Patients like Mdm Asnah Salim (in wheelchair) benefit much from the assistance rendered by Ms Ng Swee Leng (left), who is a volunteer with SGH's Medical Chaperone programme. The programme is supported by social service agencies, such as the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, which provide transport to and from SGH Campus.
Chaperone programme ensures frail patients don’t miss their medical appointments, but more volunteers are needed as demand for this programme grows.
If not for community and social service providers like Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC), Mdm Asnah Salim would have a problem going for her medical appointments. The 62-year old lives in a two-room rental HDB flat with her daughter and son, but the latter has cognitive challenges and is unable to accompany her on her twice-monthly Singapore General Hospital (SGH) clinic appointments. “I have no means to attend SGH medical appointments on my own. My mobility is restricted because of medical reasons, and I am grateful to THKMC for helping me meet my medical needs,” said Mdm Asnah.
THKMC arranges for transport to ferry her to SGH, where volunteers under the hospital’s Medical Chaperone programme meet residents like Mdm Asnah to accompany them throughout their hospital journey, from registration through to the blood test laboratory, consultation, and pharmacy to collect their medications. The THKMC transport then takes them back home.
Mdm Asnah’s story is not unusual. According to a THK Seniors’ Community Services spokesman, THKMC makes such arrangements for 200 needy residents in Singapore’s southeast region every week, or about 40 residents a day. Residents who live alone, are frail, and in need of medical support are eligible for THKMC’s Medical Escort and Transport service, the spokesman said.
Having the service and making it easier for elderly residents to attend clinic appointments mean fewer patients would miss their appointments. “Missing follow-up medical appointments can have significant implications for the patient’s health and overall well-being, as treatment can be delayed, leading to an increased risk of complications,” said Mr Wong Hoe Pang, Executive, Volunteer Management Department, Division of Population Health and Integrated Care (PHIC), SGH.
This group of patients also often have communication issues — explaining symptoms to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists, and understanding instructions on taking medications. The medical chaperone can sit in on the consultation to take notes for the patient so that information and follow-up instructions can be conveyed to the community partner.
SGH’s collaboration with social service agencies began in September 2022 after a pilot chaperone programme with 12 patients a year earlier met with positive feedback from beneficiaries, volunteers and community partners. Presently, this programme is only available for patients referred by the community agencies like THKMC and Touch Community Services, said Mr Wong.
“We are thankful for this collaboration with SGH Volunteer Management Department. Many of our clients now have additional assistance for their medical appointments. This partnership allows us to allocate more resources to help clients attending other hospitals and polyclinics, enabling us to expand our reach and support a broader community,” said the THKMC spokesman.
The SGH programme has some 90 regular volunteers, but more are needed as demand from elderly patients rises. The volunteers are trained in infection control, hand hygiene, medication collection, emergency management, safe wheelchair navigation, and the use of SingHealth’s Health Buddy app. They must also be physically able to push patients in wheelchairs across SGH Campus for appointments at SGH, as well as at SingHealth national centres like the Singapore National Eye Centre.
According to Mr Wong, people volunteer at hospitals and social service agencies for various reasons — from concern for the welfare of others and giving back to society, to learning new skills and fulfilling corporate social responsibility and school community involvement requirements. “Volunteering as a medical chaperone has been very fulfilling and meaningful for me as I’m able to understand what some of the patients have to deal on a daily basis, and I’m able to support their medical needs and contribute to their well-being,” said SGH staff volunteer, Ms Ng Swee Leng.
Patients at the heart of all we do. Really.
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| One would not be blamed for thinking the mother was the patient as she was old and frail. But it was the son — younger but in his 60s — who was the patient. With no other family support, Mdm Chua* had little choice but to accompany her son, who was mentally challenged, everywhere, including on his visits to SGH.
Not surprisingly, on their first visit to SGH, the pair found themselves in the sprawling Outram Park MRT station with little idea of the correct exit to take for the hospital. A Good Samaritan noticed their confusion and accompanied them from the MRT station to the right clinic in the hospital. When she realised that they would need help on subsequent visits, the Good Samaritan alerted the hospital, which assigned Ms Jarojah Narayansamy, Senior Patient Experience Manager (SPEM), to help them.
Although Ms Jarojah’s job as a SPEM included helping patients with directions around the huge SGH Campus, she decided to be their personal chaperone for subsequent clinic appointments. She reminded them of their appointments, took them to the pharmacy to collect the patient’s medications, arranged for their transport back, and even took them for lunch.
Why did Ms Jarojah go the extra mile? “I saw their difficulties, as Mdm Chua spoke only dialect and some Malay. She always held onto me for support as she has painful knees and was frail. She reminded me of my late mum,” said Ms Jarojah, who is in her early 70s. “I knew that they would face the same challenges each time the son had an appointment at SGH. Helping them also helped me better understand and appreciate their challenges, and made me want to work harder to improve their healthcare experience. Helping them was both an enriching and rewarding experience.”
Ms Jarojah helps many other patients, including one with multiple medical conditions, consumed myriad medications, had many clinic appointments, and was frequently warded at SGH. Besides reminding the patient of her appointments and to take her medications, Ms Jarojah often brought her to SGH’s food court during her own lunch breaks.
SGH’s motto — “patients are at the heart of all we do” — rings true, as this sense of service and responsibility has become second nature to all SGH staff, not just Ms Jarojah, a nursing veteran of over 50 years. Many do not hesitate to volunteer at SGH’s many corporate events, like Project Groomover (an annual event where staff volunteer to clean and paint needy residents’ homes) and patient support group meetings.
The Good Samaritan who helped Mdm Chua and her son was so impressed by Ms Jarojah that she highlighted her good work to SGH’s feedback channel. “The Good Samaritan was surprised and appreciative of the hospital’s efforts to follow through on her request. She only left after I assured her that I would be with both the mother and son throughout their visit,” said Ms Jarojah.
For her many acts of kindness, Ms Jarojah was given the SGH Heart of Gold award, an honour reserved for just five people each quarter.*not her real name
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Volunteering at SGH
If you are interested in volunteering, write to volunteer@sgh.com.sg. A chaperone session typically takes about two hours, but volunteers are advised to set aside four hours in case of delays. Chaperone sessions run during clinic operating hours (8am to 6pm) on Mondays to Fridays.
Volunteers must be willing to interact with patients, most of whom are elderly. Fluency in mother tongues and dialects is helpful, but not compulsory. Volunteers must also be vaccinated against COVID-19, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and varicella (chicken pox).
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| Jaro was very helpful when I met her in October 2023 while helping the patient’s aged mother with a doctor’s appointment. As I was not related to the patient and unable to help them in the long term, I approached Jaro to take over to remind him of his doctor’s appointment date (patient has no SMS app) and arranged to pick them up at the designated place and bring him for blood test medical appointment. The patient’s mother, who was also his caregiver, was very appreciative of Jaro’s care and patience. Thanks to Jaro for her kind assistance and support to the needy patient. A Good Samaritan
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