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Recently returned to Taiwan, Hayden Chen shares how he spend Mother's Day in Singapore, and praises his senior Elson Soh as a kindness singer! Together with Malaysian singer Daniel Chin and Project Awareness, a voluntary group founded by Elson Soh, they visited mothers from 20 groups of low income families, giving them handmade flowers and gifts specially prepared for them.
Royal Entertainment Managing Director, Jacky Goh, mentioned his own artistes are full of kindness, and were satisfied with their performance of the show and the merchant events in Singapore. Jacky Goh said that in addition to Mother's Day gifts, the three artistes from Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, who named themselves as The Royal 3, invited 25 elderly to come and enjoy their Meet and Greet Session. Through their kindness, they gained support from many fans and media! Elson Soh smiled and said he will not be lonely anymore, as future social activities and events, both Daniel Chin and Hayden Chen will contribute together to help. The Royal 3 hope to bring the concept of Project Awareness and bring it to Malaysia and Taiwan, so as to promote kindness and volunteerism, which would allow fans to come together to help to do something for the less privileged. After being together with Project Awareness, I realised that we are fortunate compared to the needy families in Singapore. I never knew such places actually existed in a first world country.  Looking at so many families having to squeeze at a small accommodation together with their many children, having this consistent worry of not having food on the table, having various medical conditions, having not enough money to feed the whole family, and when they share their difficulties they faced, it makes my heart break.  There is a family at King George Ave, single mother with 7 children. Taking care of 7 children at her age is no easy feat for her. With that many children, she can never work as her youngest child is only 1 year old and she has to take care of the rest. Luckily, her eldest child is the most obedient of them all, having good results in school, learning to cook for the family and helping to take care of his brothers and sisters. I hoped that all of them grow up to be a fine person.  No matter how busy my schedule is, I will always spend time to volunteer and help those in need as much as possible. Let’s do our part and provide whatever help and support we can.
Kindness is everywhere and a little thought can mean so much! Remember to share and walk with us in Project Awareness. Jacky Goh 吳錦南 Project Coordinator 
A new screening programme has been launched to help elderly Singaporeans catch an eye condition that few are aware of, but is the third most common cause of blindness among those aged over 60 here. Under a five-year programme by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) in collaboration with Nee Soon GRC, about 5,000 residents aged 50 and above can check for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and other eye conditions at a subsidised rate.
The initiative, Project Vision @ Nee Soon GRC, aims to raise awareness of AMD, which affects a tiny part of the retina at the back of the eye. AMD patients have distorted or blurry central vision that may degenerate into a black spot over a period of time. People may not be aware they have the condition, as the disease does not lead to total loss of sight and is not painful. “You won’t have any symptoms, it might just be there and you don’t know … most health screenings don’t have eye screening as part of the package, so it gets missed out but as people age and lifestyle changes, AMD is becoming more common,” said Dr Lekha Gopal from KTPH’s department of ophthalmology and visual sciences yesterday. The hospital hopes to hold two screenings a year till 2019 in community centres within Nee Soon GRC. KTPH will charge a nominal fee of S$6, of which half will be subsidised by the constituency. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, who is also Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, said such a collaboration is crucial to address healthy issues that arise as the Singapore society ages. “We’re ageing very fast, over the next 13 years we’re going to have nearly a million people crossing 65, health is going to become an even more important issue to focus on … we need to look at having more of such support systems,” he said. KTPH said around 220 people underwent the first round of screening yesterday at Chong Pang Community Club. Retiree Grace Tang, 67, cited the affordability of the screening and convenient location as her main reasons to take part. “We’re not very well off and with age catching up, it’s better to do these checks,” she said. 
Malay/Muslim self-help group Yayasan MENDAKI has issued a warning to the public about a false donation drives carried out under the name of the organisation.
The caution comes after several members of the public alerted MENDAKI about an individuals collecting donations claiming to be employees of MENDAKI. The organisation received reports of a man who was seen around the HDB estates in Tampines selling Muslim calendars to solicit funds. He introduced himself as an employee of MENDAKI. MENDAKI has since reported the case to the authorities to disclaim any liabilities and said that they “do not organise any charity drives in public areas”. The group also advised members of the public to be wary of suspicious donation drives on behalf of the group and to alert the police or contact the organisation should they encounter similar requests for donations. “MENDAKI also reminds the public that charitable organisations that are licensed to solicit cash donations would have a Collector’s Certificate of Authority from the National Council of Social Service,” it said. The group reminded members of the public that they can ask to see and verify the documents and their identity card as it is mandatory for them to carry the official papers. 
Mobile dental units and patient tracking devices are just some of the new projects that tap on technology to improve Singapore’s healthcare productivity, revealed the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) at the National Seminar on Productivity in Healthcare this morning (Oct 9).
