Read more about the Dignity and Right to Health Award here.
2018
Healthserve Singapore
HealthServe Singapore was nominated by Dr. Theodorus Hedwin Kadrianto.
HealthServe Singapore is an important role model in Christian service in healthcare for those in Singapore, those in south east Asia and more widely.
Criteria 1. Leadership
Since Dr. Goh Wei Leong and his team established HealthServe in 2006, the organization has transformed to have three medical centers, 10 full-time staff, 70 active volunteer doctors, 20 dentists, and 300 volunteers who are nurses, pharmacists, housewives, students, counsellors and administrative officers. Last year, it provided 8,000 consultations, helped 445 workers with work injury and salary-related cases, served up 20,200 free meals and housed 30 workers in two emergency shelters. He has successfully mobilized hundreds of people to contribute in serving and funding to achieve a vision of: A society where every migrant worker lives a life of dignity. He has lived out this vision for 12 years, mobilize many people to touch thousands of underprivileged lives of migrant workers in Singapore. For his work with HealthServe Singapore, the founder, Wei Leong Goh, as leader of this impressive organization with valued national impact, was recognized and awarded as Singaporean of the Year for 2017 by the president of Singapore.
Criteria 2. Target group – Marginalised / Hard to Reach Communities
HealthServe Singapore has been consistently serving migrant workers, and meeting their needs through the provision of medical care, counseling, case work, social assistance, and other support services.
Migrant workers in Singapore has been lowly paid and live their everyday life under big construction work pressure but without any proper care for their food and accommodation. Most of them came from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and PR China, and has been considered as a second-class citizens by many in Singapore. Very often the working agency is neglectful when the workers suffered from injury/accident during the construction working. Not just they lost their salary, they also will struggle for high expenses of treatment for their injuries.
Criteria 3. Program outcomes
HealthServe's programs are run by a small team of dedicated staff and supported by a wide network of professional volunteers, educational institutions, corporations and community organisations including churches and CMDF Singapore.
The main program of HealthServe is healthcare. Each year, thousands of migrant workers walk through their clinic doors. Clinics in Geylang, Jurong, and Mandai offer subsidized health services to injured migrant workers not receiving health assistance from their employers. They offer general medical services as well as dermatology, orthopaedic, occupational and physical therapy, and dental services. They also run a mobile health screening clinic at various dorms throughout the island annually.
HealthServe also provides casework and legal support to migrant workers with work injury claims and legal, criminal or employment-related issues. Each year, they assist on hundreds of cases. Our social workers follow up on their cases closely, even accompanying workers to the hospital for their checkups and medical assessments. With the help of the Ministry of Manpower, hospitals, pro bono lawyers and other community organisations, they are working towards creating a Singapore where everyone is treated fairly.
They also provide counselling that will help injured workers who usually caught in the middle of a dispute with employers and at the same time facing tremendous psycho-emotional stress as they struggle to cope with the uncertain outcome. For many workers, the waiting period for work injury compensation or resolution of the dispute may last several months to more than a year. During this period, workers might not allowed to work and receive no income. It can be difficult for them to afford daily necessities such as food and lodging. To meet these needs, HealthServe graciously offers a variety of social assistance programs to these unemployed migrant workers, including free meals, subsidized transport, an emergency shelter, and an emergency fund.
To make migrant workers feel accepted and supported, they partner with community organizations, corporations, and churches to host community events for them, such as outings, celebration of Father's Day, and also come to their dormitories to befriend them and inform them of their rights and the resources available to them. To build the migrants’ skills as they wait for the outcome of their cases, volunteers run weekly English and computer classes for them.
To make the impact even wider, they have welcomed academics, researchers, and students to conduct research projects in collaboration with HealthServe. They have hosted a number of interns from schools in Singapore and abroad. They also run a selective course through NUS Yong Lin Loo School of Medicine. In addition, they have produced numerous Research Papers, Publications, and Resources.
Criteria 4. Personal Life
The HealthServe Singapore team exemplify a life that values justice, loves kindness, seeks to serve their community and walks humbly with their God. The HealthServe Singapore team, as exemplified by Dr Wei Leong Goh though well-known as national role models and leaders in health services, remain humble to everyone. He also is active in personal evangelism, generous in giving personal donation, and a man that loves his family. HealthServe Singapore a great mentor to many and remind everyone about depending on God.
Final Comments...
A living and growing legend of humble service yet impactful Christian service in a postmodern era.
This is truly a remarkable example of the Kingdom of God being realised in this powerful and inspiring story.
The “Dignity and Right to Health Award” is an international award acknowledging the importance of the contributions of Christian doctors, dentists, nurses and other health workers to address health and development issues including HIV.
It is well positioned to continue as an important symbol for ensuring that voices from perse communities and countries are acknowledged and championed. The Dignity and Right to Health Award aims to model, mobilise and encourage creative and sustainable ways that enhance the dignity and human rights of people, all made in the image of God, and communities living with a range of health and development challenges including the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The award is given to inpiduals and/or community based and national organizations for excellence, outstanding leadership and compassion in responding to various health challenges. The award will seek nominees who demonstrate innovative and visionary leadership, ensure provision of health services to marginalised and hard to reach communities, can demonstrate significant impact at local and wider levels integrating well with local churches, and whose lives exemplify justice, love kindness and walk humbly with their God. For an expanded list of these four criteria please see below.
