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Held at the Raffles City Convention Centre on 30 July, the event was attended by the new scholars as well as their proud parents and teachers. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong, who was the guest-of-honour, urged scholars to “serve as a model and inspiration to our patients, fellow colleagues and the community when you graduate from your studies and become a healthcare professional.” 

One scholar, Chew Khee Gek is already an inspiration. The 24-year-old Healthcare Merit Award recipient had a tough start in life; she only started school at the age of 11 and had to care for her mother who had mental health issues. 

While Khee Gek struggled to keep up, through resilience and sheer grit, she eventually went to the express stream in secondary school and later graduated with a diploma in biomedical science from Temasek Polytechnic. The soft-spoken young woman who will be pursuing Diagnostic Radiography was grateful that she received the scholarship and hopes that she will be able to help her family as well as other patients. 

 “My mother was diagnosed with severe diabetes five years ago…. I felt very guilty because I didn’t know much about her illness or about healthcare. I thought it was my fault,” she said. 

Khee Gek, who currently works as a diagnostic ophthalmic technician at NUH, added that being a diagnostic radiographer would also give her a chance to interact with patients and help alleviate their stress when they visit hospitals.

“When my mother visits the hospital, it is very stressful for her. I see that stress with patients too. I want to help them be relaxed… take away some of their suffering and pain.” 

We wish Khee Gek and her fellow scholars the best of luck!

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