"The opportunity to develop and grow a service in a leading children’s and women’s hospital in Asia was too hard to turn down."

Dr Thaschawee Arkachaisri, Head & Senior Consultant, Rheumatology and Immunology Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dr Thaschawee, more affectionately known as Tash, is a board certified clinician in paediatrics, allergy/immunology and paediatric rheumatology. Before coming to Singapore, Dr Tash was an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and held senior clinical positions at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh as well as academic responsibilities at the university.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How it all began

Way back in late 2007, I was contacted by MOH Holdings (MOHH) about a potential offer to practice at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). I was surprised by the fact that they had sought me out but I felt most privileged to be presented with the offer from a renowned hospital reputed to be one of the leading hospital in the region dedicated to the care of women and children. What followed were a series of emails and conversations on the phone and before I knew it, I was on a flight to Singapore to visit the hospital to find out more about how the practice was structured.

 

Though I grew up and received my basic medical education in Thailand, I had not really been to Singapore nor was I very familiar with how they had structured their public healthcare sector, which has been rated as the best in Asia by the World Health Organisation.

 

The decision

The visit to Singapore made me seriously consider advancing my medical career there. In all honesty, it was not an easy decision to make given that I already had an established practice in the US, where I was able to strike a balance between patient care, research and teaching. Additionally, I had grown to be very used to the lifestyle there. After 2 visits in 2 months at the hospital and a few visits afterwards to look around the country, I made that all-important decision in accepting KKH’s offer. The 3 key components that influenced my decision were firstly the opportunity to develop and grow the service at the institution. Secondly, the support for research, availability of funding for projects and talents that I would work with were also compelling factors. And finally, the idea of coming back to the region and being closer to my loved ones was also a main draw.

 

Finally coming to Singapore

Towards the tail end of 2008, I was already making preparations for the move to Singapore that would also involve ‘relocating’ my 3 lovely King Charles Spaniels. At the same time, I was working closely with the housing advisor assigned by MOHH who assisted me in finding accommodation and adjust to my new living environment.

 

I must compliment the MOHH team for making the transition a very smooth one. The team that I worked with was very knowledgeable and they provided me with prompt and detailed information that I needed about the public healthcare structure and relocating to Singapore.

 

The experience I have in Singapore on the professional and personal fronts has been positive thus far. I have to say that the process of dealing with the authorities have been impressive. My practice license and employment pass were processed extremely quickly which was great since it enabled me to focus on other issues such as developing the service I was responsible for, and for which I am receiving a lot of support from my colleagues at KKH.

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"Living and working in Singapore has been a dream of mine since first visiting the country 25 years ago."

Dr Philip Stanley, Consultant, OVS Service, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Dr Stanley is a board certified clinician in ophthalmology and fellowship trained in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital. Before coming to Singapore, he was head of cornea and refractive surgery at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD.

 

The Genesis

I have been on active duty with the US Navy since 1983, first as a line officer and subsequently as a physician. It was during my shipboard time in the early 80’s that I made frequent port calls to Singapore and became attracted to this vibrant metropolis. The beauty, safety and cleanliness of the city along with the warmth and friendliness of the people were captivating. I knew I wanted to return to work there. While posted to Japan, I was in a medical director position that required frequent trips and visits to the hospitals in Singapore, further reinforcing my desire to settle there.

 

Singapore: Pursuing my Dream

In 2009, with one year remaining before I completed my Naval Service, I decided to post my CV on the MOH website and within 2 weeks got an email requesting a phone interview by Alexandra Hospital (AH). With me on Eastern Standard Time, we set up a late evening interview with the department head and other senior physicians and staff.

 

After giving my references, several weeks later the human resources department at AH emailed me and welcomed me aboard! I accepted the job offer with over one year left of my active duty service.

 

Setting Sail to Singapore

In the summer of 2009, I visited AH with the goals of meeting the staff at AH and visiting the site of the brand new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) in Yishun. I wanted to see how the clinics and operating theatres functioned on a day to day basis. I will be starting up the cornea service at KTPH, since there had been no permanent corneal consultant previously at AH. I also wanted to decide on where I’d like to live with the goal of being near KTPH and the convenient MRT stations.

 

I will relocate to Singapore in July 2010; good timing since KTPH will be opening its doors March 2010. My plan is to start work in August 2010 after getting settled in.

 

I would like to extend my appreciation to the MOHH team for assisting me in my transition to Singapore. The visit programme which they had planned for me was very comprehensive and informative. In addition to the tour to AH and the site of KTPH, it covered other areas such as viewing of potential properties and even car options! The team at MOHH that I worked with was very knowledgeable and they provided me with timely as well as detailed information that I needed about the public healthcare structure and relocating to Singapore.

 

The experience I have in Singapore is always the same: efficient, friendly and professional. I am looking forward to a nice transition from Navy life to the challenging and rewarding practice of ophthalmology in a first rate environment.

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More dialogues coming soon, please stay tuned.