On the morning of the 19^th of January, the student body had a rare chance to meet a panel of alumni during the Youth Alumni Sharing Session 2008. The panel consisted of a diverse line up of speakers who came from various sectors in the pharmaceutical industry. They ranged from clinical pharmacists to postgraduate students.

From the 10-25^th December 2007, 21 of our undergraduate students went to India for a Youth Expedition Project (YEP). Together with an NGO called The Volunteers, they embarked on a service-learning journey to Tumkur district in Karnataka state in southern India under the banner Dispense-A-Dream ‘07

Together, they worked with the Village of Bukkapatna in a bid to improve their educational facilities. The group was heavily involved in the refurbishment of the English IT learning centre and the village primary school. On top of this, they also provided school uniforms, multi-vitamins and toiletries to the children of the village. English language lessons were also conducted for the village high school students.

Health screenings and camps were also employed to increase the villagers’ health and hygiene awareness. The team also had a chance to visit various educational institutions during the course of their stay.

Want to find out more? Click Dispense-A-Dream ‘07

After 4 years, after getting your pharmacy degree, what do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Do you have any ideas?

Some of you may have some ideas of what you want to pursue after graduating. Others may have no idea at all. Let our alumni help you!

Join us this Saturday, 19/01/08, at 10am for the Youth Alumni Sharing Session 2008 (YASS) at LT 20. Let our diverse line up of speakers share with you their accomplishments and experiences.

Bronson Toh Ee Yang – GSK Manufacture, Compliance Officer
Leow Mei Fen – GSK Marketing, Consumer Health Division
Yap Peiling – Master’s degree with Novartis in Tropical/Infectious Diseases
Poh Ai Ling – Parkway Health Hospitals
Han Huiyu – Quality Assurance Specialist with Lonza Biologics
Tan Ai Meng – Clinical Research Associate Trainee at Quintiles East Asia
Chuah Sue Huey – Senior Associate of DFJ Vinacapital

By attending this session, you will be able to make a more informed decision on what you wish to pursue in the future. See you guys there!

If you have been following the news closely, the issue of Means Testing has dominated the local front page for several days.  

The Context

Means Testing is a scheme introduced by the Ministry of Health (MOH), its purpose being to appropriately allocate limited healthcare resources in Singapore. Means testing will be based on salaries declared in tax or CPF returns [for salaried workers] and housing type [for the retirees, children and unemployed]. 

Why the need for Means Testing?

Patients going to the hospitals routinely ask for the senior consultants in the mistaken belief that their chances of recovery is guaranteed; however, they fail to recognise that the minor ailments that they are suffering from can be treated just as effectively by the other [albeit less, junior] doctors.  This has resulted in long queue-lines for all patients and MOH is looking towards improving this aspect of patient care.

Economists normally have 2 solutions for this phenomenon – either raise the price until supply equals demand, or let the queue mechanism sort itself out. Those who can afford to pay but cannot afford to wait will naturally leave the queue.

However, to apply this principle, ceteris paribus, to healthcare might result in some unpleasantness. Means Testing is the proposed solution: by allowing people who can afford to take up the better-class wards, we’ll be able to free up the remaining wards. This would also mean that we will be able treat more people, thus freeing up queue-lines. At least, this is the ideal case scenario.