Our Stories

Four nurses receive national awards

Four nurses from Singapore Operations are among the 100 recipients of this year’s Nurses’ Merit Award, presented by the Ministry of Health on 8 July to outstanding nurses from across Singapore.

Congratulations to Fung Guat Ching from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Rodrigues Junita Henrita from Gleneagles Hospital Singapore, Yau Chuen So from Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Noor Hafiz Bin Hassan from Parkway Shenton for this outstanding achievement!

Fung Guat Ching
Senior Nurse Manager
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
When Guat Ching first joined nursing 27 years ago, her family’s mission had been to save money. Her father encouraged her to join nursing because nurses then were given free uniform and shoes, and it would help their family “save money”. But over time, she began to love nursing when she realised it was richly rewarding. It allowed her to experience the happiness of seeing a baby born, and experience the sadness of performing the last office. Her mission became “to make a difference in people’s lives”. To make a difference in not only her patients and family’s lives, but also among her fellow team members to ensure they succeed in providing care through comfort, compassion and motivating each other. She enjoys the variety in routine nursing work and responding to emergency calls and will never forget the first time she performed last office for a patient who had suffered massive bleeding. She was very touched when she saw her Director of Nursing then, humbly carrying a bedpan for her patient. Guat Ching vows to continue to make a difference in people’s lives every day.

Rodrigues Junita Henrita
Senior Nurse Educator
Gleneagles Hospital
Junita’s love for nursing started after finding joy caring for babies as a Healthcare Assistant in a maternity ward. 32 years later, her passion for nursing continues to be as strong as ever. She has since progressed up the ranks to be a Staff Nurse and later Senior Nurse Educator and has worked in various wards and in the ICU. While she has encountered plenty in her career, Junita’s most memorable moment was looking after a patient in the ICU who woke up from a long coma. Junita was overjoyed at the patient’s recovery and even more so when the patient thanked her for the care rendered. Junita is passionate in developing and influencing the next generation of nurses to have a mindset change in patient care through evidence-based nursing along with technological advancement, and more importantly - providing service from the heart.

Yau Chuen So
Senior Nurse Manager
Mount Elizabeth Hospital
In her 33 years as a nurse, Senior Nurse Manager Yau Chuen So has encountered plenty. She knows it takes passion and drive to succeed. It was for this very reason that she joined nursing in 1987 – it was a career that offered her many valuable learning opportunities. “After I joined the profession, I realised that learning did not come from text books. Every day, I interact with patients from all walks of life, whether they are rich, poor, illiterate or from a highly-educated background. They all taught me how to fight for their families, their loved ones and for their own lives,” she said. Chuen So recalls spending time with a particular terminally-ill patient who left a deep impression on her. “We cried, we hugged and we laughed together. She taught me that no matter how desolate sickness could make one be, we still need to be brave to face the reality and move on,” she said.

Noor Hafiz Bin Hassan
Senior Staff Nurse I
Parkway Shenton
Becoming a nurse in the last 15 years has been the best decision for Senior Staff Nurse Noor Hafiz Bin Hassan. Currently practising as a Correctional Care nurse in the Singapore Prison Services, Hafiz has gained valuable learning and clinical experiences. One key aspect he has learnt is resilience especially when faced with challenging situations. He fondly remembers his first clinical attachment where he was assigned to care for an elderly man who was in a dishevelled state. Hafiz was tasked to groom him and assist with his basic activities which included giving him a good facial shave. “The smile on his face, after the shave, gave me a sense of achievement and satisfaction that I had made a difference for him. My path in nursing had its ups and downs, but I will continue to strive to focus in the care of my patients with priority,” he said.