83rd Installation Ceremony – Message from Chairman
Message from Chairman
Mr. Toh Soon Huat JP, BBM, PVPA
Executive Chairman, Sian Chay Medical Institution
President Volunteerism & Philanthropy Award (PVPA) 2015 Winner
The gratitude and civic consciousness shall make the world peaceful and in harmony.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the guests for taking the time to attend the Installation Ceremony of the 83rd term Board of Directors.
Sian Chay Medical Institution was established over 100 years ago. A century ago, the founders offered medicines and treatment to the community regardless of race, religion or nationality, helping and benefiting the people with selfless dedication. This is a spirit of love and the spirit of Sian Chay. We should not only uphold this spirit, but also continue to learn it, practice it, and convey this spirit to more people.
Home is the smallest unit, and nation is a home for hundreds and thousands. Only with the happiness and well-being of families, will the country prosper. The responsibility of Sian Chay is to take good care of every patient, bring happiness to the needy families, and make effort to build a better tomorrow for our nation, so that every patient can get timely treatment and the society becomes more harmonious.
Today, Sian Chay operates 15 branches providing medical services to over 1,200 patients daily and supports 4 wellness centres serving over 10,000 residents in the constituencies yearly. Between 2014 and 2017, Sian Chay served 980,000 patient visits and dispensed 1.81 million dosages of prescriptions. It is forecasted in the next five years (2018-2022), Sian Chay will be serving 2.5 million patient visits and dispensed 4.8million dosages of prescriptions.
What is the end of life like? You will never know the answer until you arrive at the end. But life can influence each other and enrich the meaning of life. The meaning of life is value and connotation. The self-cultivation and pattern of thought have nothing to do with age but lie in the inner levels of compassion and empathy. Let us be grateful to the fate when we enjoy our daily happiness. At the same time, we should send our love to those who need help, because only humble and grateful minds will be blessed with love.
Currently, Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly. The ageing population means that the human body cannot consume large doses of medicine. If we focus on cure immediately, the treatment will inevitably cast heavy physical burden. At the same time, chronic diseases have become the biggest burden for the elders, which are not easy to cure and more complicated. As a charity TCM institution, Sian Chay has our unique advantage in the treatment of chronic diseases with traditional Chinese medicine. It has also won the unanimous praise from patients of all races. We need to care for more people in the future; and it is not easy to sustain the rising medical costs. We look for more support from the public. We wish we could tell everybody about “$10 of love”. Every $10 donation can support one elderly patient to enjoy free consultation and medicine.
Thanks to everyone for bringing us the message of love, as you join us to promote the beliefs that “Nation Progresses, Family Prospers; Family Harmony, Successful Endeavours”, and that “Forward with the Nation, Bonding with the People””. It is your kindness and generosity that inspires Sian Chay to continue the journey of philanthropy!
In recent years, Sian Chay also actively participated in community charity activities to promote wellness and encourage healthy lifestyle. We also plan to offer Chinese language classes for non-Chinese residents. At the same time, we distributed the leaflets in four official languages so that the residents could understand Sian Chay and benefit from Sian Chay’s services. We also arranged for professional hairdressers at every branch to provide regular haircut service for the elderly and gave out tote bags, etc., to take care of physical and mental health of the senior citizens.
The appearance and the beauty of a person will fade with time. The compassion and connotation of a person will always last and glow.