Tina Tan
The writing of this Editorial comes on the heels of SMA's Annual General Meeting, where I was inducted into the 64th Council. It is a timely reminder that the advocacy work done by the SMA, and other medical associations in Singapore, is largely performed by doctors with passion and strong values, with a core group of dedicated staff backing us up. There are a number of such professional associations in Singapore, and each contributes in their own ways to the medical community, such as by setting local treatment and management guidelines, and harmonising practices with global developments.
On that note, our Feature article is written by past SMA President Dr Lee Pheng Soon, who talks about what SMA has done for the profession over the past few decades. We have also featured an article by Dr Low Lip Ping on the accomplishments of the Singapore Hypertension Society.
Every year, there is an attrition rate in membership due to Members who choose to leave SMA. Their reasons are understandable. Most state that they do not see any value in continuing membership. But Dr Lee has summed it up best in his article: "The record is clear – decade after decade, SMA has repeatedly stood up for the medical profession."
May this be an invitation for more to join SMA Membership and help us, so that we can better help our patients.
Jimmy Teo
Birds of a feather flock together.
Upon graduation, the first association I joined was the SMA, believing that young doctors should join their professional societies or associations to keep abreast of issues that affect the profession and actively participate to have a collective voice. The SMA functions as a uniting assembly of medical students and doctors, representing the interests of doctors. Thus, given the dramatic changing landscape of professional practice in Singapore, I would encourage all newly graduated doctors to join the SMA as well.
In 2022, the Singapore Society of Nephrology (SSN) celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was made even more memorable as I was presented with the SSN Achievement Award! The year 2022 has been a demanding year for my family as we grappled with serious illness and major school examinations. Fortunately, I work with extremely kind people who pitched in to cover some of my duties and adjusted schedules for me to be away at times. The anniversary celebrations brought together friends in nephrology from all across Singapore and reunited many doctors and associates, present and retired. The SSN also had our friends from the Malaysian Society of Nephrology join us in our celebration. The reopening of the borders and resumption of overseas travel allowed many of us to renew our ties. Besides the SSN, another society which I am an active member of is the Singapore Hypertension Society (SHS). The SHS celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022 with a dinner for all its members.
Many of us actively participate in different professional societies and associations. SMA News is happy to celebrate the remarkable anniversaries and milestones of the professional organisations founded and ran by fellow doctors, and to feature societies and associations that have anniversaries or are celebrating key events. We look forward to contributions!