Editorial Team of ExCHANGE

Editor: Qamaruzaman Bin Syed Gani Contributors: Shirlynn Cai Derek Tan Administrator: Helen Tjow

Editors Note Welcome to another edition of ExCHANGE. Exciting times are soon approaching. Singapore International Physiotherapy Con-gress 2014 is just round the corner and I hope you have marked the date down on your calendar. Not only that, its SPA’s 50th Anniversary and we will be having a Gala dinner to celebrate as well as static displays of how the profession has grown over the years. So look out for email updates and join us on Facebook if you have yet to do so. Qamaruzaman Editor Council 2012/2014

September 2013

In this edition NewsFLASH: SIP Congress 2014 2 SpotLIGHT 49th AGM 2013, 3 MOH Update, 5 WCPT Updates, 6 SPSC Retreat, 8 Welcome: New Members 12 UpGRADE: Education Listing 13 NewsBYTE 14 Advertisement 15

Singapore Physiotherapy Association

ExCHANGE

A Quarterly Newsletter that shares the happenings and the works of the Singapore Physiotherapy Association

For all editorial queries and feedback, please email our administrator at admin@physiotherapy.org.sg ExCHANGE is a publication by Singapore Physiotherapy Association. The views and opinions expressed or implied in ExCHANGE do not necessarily reflect those of the Association. Articles may not be reproduced without the editorial team’s permission

NewsFLASH

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SpotLIGHT: 49th AGM 2013

The 49th Annual General Meeting of Singapore Physiotherapy Association was held on 29th May 2013 at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. There was a tour of the facilities for those who came earlier lead by Mr Low Hsien Chih. Dr Siow Hua Ming, Orthopaedic Surgeon & Medical Director of Providence Orthopaedics presented updates on Sport Medicine and Surgical Treatments. Mr Dinesh Verma presented the overview of the President’s Report as mentioned in the AGM report. He highlighted some of the key challenges which the council had been working on from year 2012 to 2013; among them, the success of Annual Congress September 2012 as well as an update on WCPT 2015. He also emphasized and rallied on having ONE VOICE for the association.

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Moving forward in 2013 to 2014, SPA will be working on the following events: 50 Years of Singapore Physiotherapy Association on 1-4 May 2014 National Congress AGM WCPT 2015 - Planning and action year 2014 Mr Derek Tan Kim Guan introduced the launch of SPA Online Portal which allows users to update their profiles online as well as update CPD or create their e-resume. He also presented on introduction of Associate Membership. Aim was to incorporate associate membership to the current SPA Constitution and Rules a tier which has close connection with the profession. 40 members were supportive of the addition of the new category of Associate Membership for SPA.

SPSC President Rethinam also provided an update on the Student Council report 2012 which saw them organizing events to encour-age participation and promote a sense of belonging to the professional community amongst the students. Tokens of appreciation were provided to the outgoing SPSC Council members for their hard work. Proposal to change current Life Members Admission Criteria was passed with no objections from members. For further details , please refer to the 49th Annual General Meeting minutes.

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Following SPA’s 2012 congress, SPA has taken a step further to review how the

physiotherapy profession can contribute to the healthcare sector in improving

the affordability and accessibility of allied health services to the public. In

February 2013, the Singapore Physiotherapy Association (SPA) was honoured

and privileged to receive an invitation from the health minister for a tea session.

The tea session was well attended by Minister Gan, several representatives

from the Ministry of Health (MOH) as well as our profession’s colleagues from

the public, private and community practice. The tea session saw a productive

discussion on the issues such as direct referral access to allied health services

and the affordability of allied health services, the current needs of the community

sector as well as the obstacles that are present to allow the public in accessing

the basic healthcare needs. It was encouraging to hear of Minister Gan’s

support and commitment in empowering the community sector as well reducing

health care costs and waiting time for accessing the services. The meeting

ended on a positive note and SPA looks forward to working with MOH in bringing

affordable healthcare to our people.

