Excitement (to continuously motivate others through meaningful work).”

Assoc Prof Chew Min Hoe
Senior Consultant, Department of Surgery
Sengkang Health

Winner of the “Distinguished Young Leader Award” at the SingHealth Excellence Awards 2017.