NHG Partnership: TTSH collaborates with SIF on joint Singapore-China programme to improve palliative care

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore International Foundation (SIF), Yunnan New Kun Hua Hospital (NKH) and the Yunnan Health and Development Research Association (YHDRA) will be collaborating on a three-year healthcare training programme to raise palliative care standards in Yunnan. Launched on 7 January this year, the joint Enhancing Palliative Care in Yunnan, China is SIF's second healthcare partnership with Yunnan. TTSH is a member of the National Healthcare Group (NHG), which is the primary clinical partner for LKCMedicine.

In recent years, Singapore and China have placed increasing importance on palliative care due to rapidly ageing populations and an increase in non-communicable, life-threatening medical conditions. "The multidisciplinary team from TTSH is committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise with, and learning from our Chinese friends, as we work towards a common goal of delivering better care for patients at the end of life," said Associate Professor Wu Huei Yaw, Senior Consultant at TTSH's Department of Palliative Medicine, and Singapore International Volunteer (SIV) Team Leader. A/Prof Wu is also a Clinical Practice Facilitator with LKCMedicine.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore International Foundation, Yunnan New Kun Hua Hospital, and the Yunnan Health and Development Research Association will be collaborating on a three-year healthcare training programme to raise palliative care standards in Yunnan

A team of medical professionals from TTSH will train a core group of 50 healthcare staff, comprising doctors and nurses from the palliative oncology and geriatric departments of NKH, and other palliative care staff in the region. The curriculum will focus on key topics such as pain management, symptom management and psycho-social care, through symposiums, training workshops and study visits to Singapore. The programme is expected to benefit some 36,000 patients and caregivers by end 2021.