• The $3 million Healthcare Administrators Fund comprises a $1.5 million contribution from SingHealth Fund and a $1.5 million gift from ACE Team Foundation.
• Separately, ACE Team Foundation made another $1.5 million gift to SingHealth’s Joy at Work initiatives to boost efforts in enhancing staff wellness.
Singapore, 16 August 2023 – SingHealth announced the launch of a new Healthcare Administrators Fund (HAF) at the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress 2023 today. The annual event was held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre with Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health as Guest of Honour. The Fund, which will support the training and professional development of healthcare administrators who play a key role in advancing the pursuit of academic medicine in SingHealth, is established with $3 million.
The $3 million comprises a $1.5 million contribution from SingHealth Fund and another $1.5 million from ACE Team Foundation, a family foundation founded by Mr Anthony Tan, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-Founder of Grab Holdings, and his wife, Ms Chloe Tong. ACE Team Foundation was established as a donor-advised fund in December 2021 with The Community Foundation of Singapore. Please refer to the Annex for more information.
Empowering healthcare administrators in support of academic medicine
Healthcare administrators form the administrative framework that supports the daily operations and management of the healthcare system. They partner clinical teams in the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) to improve care for patients through to research, education and innovation. There are about 4,600 administrators in SingHealth, and they form 15 per cent of the workforce across diverse domain areas such as healthcare operations, finance, human resources, research, education and communications.
With the establishment of HAF, healthcare administrators can look forward to more opportunities to advance their professional knowledge, skills and experience through new development initiatives. These include localised and customised training programmes with visiting international experts and training stints or short-term attachments at overseas academic medical centres. SingHealth is working with overseas academic medical centres and healthcare institutions to establish training and exchange programmes.
Exposure to different healthcare systems will enable administrators to gain global perspectives, engage in vibrant exchange of ideas with their counterparts as well as build strong networks and partnerships for future collaborations. Ultimately, the goal is for administrators to develop mastery in their areas of work, innovate to advance and be empowered to lead and contribute back to the AMC and to public healthcare. Eligible administrators will be nominated by their respective domain leaders and undergo an evaluation process. Successful candidates will be invited to apply for available training opportunities.
Supporting Joy at Work Initiatives to boost wellness and resilience
In addition to the $1.5 million contribution to HAF, ACE Team Foundation also contributed $1.5 million towards Joy at Work initiatives at SingHealth to boost efforts in enhancing staff wellness among healthcare professionals. The Joy at Work framework looks into system-wide approaches to improve staff wellness and support as well as address and alleviate sources of stress and pain points for staff. Its initiatives focus on five wellness areas – ‘5Cs’ – that are integral to the needs of healthcare professionals. These are: Career Wellness, Connect to Mental Health, Connect to Physical Health, Community & People Engagement and Culture & Values.
Professor Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth, said: “We are excited to launch the Healthcare Administrators Fund as it represents our commitment to support and advance the expertise of healthcare administrators, a core group of professionals who partner our clinical teams in managing the complexities of healthcare systems. By investing in their development, we believe that they will become catalysts for positive change in SingHealth and be empowered to lead and make a difference both in the AMC and in our public healthcare system. We are immensely grateful for the generous gift by Anthony and Chloe through the ACE Team Foundation. Their contribution towards the Fund, as well as to SingHealth’s Joy at Work initiatives, will no doubt have a tangible impact on staff development and well-being, which are fundamental to ensuring that we continue to respond effectively to the evolving healthcare landscape.”
Mr Anthony Tan and Ms Chloe Tong, Co-Founders of ACE Team Foundation, said:
“We are honoured to be able to support SingHealth’s efforts in developing and nurturing administrators and healthcare professionals through the Healthcare Administrators Fund and Joy at Work initiatives. We hope that our contribution will strengthen the physical and mental wellness of healthcare professionals to build a resilient team ready to tackle complex healthcare challenges. In addition, by enhancing the expertise of healthcare administrators, we believe this will enable them to better support medical teams in pursuing academic medicine excellence through knowledge exchange with leading overseas academic medical centres and adopting best practices in Singapore. We look forward to fostering a healthier society and a more resilient healthcare system through this gift. ACE Team Foundation means a lot to us – it’s our mission of love, inspired by our five children. We hope to shape a future where our legacy of giving back to society inspires not only our children and grandchildren, but also the generations that follow.”
