Always ready to lend a helping
hand, Mariam Bte Din, Social Work
Assistant, is fondly known as the
“Excuse-Me Lady” at Changi General
Hospital. Colleagues and patients often
approach her with an “excuse me”, and
are in turn greeted with her wide smile,
energy and optimism.
“I always put myself in our patients’
shoes and try to understand the
emotions that they are going through.
It’s not an easy time for them and if I
can make a positive difference to them
in their time of need, it makes me
happy,” she chirped.
Mariam also kick-started several
initiatives to streamline work
processes that improve efficiency in
her department. When patients come
for appointments with the medical
social workers (MSW), Mariam and her
colleagues would assist to photocopy
the supporting documents to the
MSWs.
Mariam suggested scanning the
documents directly to the MSWs
through the Social Work Information
System so that they could review
the documents before attending to
the patients. This reduced the wait
time for patients, prevented any loss
of documents and reduced paper
wastage.
Mariam often goes the extra mile for her
patients. When she sees wheelchairbound
patients who need to go to
another clinic, she would help to wheel
them instead of waiting for a porter.
On one occasion, while assisting an
MSW with Malay translation for a
patient with end-stage kidney failure,
she ended up helping to de-clutter the
patient’s home after learning about his
living conditions.
She also sourced for an ambulance
service provider that was willing to carry
the patient in and out of his home in a
stretcher for his medical appointments.
Beyond her duties at work, Mariam is a
caregiver at home. She has been taking
care of her stroke-stricken husband
since 2013 and had in fact, joined the
healthcare industry four years ago to
learn how to better care for her husband.
“Being a caregiver is not easy. When
I meet patients who are so positive
despite their conditions, I always feel
inspired. As long as I’m working, I will
continue to do my best for them and
their families,” she said.
Mariam bte Din
Social Work Assistant
Medical Social Services
Changi General Hospital
Recipient of the Singapore Health Quality Service Awards (SHQSA) 2020 Superstar Award - Allied Health Category
