Published on 30 June

A small step in service, a large step in humanity

Professor Joseph Sung
Distinguished University Professor
Senior Vice-President (Health & Life Sciences)
Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

I read in the news with pleasant surprise that one of our LKCMedicine graduates had started a project, entirely out of his own pocket, to serve senior citizens of Singapore with a good meal, bringing joy and happiness to our silver generation.

Dr Chua Tze Hean had developed a passion for community service way back when he was a junior college student – it blossomed while he was studying in LKCMedicine. Now a medical officer working at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, he recently made the headlines for a unique programme he started for our senior citizens. What triggered him to do so? I read that at one of his community service events as a student, he saw an elderly man thoroughly enjoying an activity his team designed for the senior citizens. This became a moment of truth for him. It led him to take his first steps to single-handedly start up “A Good Meal”, which does nothing more than taking lonely elderly individuals out for a meal in groups of four to five. Gradually, he attracted a group of volunteers to work with him and organised two to three outings every month. Since its establishment in March 2024, A Good Meal has served over 130 individuals in 26 outings, no doubt bringing a lot of smiles and sweet memories to the elderly. A few weeks ago , this heartwarming story was carried by CNA938 and Shin Min Daily, attracting much attention.

Credit: Shin Min Daily News

Having never met Dr Chua before, I have no means to thank him in person. He has shown how even the smallest of gestures – if  done with a kind heart and with a pair of sincere helping hands – can mean a lot to others. I am sure that it is not just the food that attracts these senior citizens. They are not homeless people in hunger and need. They are grandmothers and grandfathers who live in solitude perhaps like many others in the country. A Good Meal shows them that we have among us, young doctors and healthcare workers who care for the elderly, creating opportunities for them to be connected to others (young and old). Dr Chua and his team has done just that! In today’s world when many care about money, fame and success, a selfless act like Dr Chua’s is like fresh water in the desert.

Many years ago when I brought some medical students to visit orphans of HIV patients in Uganda, Africa, I experienced the same feeling. The orphanage named Watoto is home to hundreds of young kids, five to 10 year-olds who lost their fathers and mothers to HIV. At the orphanage, they were not short of food and shelter. What they lacked was love, and they longed for visitors who would come and hold them in their arms. When I held an eight-month old baby in my arms, there was no stranger anxiety as she just rested comfortably on my chest. When we played with them in the dusty grounds of the orphanage, I could see happiness in their eyes and on their faces. These memories remained at the back of my mind for almost 20 years – only to resurface now. I am sure that the life of the students who attended that trip was also changed.

Offering voluntary services to those who are in need gives you a new perspective on life. For a medical student, or a future doctor, this is the kind of training you will never find in the classrooms, wards or clinics. Try it, and you will never regret spending a few hours and perhaps a little bit of money, to be rewarded with many warm smiles and fond memories. You will learn, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” (John F Kennedy)