SpotLIGHT: MOH UPDATE

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SpotLIGHT: WCPT UPDATES

The WCPT Congress in 2015 in Singapore may still seem a while away, but the recent WCPT Asia Western Pacific regional conference in Taiwan was an excellent example of all that is exciting and invigorating about the gathering of physiotherapists from all over the world. The spotlight will be on Singapore in 2015 but for now we turn it on Taiwan and share experiences from there.

A total of 1,019 delegates from 32 countries gathered in Taichung, Taiwan, at the beginning of this month for the sixth regional congress. The event, hosted by the Taiwan Physical Therapy Association (TPTA), included workshops, symposia, scientific presentations – and spectacular celebrations of World Physical Therapy Day on 8th September.

One participant, Kanda Chaiponyo from Thailand, said she was deeply impressed by the participation of physical therapists from so many countries – not just from the Asia Western Pacific region, but also from the Africa and North America Caribbean regions.

“The feeling of being one among a thousand physical therapists was so memorable,” she said. “Another great thing was the research presented by physical therapy students – it really assured that the profession is growing based on evidence. We all can see our profession moving forward together.”

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The congress, incorporating the 12th International Congress of the Asian Confederation for Physical Therapy (ACPT), was entitled “Health promotion through physical therapy” and focused on exchanging experiences and knowledge, facilitating ideas and finding solutions.

The scientific sessions attracted a large number of participants. Important issues under discussion included reforms to entry level physical therapy education in the region (a session chaired by WCPT President Professor Marilyn Moffat and the TPTA President Suh-Fang Jeng) and the influence of WCPT’s international policies on the profession and global health (chaired by the WCPT’s Africa Region representative Joyce Mothabeng).

“A remarkable feature of this year’s congress was that a significant amount of oral and poster presentation were contributed by graduate and undergraduate PT students as well as by clinical physical therapists,” said Suh-Fang Jeng. “This may indicate the growth of evidence-based concepts and practice in the region.”

Suh-Fang Jeng of the TPTA said that this was a significant event for physical therapists in Taiwan. “Since becoming a full member of WCPT in 1982 Taiwan physical therapists have often attended WCPT and regional activities, but this is the first time that physical therapists in Taiwan have felt so close and attached to WCPT and its regional business.”

“Several generations of PTs in Taiwan worked together to organise the congress over the past two years, and the experience of international participation has no doubt had a lasting effect on the younger PTs.”

Brenda Myers, WCPT Secretary General, said the event demonstrated the value of international physical therapy congresses for the profession and for individuals. “There is such an appetite for learning and networking in the region, and this bodes well for the full WCPT Congress, to be held in Singapore in 2015.”

Find out more about the WCPT Congress at www.wcpt.org/congress.

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SpotLIGHT: SPSC RETREAT

The annual Singapore Physiotherapy Student Council (SPSC) Retreat,

organized by the 4th

SPSC, was held from 2nd

to 4th

Sept 2013. It was a good end off for the seniors, but it also marked the start of council term for the juniors.

The Retreat started off a little slow, having to warm up the 4

th and 5

th members,

but soon it became a house full of laughter and the start of new friendships!

Do not be fooled though, it wasn’t all fun and games! We were quick to put our juniors to the test and have them churn out their year plan, and proposals for the events in the coming months. Even before the Retreat started, we already had them plan out 2 breakfasts and a BBQ! To be fair, the 4

th SPSC had to

prepare for lunch and dinner too.

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Some of the things we had hoped to achieve out of this retreat were a sense of belonging and new friendships and it was certainly most rewarding to see

happy faces, even when “working”!

After days of juggling between fun and work, we are happy to have elected a multi-talented and dedicated group of students into the incoming 5

thSPSC!

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After days of juggling between fun and work, we are happy to have elected a multi-talented and dedicated group of students into the incoming 5

thSPSC!

