diabetes in singapore

An amazing hospital in Singapore and reunion in Japan

/ rivagreenberg / Leave a comment

 

Screen Shot 2015-02-07 at 4.12.22 PMI landed back on New York soil Friday night from almost two weeks traveling in Singapore and Tokyo. I was invited to speak to medical and diabetes professionals at two major hospitals in Singapore – National University Hospital of Singapore and the ground-breaking Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, the manifestation of innovative CEO, Teng Liak, who believes a hospital should be a place of healing in all respects.

I was given a personal tour of the hospital by Mr. Liak and include pictures here. Throughout the hospital are bright bold colors to find wards easily and lift your spirit. Each building contains learning centers where I consistently saw staff in workshops. Learning displays are mounted in almost every hallway. 

Each patient room has an intentional  view of greenery for its calming effect. And each patient has a remote control to open and close the blinds in their room, increasing their overall sense of control. Rooms are equipped with coffee and tea service for family and visitors.

The hospital was built in the north of Singapore because that is where the population is growing – bring the hospital to the people. Clinics contain no more than 5 doctors to keep the feeling personal and collaborative. Patients’ information is captured, not only in electronic records, but in a way that promotes health and healing. It is organized around: 1) Know Me 2) Identify Me 3) Direct Me 4) Track Me 5) Clear the Way For Me 6) Close the Encounter With Me and 7) Stay in Touch With Me.

Singapore’s technological achievements are not widely known in the U.S., but they are on display everywhere: waiting times are posted, computers are front and center in each clinic for patient feedback and patient facial recognition is becoming standard. 

Wards are clearly marked from both inside the hospital and out and names are clearly displayed for all staff. The hospital grounds contain several restaurants that not only serve healthy food, but it is priced lower than unhealthy food. 

On the rooftops are organic farms where volunteers from the surrounding communities come to work together growing food for the hospital and socialize. Mr. Liak husked an ear of corn which we ate right off the tree, sweet to the taste. 

The hospital also serves Singapore by helping to maintain its eco system and rain forest. 29 species of butterflies exist on the hospital grounds, as well as a sanctuary for exotic birds, indigenous plants and ponds for thousands of fish. 

The mission of Khoo Tech Puat Hospital is to, “Provide good quality affordable and hassle-free healthcare with science, love and wisdom.” In the words of Mr. Liak, “We are trying to build a village.” To say I was duly impressed is an understatement.

I was also impressed that 200 doctors, educators, students and staff came to hear me speak. I shared with them what it’s like to live with diabetes; that they lead patients on a journey and their expectations are critical to that journey; that hope is a powerful force and that it is possible for us to not just cope with diabetes but flourish with it. 

I was rewarded with their deep appreciation, respect for my knowledge and wisdom, and I learned that these clinicians face the same growing epidemic of diabetes that we do and the same struggles to help patients change behavior.

After my four whirlwind days in Singapore, I dropped down to Tokyo to visit friends. I lived and worked in Tokyo from 1986 to 1992 and every few years take a trip back to see friends and get my dose of a place that has become a second home. 

This time I saw small signs of the recent earthquake – Ginza, usually lit like Times Square, was not nearly as bright, less busses and elevators were running and less air conditioning, all in an effort to conserve energy. Also my hotel had some cracks that ran through the walls, but I was told no major damage. 

Otherwise the only sign in the city that a major quake had occurred was the scarcity of foreigners. “Gaijin,” the name for foreigners in Japan, has been newly expanded to “Flyjin” and “Byejin” commemorating how many foreigners have left. But if you’re planning a trip, there’s no reason not to go.

So I return fresh with professional and personal satisfaction, and the hope that my next trip to Tokyo might just be for the Japanese launch of my book, “The ABC’s Of Loving Yourself With Diabetes.” A friend of mine is translating it into Japanese 😉

A hospital where patient experience is paramount

/ rivagreenberg / Leave a comment

Need a snack? Fruit-only

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The Botanical Garden

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Me and the CEO, Mr. Liak

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Kind reminders to be healthy

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 Can you imagine a hospital where floors are carpeted so you feel calm, soothed and protected? Where doors open silently so as not to jar your jangled nerves? Where vending machines are only filled with fresh fruit and the healthier the meal in the cafeteria the less it costs? How about elevator doors covered in exotic floral motifs and a Diabetes Center where you never wait more than ten minutes to be seen?

I could never have imagined these things but instead I saw them with my own eyes here in Singapore at the Alexandra Hospital. The hospital sits amid a lush and beautiful botanical garden that volunteer employees care for and each floor of the hospital has a view of greenery. In this tropical paradise even medicinal herbs are flowering in the gardens.

This hospital is the vision and result of its CEO, Mr. Liak, and his passionate staff. It is their mission to create a place of healing where people are helped to make healthy choices, even if it’s just taking the stairs instead of the elevator.  No wonder stairways are easily accessible throughout the hospital, not hidden behind impenetrable or locked doors, and they are marked by big wooden red hearts that say, “Please give your heart a lift, use the stairs.”

I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Liak and discuss the state of healthcare in Singapore and the U.S. and the work I am doing bringing a more positive attitude to managing diabetes. Mr. Liak spent three hours with me and my husband, who has worked with him in the past, generously sharing what some would call a contrarian view: give diabetes patients a year of treatment and education and if they improve and own their management, encourage them to be peer-mentors wherein they can give back, help other patients and help the hospital provide its services to more patients. If they don’t take responsibility for their care after a year, patients are free to seek help elsewhere and leave space for new patients at Alexandra Hospital.

To say the least it makes one think. In the U.S. the health care system does not particularly motivate patients to become self-reliant and responsible for their care, and we know this is paramount managing diabetes. In fact, I have heard upon occasion a critical tone from my own endocrinologist’s office when I come in for a yearly visit rather than every three months. But why do I need to come four times a year? I am a well-educated patient managing my diabetes daily and getting the necessary tests as appropriate. I can easily discuss my test results with my doctor over the phone and make any necessary adjustments. I am doing what medical professionals say they want patients to be capable of doing, managing my own diabetes!

After chatting about societal influences on health care and patient behavior, I gave Mr. Liak five copies of my book, The ABCs Of Loving Yourself With Diabetes. His face lit up, he loved it. He said this is what we need, a more cheerful and optimistic attitude about managing diabetes. And with that he toured my husband and I through the hospital halls including what resembled a “war room” filled with storyboards, flow charts and feedback circles reflecting plans for the new, expanded hospital they are building. At every touch-point in the new hospital the patient will be accommodated, from a simple registration process to remote controls where patients can control the light and air temperature of their room. Where room furniture is being built with drawers and countertops that allow patients to put more than one thing in and on them. And who is in the hospital bed photo testing all the equipment? None other than Mr. Liak himself.

Our tour stopped at the Diabetes Centre where I was introduced to the staff and two copies of my book were handed to the Diabetes Centre Director and diabetes nurse. Talk began of translating my book into the Malaysian language, Malay. Thank goodness my head had not grown so large that I could not still get it through the door to the cafeteria where our tour ended. And over a bowl of vegetables and tofu Mr. Liak told me it was a dream of his to employ someone such as myself to consult with his professional staff and help inspire and encourage other patients. Can you imagine? In Singapore, you don’t have to, it’s on the drawing boards.

Leaving Alexandra Hospital I thought if I ever need to be in the hospital maybe I would consider, if time permitted, hopping a flight to Singapore. Meanwhile, I’m happy to do what I can to help the staff and patients here. And now that I’ve finished this post, do what most people who are not in the hospital do in Singapore, shop.