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Dawn of the Hundredth Challenges and Opportunities at PSS |
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Dear Members and Readers,On behalf of the PSS Council, a warm greetings and welcome to this new issue of the PSS e-Bulletin. PSS entered a significant chapter being 100 years old last year. Our recent 100th AGM was held on 29-Mar-06 at the Alumni Association Auditorium; and it’s my pleasure to introduce the new 12-member Council line-up:
President: Ng Cheng Tiang
Vice-President: Fatimah MK
Honorary Secretary: Lou Huei-Xin
Asst. Hon. Secretary: Tan Yin Yin
Honorary Treasurer: Koh Oon Sim
Asst. Hon. Treasurer: Li Shu Chuen
Council Members: Camilla Wong
Chan Soo Chung
G. Balasubramaniam
Irene Quay
See Yen Theng
Sunita NambirAmongst the 12 Council Members, 8 have served in the previous (99th) Council; while the other 4 were new (including 1 returning member).Consistent with the gender mix of pharmacist population in Singapore, we have more female Council Members than male in the ration of 8 : 4.
In terms of sectoral balance, 4 are from hospital practice, 4 from the industrial sector; 3 from the community practice and only 1 from the academia.The average age of the present Council Member is 39.2 years. Therefore, most would have more than 10 years of post-basic working experience; with half holding higher degrees.
The recent AGM was held against the backdrop of some significant milestones, viz.:
• PSS and its preceding organizations celebrated our centennial year in education and practice;
• We managed to enroll our 1,000th member last year; the highest number of PSS Membership tally in history;
• We saw the biggest participation in our last year’s Singapore Pharmacy Congress organized jointly with NUS Pharmacy Department. The event attracted more than 500 delegates from about 18 different countries.
• Singapore Pharmacy Board officially announced the introduction of compulsory CPD from September 2006 and the impending amendment to the Pharmacist Registration Act.
We now live in a very dynamic healthcare landscape where technologies are rapidly breaching the limits of expert capabilities; borders and the once rigid regulations being dismantled in favour of greater transparency and self-regulation; the ever emerging powers of consumer advocacy etc.The preceding and present Councils are mindful of such changes and we certainly have been striving hard to steer PSS into the next stage of preparedness in order to face the many challenges and opportunities that await those who anticipate and adopt continual improvement in whatever we do. Like any other professions, we can only do so effectively through selfless contribution and commitment from our fellow members out there. Have you any burning thoughts and agenda PSS? Do come forward and join us. With your contribution, we surely can make pharmacy a respected and honorable profession in Singapore.
Kindest regards,
Ng Cheng Tiang
President
100th Council, Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore
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