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July/August 2009 ❙
Aug 1: Happy Nurses' Day!
The early days of nursing In the early years after the founding of Singapore, nursing duties were performed by convicts, who also served as compounders, dressers and sweepers. It was only until 1885, with the arrival of 11 convent sisters from England that female nurses made their presence at the hospital. In 1922, construction began for a Nurses' Quarters and was completed in 1923, with accommodation for 100 nurses. At that time, all female nurses were unmarried and had to live in the quarters provided.
The Nurses' Quarters was re-named Brebner House after the Second World War in memory of a matron who died in 1942. This building was demolished in 1978 to make way for the new Singapore General Hospital.
returned to school for a one-month training in the theory and practice of nursing prior to their second- and final-year examinations. Male candidates were also accepted for training for the first time. These improvements brought recognition to local nurse graduates who were accepted for registration with the General Nursing Council of England and Wales. The Nurses' Registration Ordinance passed in 1949 requiring all nurses to be registered for practice in Singapore also elevated the status of nurses. In 1951, SGH saw its first batch of local nurses promoted to Ward Sister. They were Misses Lim Kwee Neo, Ti Sui Tsu, Helen
Chan, Goh Kim Swee and Wee Kim Siew. In tandem with the recruitment campaign for nurses and to cater to the increasing demand for more trained nurses, a new nurse training school and nurses' hostel were established. Vicker's House, a new nurses' hostel, was declared opened by Mrs Tan Chin Tuan on Jul 29, 1953, while a new nurse training school and nurses' hostel (PTS Hostel) were formally opened by Lady Black, wife of the Governor, on Sep 10, 1956. The increased intake of student nurses also brought about a demand for more classrooms and training facilities. A School of Nursing, built on the site of the old Maternity Hospital, was officially opened in September 1959.
Nurses having lunch at long tables.
the preliminary training school hostel
The Sisters' Quarters
Bouquets
The immediate post-war period brought on urgent needs and improvisation. Medical equipment and supplies, and medical and nursing manpower were scarce. The war had served as a catalyst for public recognition of nursing services. In 1947, two scholarships were offered by the Australian Imperial Forces Nursing Scholarship Fund for Malaya- and Singaporetrained nurses to train in Australia. The preliminary training programme was increased to four months, after which the nurses were assigned to the wards. Student nurses attended lectures conducted by senior doctors during off-duty hours. They then
Thanks for thinking out of the box
Our nurses don’t just care for patients. As these letters show, nurses often take the initiative to make sure patients are not inconvenienced by hospital policy.
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Please allow me to share my good experience at SGH on Apr 8 this year, which was in large part due to excellent service provided by Staff Nurse James Quah and Senior Staff Nurse Lee Yean of Ward 74. The care that staff of the ward provided my father, Mr Woon Siong Foo, when he was hospitalised earlier this year was excellent, but the way Nurses Quah and Lee went out of their way to help us deal with a problem weeks after my dad was discharged was truly outstanding. My father has been under the care of Dr Philip Wong of National Heart Centre Singapore for many years. My dad, who is bedridden and afflicted by a few illnesses, suffered a minor heart attack/stroke and was admitted to Ward 74 in February this year. During his hospitalisation, a new set of medication was prescribed for my dad. On the day of his discharge, I was handed an envelope with instruction to renew his medication at any polyclinic or SGH a week before the medication prescribed by Ward 74 runs out. On Apr 8, I went to a pharmacy at SGH to fill the prescription. However, I was told by the pharmacist he could not dispense the medication as there was no formal prescription in the envelope, merely a signed memo detailing the scope of treatment (including the medication prescribed) during my dad’s stay at SGH. I sought advice from the staff of the Admissions Office who then recommended I checked with staff at Ward 74. As my father was not due to see Dr Wong again till July, I had the other option of taking my dad to a polyclinic doctor to get the prescription validated. It would have been a big hassle for my father as he is bed-bound.
the first local nurses to be promoted to ward sisters in 1951 were Misses Wee Kim Siew, Ti Sui Tsu, Helen Chan, Goh Kim Swee and Lim Kwee Neo
At Ward 74, Staff Nurse James quickly took charge of the situation. He contacted the Heart Centre for help in getting Dr Wong to validate the medication requested. At the same time, Senior Staff Nurse Lee Yean, SN James’s supervisor and Acting Nurse Clinician of the ward, took the initiative to contact the ward doctor to explore the possibility of validating the prescription. Dr Jasmine Lim, who was a House Officer with Neurology Department at the time, came down promptly to issue the validation which would allow me to buy the medication from the pharmacy. Despite their busy work schedule, Staff Nurse James Quah and Senior Staff Nurse Lee Yuan of Ward 74 displayed initiative, professionalism and the ability to think outside the box. In doing so, they were able to provide excellent service, even to a patient who was discharged more than a month before. I congratulate the management of SingHealth for inculcating and promoting this quality service culture to its staff. Compared to my experiences of many years back, SGH has come a long way. Keep up the good work!
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- Mr Woon Tai Hean PBM BBM
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My mother was admitted to Ward 76 on Apr 7 this year, and when she was discharged a day after, she left behind her medicine. We needn’t have worried as the same afternoon, I received a call from Staff Nurse Nurul Huda bte Samsuddin to tell us she had found the medicine. Nurse Nurul want further to help, saying she would return the medicine to us in the evening after work as she lives near us. As my mum needed to take the medicine daily, we are very grateful to Nurse Nurul for her help. We were spared taking another visit to the hospital as well.
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- Ms Neo Mee Ting
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My grandmother was recently admitted to Ward 58 for herpes. As it was an isolation ward, the number of visitors was limited to four a day. Although she was very much alone during the day, the nurses and staff were very attentive to her needs and chatted with her to keep her occupied. Knowing that she's Teochew, the nurses took time and effort to buy her a packet of Teochew braised duck rice from the food court. She truly enjoyed it. Thanks for making my grandmother’s stay a pleasant one!
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- Ms Constance Leng