President: Derrick Tan Vice President: Goh Kai Ying

Secretary: Khuzaimah Binte Zainal Treasurer: Eric Fernando

Public Relations Head: Naazreen Elias Public Relations Officer: NurSyathirah

Welfare Head: James Cher Welfare Officer: Dhachayini Balasubramaniam

There may be more members coming in but nonetheless, the handover process has already begun!

Special thanks to Vivian and Shirlynn for making their way down on the second

day to provide valuable information about our parent body, the Singapore Physiotherapy Association. We’re sure that both the 4

th and 5

th SPSC have a

better direction to head towards to now.

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Before we end this piece off, we’d like to acknowledge and thank the girls of the 4

th SPSC who have gone through this journey with us!

Secretary: Kwoh Mun Teng Treasurer: Wong Yee Lyen Public Relations Head: Anjelica Goh Public Relations Officer: Melissa Ong Public Relations Officer: Cherie Ling Public Relations Officer: Vivian Lim Welfare Head: Goh Jia Qian Welfare Officer: Chan Jia Ying Welfare Officer: Liew Yee Ching Welfare Officer: Lee Yan Rong

Sincerely, Masayu Afiqah & Jolene Tan President & Vice President 4

th SPSC

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WELCOME TO THE SPA FAMILY (March - September 2013)

New Ordinary Members

1. Regina Seah

2. Gracelina Koh

3. Karuppasamy Sambathkumar

4. Anthony Liu

5. Magdalene Teng

6. Cesar Seguban

7. Shikha Pandey

8. Ran Wang

9. Tong Shuk In

10. Esmath Khan Shahul Hameed

11. Brinda Ganesan

12. Jaseema Furvin Tajudeen

13. Nazish Ghani

14. Suveda Kothari

15. Jyoti Bora

16. Kamalika Bhattachary

17. Srikantha Babu Venga

18. Anna Elizabeth Garden

19. Anisha Kak

20. Ting Leling

21. Kathryn Sheridan

22. Wong Jiayen

23. Shern Ario Lim

New Student Members

1. Vivian Lim 2. Wong Yee Lyen

3. Masayu Afiqah Masagoes Hashim 4. Jolene Tan Jin Wen

5. Anjelica Goh 6. Lee Yan Rong

7. Caleb Low 8. Chan Jia Ying

9. Melissa Ong Jia Min 10. Liew Yee Ching 11. Goh Jia Qian

12. Melissa Chan Wen Yi

13. Eric Fernando 14. Dhachayini Balasubramaniam 15. Abigail Chan Hsin Yi

16. Goh Kai Ying

17. James Cher 18. Khuzaimah Zainal 19. Chan Sze Li

20. Nur Syathirah Binte Sunaryo 21. Naazreen Elias

22. Derrick Tan

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UpGRADE: Education Listing

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The following are talks for the upcoming months;

Dates Course Title Speaker

23rd October 2013 Updates in the Management of Knee

OA & Cartilage Injuries Dr Kevin Lee Boon Leng

TBC Manual Therapy Workshop - Level 2 Mr Er Beng Siong &

Mr Lim Hun Teck

20th November 2013 Physiotherapy and Restrictive Lung

Disorders Dr Ong Hwee Kuan

So look out for details on registration or you can drop us an email at education@physiotherapy.org.sg or call 97957535 for further details

NewsBYTE

SPA was invited to participate Project SilverCare 2013 once more. This time round, the event was held at Geylang Serai Community Centre on 15th and 29th September 2013. Project SilverCare is a community integrative health screening that brings together nursing, medicine, pharmacy and social work students from National University of Singapore (NUS) to plan and execute a public health screening project.

Upcoming will be Public Health Screening 2013, held annually at Toa Payoh HDB Hub. Public Health Screening (PHS) is an annual event organised by the NUS Medical Society which aims to raise health awareness amongst Singapore's public. If you’re keen to be a volunteer, the following are the details; Date: 5th, 6th October 2013 Time: 0800 - 1700 hours Venue: Toa Payoh HDB Hub Please email SPA at admin@physiotherapy.org.sg

should you be keen to volunteer:

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