30 Jul 2010
THE welfare of patients is not the only thing that nurse Nidu Maran Shanmugam thinks about.
The advanced practice orthopaedics nurse at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) also wants his staff to be healthy and happy in their jobs.
Concerned about the heavy lifting that health-care workers have to do every day, he found the time to embark on a study of the back problems they suffer from as a result.
He also submitted a proposal to the hospital management that bed rounds be introduced for nurses, instead of just for junior doctors and medical students. This allows nurses to familiarise themselves with the needs of patients and so be a more effective bridge between patients and physicians.
It is this constant seeking after excellence that has made the 34-year-old the youngest-ever recipient of the President’s Award for Nurses, which he received at the Istana last night.
Three nurses are selected each year to receive the nation’s highest accolade in nursing, in recognition of their contributions to the field.
“This award is a positive signal to motivate other young nurses to come forward and excel in their work,” said Mr Nidu, who is married to a secondary school teacher.
Such passion for the job is also evident in Ms Low Mui Lang, another recipient of the award last night. The executive director of The Salvation Army Peacehaven Nursing Home and Bedok Multiservice Centre focuses on providing various residential and day care options for dementia patients through her organisation.
“I want to assist people at the last stage of their lives, to add joy and life to the years they have left,” she said.
This sentiment is shared by Ms Lim Suh Fen, the third recipient of the award. The assistant director of nursing at the National Heart Centre has an unwavering dedication to a profession she has been with for 35 years.
She said: “It is an exciting profession. We are given the opportunity to help others and to make a difference in their lives every day.”
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