Speech by President Halimah Yacob at HCA Hospice Care 30th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Dinner

Dr Tan Poh Kiang, President, HCA Hospice Care

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Evening

I am happy to join you this evening to commemorate HCA Hospice Care’s 30th Anniversary. 

HCA Hospice Care is one of the pioneers that started Singapore’s hospice and palliative care movement in the 1980s. What is note-worthy is that the movement was driven entirely by a group of volunteers, who were undeterred by the obstacles that they faced in establishing this effort.

Today, volunteers still play an integral part in building up Singapore’s hospice and palliative care landscape. I met some of these volunteers earlier and was touched by their commitment and dedication to caring for end-of-life patients. Their pioneering and persevering spirit have supported the development of a robust palliative care ecosystem in Singapore.     

Palliative care aims to relieve the suffering of patients with life-limiting illnesses whilst maintaining the best possible care of life for the patients and their family members. This is achieved by caring for them holistically - physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, and providing care not just to the patients but to their loved ones in these difficult times. With Singapore’s rapidly ageing population and increase in number of people living with life-limiting illnesses, it is imperative to ramp up end-of-life care to better support them during their last days – especially in the community. It is also crucial to help Singaporeans become more comfortable in talking about end-of-life care preferences and decisions in order to allow them to age-in-place.  We can expect this to grow in importance, as the demand for end-of-life and palliative care rises with an ageing population. It may be a taboo to discuss such issues in our cultural context, but we have to do so, while we are still able to make decisions for ourselves and our loved ones.

As Singapore’s largest home hospice care provider, HCA serves more than half of home hospice patients in Singapore. It also operates two day hospices in the community for patients who are able to move about independently and enjoy social activities in a communal setting. The team at HCA Hospice Care supports more than 3,500 patients with life-limiting illnesses and makes nearly 37,000 home visits annually. 

At a national level, the Ministry of Health is committed to improving accessibility of palliative care by expanding home and day hospice services as well as the number of inpatient palliative beds. Over the past few years, the Ministry has also enhanced the affordability of palliative care services. MOH increased subsidies and raised the MediSave withdrawal limits for inpatient hospice and home palliative care patients. It also extended subsidies and MediSave coverage to day hospice and paediatric home palliative care. Having day care centres in the community or home based palliative care is important as it gives patients an additional choice.

In addition to government support, these services are also supported by generous donations. It is most commendable that donors like Lien Foundation, Deutche Bank AG, PSA International, MSV Systems and Services Pte Ltd, Avanda Investment and various benevolent individuals have so kindly extended their support by donating generously to enable HCA to continue helping many patients and families.                                  

Death is a reality of life - whether you are old or young. Illness, however, should not necessarily result in a life robbed of dignity and happiness. I have seen how the efforts of HCA have paid off in enabling their patients to continue leading fulfilling and rewarding lives. I have had conversations with HCA patients at the HCA Kang Le Day Hospice at Marsiling Drive. I also had the pleasure of hosting 44 patients, caregivers and staff to a garden tour@Istana last September. Many of them remain cheerful and positive in their outlook of life. They were keen to know more about the Istana and the various flowers and herbs that we have, and even asked me lots of interesting questions during the tour! These encounters showed me that palliative care is more than just symptom management, but also about enabling Singaporeans to live their lives to the fullest, making every moment precious.

In addition, it is also important for us to extend our utmost support and appreciation to family members and caregivers, who play a critical role in caring and being pillars of support for their loved ones during their time of need.

I would like to thank the staff, donors and volunteers of HCA Hospice Care for their dedication in providing accessible and quality care for their patients.  As our population continues to age, there will be a greater demand for palliative care. I encourage donors to support HCA’s 30th Anniversary fundraising drive. It will go a long way towards helping patients in need of hospice care.