Speech by President Halimah Yacob at NUS Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centenary Celebration

Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore,

Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,

Associate Professor Mahesh Choolani, Head, NUS Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to attend the opening ceremony of the Centenary Celebration Conference of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. I congratulate the department on this significant milestone.

The Department has come a long way from its establishment in 1922. The Department of Midwifery and Gynaecology had its hands full since its early days, tasked with improving the medical care of pregnant women while addressing high infant and maternal mortality rates. In early 20th century, majority of childbirths were supervised by community “bidans”, or traditional midwives. As insights into the importance of safe childbirth grew, so did the urgency of training doctors to become skilled maternal healthcare providers. To meet this demand, the first head of Department, Professor Joseph Sandys English, undertook the task of training doctors and midwives in 1922.

Professor English eventually handed the baton to Professor Benjamin Henry Sheares, who succeeded his mentor as Head of Department in 1941. Professor Sheares, who later became Singapore’s second President, proved to be a trailblazer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He was the first Singaporean O&G professor elected to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1951.

As an obstetrician and gynaecologist, Professor Sheares was always keen to adopt the most innovative surgical methods and to incorporate the latest research to improve clinical practice. During his tenure, Singapore underwent a great increase in population growth, and the practice of O&G had to keep up with this growth in the areas of clinical expertise, education, and research. After his retirement from institutional practice, he continued to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students as an Honorary Consultant. In fact, I am sure there are some among us in the audience who may have either been delivered by Professor Sheares, or know of someone who received his care or mentorship; such was the profound impact of Professor Sheares’ leadership and pioneering spirit.

Professor Shears’ successors continued to elevate the Department’s prominence in Singapore and on the world stage, from Professor Tow Siang Hwa who succeeded Professor Sheares, to Professor SS Ratnam, the longest-serving head of Department, Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran who is today’s Keynote Speaker, and Professors Ng Soon Chye, Wong Peng Cheang, Yong Eu Leong and Mahesh Choolani, who are in the audience today.

Good clinical practice has its roots in the foundation years of medical school. I am glad that the Department continues to emphasise the primacy of undergraduate teaching in both academic and clinical settings. To mark the Centenary year, the Department will inaugurate the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centennial Bursary to provide financial support to less well-off undergraduate medical students. This Bursary is funded by the Department’s consultants and senior consultants.

I am also pleased to announce the launch of the Sabaratnam Arulkumaran Scholarship for outstanding young researchers today. Professor Sir Arulkumaran, originally from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, has great love for academic medicine, training young doctors, and promoting equal access to healthcare for all from Southeast Asia. This Scholarship will actively build bridges of collaboration between Singapore and institutions in neighbouring countries by supporting young academic clinicians and scientists, particularly from low- and middle-income nations, to conduct research at NUS O&G.  

Additionally, the new Kuldip Singh Visiting Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology will enable highly regarded Professors in any field in O&G to build research alliances and mentor young academics at the Department. This will promote access to top academics in the world for O&G, and will benefit the Department and Singapore through the opportunities to generate new knowledge and influence practice.

Over this weekend, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine will be holding the O&G Centenary conference, centred on “Women-Health-Life”. We will hear from the doctors, nurses and midwives, and educators who have been an intricate part of the fabric of the Department, sharing their experiences and reminiscences of past mentors and past decades as the Department moved from the University Unit at the old Kandang Kerbau Hospital to the National University Hospital.

I am pleased to note that we will also learn from the scientific investigators who drive research in the Department, about the exciting developments and innovations that will influence clinical practice. Former and current faculty have been office bearers in prominent international societies including the International Federation of O&G (or FIGO), the World Health Organisation, the Asia and Oceania Federation of O&G, the Royal College of O&G in the UK and the British Medical Association – an indication of the Department’s global influence.

The O&G Department currently focuses on understanding the disease origin, and discovering novel therapies that extend across diverse specialties. These research areas cover pre-conception and pregnancy health, child and maternal health after birth, eradicating cancer, and maximising human potential and healthy ageing.

This is akin to Singapore’s efforts in ensuring that Singaporeans enjoy good health at every stage in life. With the recognition that the journey to health begins in the mother’s womb, the Department’s life-course approach in its research programmes will enable a more tailored healthcare approach for women, and by extension for their children. The Department’s research focus mirrors the Healthier SG strategy in emphasising early intervention, promoting a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention.

I would like to commend the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for its unwavering commitment to maternal and child health, as well as the critical role it plays in teaching and training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Congratulations on your Centenary and may the next one hundred years see you scale new heights of academic and clinical excellence.

Thank you.