Dear distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

A good evening to everyone! Tonight, I am very honoured to be presiding officer of the the 42nd Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association Inauguration Ceremony. First  of all, allow me to congratulate all the elected members.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dates back to ancient times. The Chinese claim to be the descendants of Huang Di and Yan Di, and consider Yan Di  and Huang Di as the ancestors of all Chinese people. But some people  may not be aware of this, the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor Shen Nong  are also considered the ancestors of TCM. Two classic texts of TCM, the “Yellow Emperor Internal Analects” and “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic”,  not only serve as textbooks of TCM, but are also essential reference tools for every TCM practitioner. After  generations of Chinese  heritage and accumulation of thousands of years of ancient Chinese  wisdom and practical experience, a systematic theory has been established, and gradually developed into a unique medical system.

Wherever there are Chinese people, there will be Chinese culture. TCM is part of the Chinese culture,  and TCM naturally followed the Chinese migrants who came to Singapore from South China. Since the founding of Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association in 1946, it has had 64 years of history.  In all these years, you  have spared no effort to promote Traditional Chinese medicine, and have fully committed to improving the standards of TCM and training outstanding TCM physicians.

In recent years, there have been increasingly frequent exchanges between Singapore and China exchanges in the field of Traditional Chinese medicine.  With the support and co-operation between the SIngapore and Chinese government, Beijing Tong Ren Tang was established in Alexandra Hospital, becoming the first mainstream hospital in Singapore to set up a TCM health clinic within it, providing a new treatment option for patients with chronic diseases. Singapore Health Services Group  and the Shanghai Shen-Kang Hospital also set up a Bao Zhong Medical Hall within the  Singapore General Hospital. In addition to providing Traditional Chinese medicine outpatient services, will also join the Singapore General Hospital in the treatment of chronic diseases and carry out joint clinical research to study treatment methods for several chronic diseases using a combination of TCM and Western medicine.

TCM and conventional Western medicine can complement each other well and it is believed that a combination of TCM and Western medicine treatment solves both symptoms and root of the problem because  it has the best of both worlds. With the increasing standards of living and quality of life, work and life stresses are also increasing. Singaporeans are paying more attention to good health, and becoming more receptive to TCM.

Finally, I hope that the Singapore Chinese Physician’s Association can continue collaborating with Western medicine in the fields of exploration and research, so that TCM can flourish in Singapore, and become even more well accepted. I believe that under the leadership of Singapore  Chinese Physicians’ Association President  Dr. Wong Chin Nai, and with the joint efforts of the new committee members, the Association will work even harder and rise to greater heights.

Thank you everyone!