[17 September 2010]
Singapore's first batch of graduates from the SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership
Singapore, 17 September 2010 (Friday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) is proud to present Singapore's pioneer batch of graduates from the SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership.
Launched in June last year (2009), this partnership combines strong expertise from Singapore's leading players in business management and healthcare services, education and research, and taps on SingHealth's long tradition of training generations of the nation's healthcare professionals.
Targeted at medical doctors and other healthcare professionals in Singapore, the Asia Pacific region and beyond, the graduate diploma aims to groom today's savvy healthcare leaders for challenges ahead by equipping them with both healthcare management and business leadership skills. The curriculum was co-developed and taught jointly by senior doctors and leaders from SingHealth and senior SMU faculty, drawing from the domain expertise in their respective fields.
The batch of 27 graduates comprises doctors, nursing managers and allied health professionals from various hospitals and healthcare institutions in Singapore.
In addition to their medical skills, they now have the necessary knowledge to devise healthcare management strategies to achieve patient satisfaction and excellence in people, quality and financial management. They represent a new breed of healthcare professionals who excel in both healthcare management and business leadership - a skill that is in increasing demand in today's healthcare landscape.
Said Professor Tan Ser Kiat, Group CEO of SingHealth: “As patients in Singapore become more sophisticated and healthcare demands increase, it is no longer enough to create ‘accidental leaders' who are only trained in their specific clinical or healthcare specialty but expected to step into healthcare management roles. This specially tailored programme provides structured training relevant to our local healthcare setting that will equip future generations of healthcare leaders.”
After a successful inaugural year, the programme has recently welcomed its second batch of students.
Said Professor Annie Koh, Dean of Executive and Professional Education at SMU: “ We are delighted to have the opportunity to build a new pipeline of healthcare leaders that excel in both clinical and business/people leadership. We believe the graduates of this programme are equipped to handle the challenges of a career in healthcare despite rising demands from patients, colleagues and other stakeholders. We are confident the graduates will be a positive influence in the nexus of healthcare delivery".
The SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership is an extension of a longstanding working relationship between SMU and SingHealth, which started since 2006. Some 400 doctors and healthcare professionals (including hospital administrators, nurses, and allied health professionals) from various SingHealth institutions have participated in executive training programmes developed and delivered by SMU's Office of Executive Education.
The programme is open to all medical doctors from the local and regional healthcare industry, who are aspiring healthcare administrators and leaders or are currently performing administrative and managerial roles in healthcare institutions.
Said Dr Tan Teng Hong, Senior Consultant of Cardiology Services at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, who is this year's Valedictorian: “Many may say that medicine and business are polarities to be managed. It is true that as doctors and healthcare workers, our primary concern should be our patients. But if we can bring the efficiency and sustainability of business models, theories and processes, and apply them to healthcare, and at the same time stay true to our ethical and legal responsibilities, I think we can certainly improve the quality of healthcare in Singapore.”
About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)
SingHealth is the largest healthcare group in Singapore, offering a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care. The group consists of 3 Hospitals, 5 National Specialty Centres, and a network of 9 polyclinics. We have a faculty of internationally qualified medical specialists and are also well equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment medical technology. We are dedicated to providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to our patients. By pursuing excellence in our 3 pillars of Service, Education, and Research, we aim to be the trusted leader in healthcare for our patients, partners, staff, and the community.
Members of the SingHealth group:
Hospitals: Changi General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and Singapore General Hospital
National Specialty Centres: National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre of Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre
SingHealth Polyclinics: Bedok, Bukit Merah, Geylang, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Queenstown, Sengkang, and Tampines
About SingHealth Academy
Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) has a strong tradition in healthcare education. From Singapore's first medical and nursing schools to the introduction of allied health professions, and now home to the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, healthcare education finds its roots here at our grounds. SingHealth has trained and nurtured generations of healthcare professionals, both locally and regionally.
SingHealth Academy is an education collaboration of SingHealth's healthcare institutions and specialised education centers that supports SingHealth's pursuit of academic medicine. The focus is on three key areas: supporting the development of healthcare education curricula activities, building up healthcare education intellectual capital and establishing a strong faculty base.
SingHealth Academy is dedicated to meet the diverse needs of a modern healthcare system. Through a combination of academic and clinical experiences, healthcare professionals are empowered with the training and resources needed to advance clinical knowledge and expertise, with the ultimate purpose of improving patient care. SingHealth Academy aims to nurture its talents into outstanding healthcare leaders of tomorrow.