The mobile dental units, to be rolled out next year, will bring healthcare closer to the doorsteps of the elderly and the disabled, cutting down on manpower needed to send the elderly to hospitals or clinics. Meanwhile, patient tracking devices are already on trial at St Luke’s Eldercare Serangoon. The devices help to save time wasted by manual attendance-taking and reduce manpower needed to guard doors so clients do not wander off the compound. All manpower costs saved are eventually channeled into other ways to provide better care and help for the patients, clients and elderly. At the seminar, Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong recognised that Singapore has “done reasonably well” in meeting one of Singapore’s key healthcare objectives — to deliver quality yet affordable care — but expressed the need to step up efforts to meet the increasing demand of healthcare with the aging population. Emphasizing on quality and efficiency, he said: “Productivity is the ability to do more with the same or do the same with less, better still, have more with less”. 
More than a year after the Animal Welfare Legislation Review Committee (AWLRC) submitted its recommendations to the Government, Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday tabled a Bill to amend the law governing animal welfare, that included a proposal for stiffer penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty.
If the proposed changes to the Animals and Birds Act are passed, first-time offenders under the tiered penalty structure could be fined up to S$15,000 or jailed for up to 18 months, or both. Those in animal-related businesses face heftier punishments for animal cruelty under the proposed amendments: Up to S$40,000 in fines or jail not exceeding two years, or both, for a convicted first offender. Under the current legislation, anyone convicted of animal cruelty could be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed for up to 12 months, or both. In a statement released yesterday, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the AWLRC and MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, noted that the process of translating the committee’s recommendations to legislation has been a long one. “It is important to balance the varied interests of the community and prioritise having a harmonious living environment for animals and animal lovers, on the one hand, and those who may not be comfortable with animals, on the other,” he added. Tabling the Bill on behalf of Mr Yeo was MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, Mr Alex Yam. Besides a strengthening of current regulations, Mr Yam, who also chairs the Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Committee, which had arisen from the AWLRC recommendations, said it was hoped that the proposed changes would emphasise that animal welfare was a shared responsibility among all stakeholders. “Ensuring and strengthening animal welfare should not be seen solely as the responsibility of the Government but the responsibility of everyone who plays a part in an animal’s life cycle,” he said. The AWLRC, which was formed in 2012 to look into how animals could be protected, had submitted 24 recommendations to the Government in March last year. Besides harsher penalties, the proposed amendments would also require staff who work with animals in related industries to hold qualifications or be trained in animal care and handling. In addition, the proposed amendments will also adopt codes to set the standard for animal welfare and spell out the duty of care that animal owners need to abide by. This includes taking reasonable steps to ensure that the animal is provided for and has adequate food, water and shelter. In cases where an animal has gone missing, its owner must have made a reasonable effort in looking for it, among other things. The Government would also be empowered to issue directives to owners and persons-in-charge to improve the care of an animal. In April, a businessman was fined S$10,000 — the maximum for animal cruelty — for failing to seek timely treatment for his pet. It was the first time the maximum fine had been imposed by the courts for animal abuse. A 33-year-old man was also fined S$41,000 in March for illegal possession of 32 wild or endangered animals — the biggest seizure of illegal wildlife from a home in 11 years. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) then filed a Notice of Appeal against the sentence for Ong Ming Shiang. In response to TODAY’s queries, an AVA spokesperson said it had reviewed the court’s sentence, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and decided not to pursue an appeal. She added: “The fine ... is the highest ever imposed on a private individual in possession of illegal wildlife. (It) constitutes sufficient deterrence and was appropriate in the circumstances of that case.” Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals executive director Corinne Fong called the proposed changes a good step, given that the previous amendment to the Act was made back in 2002. “I hope that with these new changes, the AVA will have more bite, more teeth to prosecute,” she added. Cat Welfare Society vice-president Veron Lau said the proposed amendments were a huge step forward. But she added that more could be done in specifying the conditions needed for owners to be convicted, other than quantifiable distress observed in animals, for example. An act of abandonment that does not lead to death or extreme suffering would not hold up in court, she said.  The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has warned the public against taking an illegal sex enhancement product after it was found to contain a potent, undeclared chemical ingredient that may cause “serious adverse effects”, including headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure, chest pain and muscle aches.
Called AMACE for him, the product was sold in Singapore by Acupoint located at Balestier Plaza and claims to “arouse the sexual nerves”, among others. It was sold as a health supplement containing only natural ingredients, including lingzhi, ginseng, cordyceps and wolfberry, said the HSA. However, it contains a compound called N-cyclopentyl nortadalfil, which is similar to prescription medicine Tadalafil, which is used in the treatment of male impotence. The HSA cautioned that Tadalafil and comparable drugs “should not be used by patients with certain medical conditions, including heart problems, or patients who are taking heart medications such as nitrates as fatalities have been reported”. The company has since stopped all sales of the product and has been instructed by the HSA to recall the product. While the HSA has yet to hear of any adverse reactions associated with the consumption of AMACE for him, the authority noted that people taking the product may not link the adverse effect they experience with the product, or tell their doctors they are taking this product. The HSA said it “will take strong enforcement actions against individuals who engage in the sale and supply of health products containing undeclared potent medicinal ingredients”. Anyone found to contravene the Poisons Act could be fined up to S$10,000 and/or jailed up to two years. Members of the public who have any information on the sale of AMACE for him or other illegal products are advised to contact HSA’s Enforcement Branch at 6866-3485 or email hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg. |
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