The 1990 Start-Up Team
The start-up team in 1990 worked tirelessly to complete the refurbishment of the former Surgical A & B blocks into a well-equipped, ultra-modern ambulatory eye facility within a record time of ten months. SNEC opened its door on 15 October 1990 to serve its first patient. Six of the nine members in the original 1990 team are captured here sharing their reflections.
“25 years have since passed and SNEC has grown from strength to strength. I feel a profound sense of pride and privilege to see the Centre grow to where it is today — a vision truly made reality. It is my deepest honour to have played d a part in SNEC’s evolution and I am m confident it will continue to excel and further its mission to bring eye health to all.” Dr Peter Tseng
“I am heartened by the fact that the critical success factors highlighted — patient’s interest first, the emphasis on quality and people as our human capital as well as achieving the economics of delivering value still hold true till today and have grown to become our DNA and never changed over the years.”
Charity Wai
Immediate Past Head and Senior Consultant, General Cataract & Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department
Chief Operating Officer
I remember SNEC in its early days when I joined as a registrar as part of the ‘pioneer team’ of nine: myself, Dr Heng Lee Kwang, Charity Wai, Kathy Chen, Katherine Leong, the late Matron Esther Lim, Lim Mein Chee, Margaret Tan and Tan Joon Fong. It was a hard toil to get SNEC up and running. We laboured singlemindedly because we believed in the vision of our founding father and first Medical Director, the late Professor Arthur Lim. Getting SNEC operational in the start-up phase took months of planning and co-ordination, not just in setting up the administration and clinical aspects of the centre, but in its design as well. When we opened our doors and welcomed our first patient in October 1990, it was a moment of great satisfaction. I remember running clinics with Dr Heng in the initial period; it was just the two of us. We were later joined by four doctors from the SGH Eye Department, and later, both departments were combined under the auspices of SNEC. 25 years have since passed and SNEC has grown from strength to strength. I feel a profound sense of pride and privilege to see the Centre grow to where it is today — a vision truly made reality. It is my deepest honour to have played a part in SNEC’s evolution and I am confident it will continue to excel and further its mission to bring eye health to all.
As we celebrate SNEC’s 25th anniversary this year, it is heartwarming to reflect on my personal journey spanning 26 years in SNEC since 1989. I consider it my distinctive honour and privilege to have worked with five medical directors in the course of my career, all ophthalmologist extraordinaire albeit each in his own special way: the late Professor Arthur Lim, the visionary and the consummate strategist and diplomat, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, known for his cogent intellect; Professor Ang Chong Lye, demanding of us the highest standard and discipline; Professor Donald Tan, showing the way for successful translational research from bench to bedside and our current Medical Director, Professor Wong Tien Yin instilling in us that strong sense of public mission and ethos and cajoling us to be the ‘best-in-class’. It has certainly not been without challenge working with such distinguished leaders in achieving the various milestones in SNEC’s development yet my journey was made easy because we embraced the same vision and unwavering commitment towards the pursuit of excellence in service, education and research. Therefore, as I look back at the chapter I contributed in SNEC, The First Ten Years, I am heartened by the fact that the critical success factors highlighted — patient’s interest fi rst, the emphasis on quality and people as our human capital as well as achieving the economics
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