Page 79 - Hospital Authority Convention 2018

Plenary Sessions

P2.1 Committed Staff, Quality Service 13:15 Convention Hall B

Developing First Class Civil Service
Tan R
Civil Service College, Singapore
This session shares Singapore’s experience in its quest to become a First Class Public Service, one that connects with HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2018
citizens, cares about them and has the intention to serve, and competent to deliver. It traces the history of various reform
movements the Singapore Public Service had undergone over the decades in its quest for excellence. It identifies the current
global trends and challenges that governments across the globe are grappling with and discusses how the Singapore Public
Service seeks to address them. Specifically, the session focuses on three key themes: (1) retaining and sustaining public
trust, (2) Going digital, leveraging technology, and (3) building new competencies, more agile organisations and a more agile
and responsive public sector as a whole. The session concludes by highlighting the unifying message behind all these rounds
of reform in Singapore - that of constructive discontent and an ambition to better the status quo, and building buy-in across
the Service at all levels of officers of the need to change. This comes from an ethos of continually reinventing our model to do
better, through a capacity for imagination, spirit of resourcefulness and the relentless pursuit for excellence so that we can
serve Singapore and our citizens better.

P2.2 Committed Staff, Quality Service 13:15 Convention Hall B Monday, 7 May 2018

Bridging the Gap between Generations
Sung J
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

We all belong to different generations: generation of endurance, generation of optimism, generation of uncertainty, and now
(according to Time 2013) the me-me-me generation.

Time describes the millennials as lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents. Yet, they will save us all. So, why is
our youngsters being labelled as the most narcissistic generation. They are mostly children of baby boomers. They grow up
with the internet. They are highly educated (at least they have a university degree). They move back in with their parents after
going away for college. They refuse to grow into adulthood.

What does that translate into the medical profession? They are relatively well off and being well taken care of by their baby
boom parents; so they had little chance to face adversity. They see quality of life more important than achievement; so the
choice of jobs and specialty is different. They are connected to each other by whatapp and facebook, but seldom talk face-
to-face; so talking to patients and their family might be difficult. They are, maybe, a bit egocentric. Well, I might be bias, but
look at the selfies.

So how to connect to this generation? First, Engagement. We need to talk to them, connect with them by social media, and
show them we care about them, instead of bossing them. Second, Englightenment. We need to teach them lessons in life,
with our own example and experience, but not to insist that this is the only way to success. Third, Endurance. We need to
allow them to make mistakes, and then take responsibility of the mistakes that they have made, and then to avoid making the
same mistakes again and again. Finally Empowerment. We need to entrust them with more important jobs, such as putting in
an intravenous line.

Bridging the Gap between the young medical professionals and us is crucial, because they are our future. They are the one
who we shall pass our torch. They are the one in-charge of the healthcare system of our society. They are the one operating
on us when we need surgery. These efforts is definitely worthwhile.

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