Alumni Stories

In September 2017, SSHSPH alumnus Dr Reginald George Alex, now working at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, delivered an oration titled ‘Occupational Health in Academic Institutions – To Teach and To Reach’, conducted by the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH) in Chennai. He presented the evolution of Occupational Health (OH) work in CMC as well as some plans the College intends to embark on in the future.

Dr Alex shares with us the OH work he has carried out in CMC, after graduating with his Master’s Degree in Public Health specialising in Occupational and Environmental Health.

What led you to take up a Master of Public Health at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH)? What are some of your most memorable experiences while studying for the MPH?

I realised that Occupational Health is a much neglected field in my country, and there is a dearth of qualified OH physicians in India as well as in my institution. I wanted to do my part in this field so I looked across the globe for a good university where I could study OH. I had met Dr Peter Loke, a family physician and a visiting faculty of SSHSPH, at a conference earlier who suggested that SSHSPH would be an excellent place to do my MPH in the area of Occupational Health.

The whole experience of living in Singapore and studying in a premier institution was a memorable one. A few of the things which stand out in my memory are the visits to the industries as part of the OH curriculum, presenting my thesis before the students and senior faculty, and of course, the enjoyable time and friendship shared with my batch mates.

Not to mention, having been trained and qualified at a world class institution like NUS, I’ve managed to gain a unique standing among the OH Physicians in India, and I was recently awarded the Dr. Sadagopan Memorial Oration by the Indian Association of Occupational Health.

Can you share your experience in promoting Occupational Health within Christian Medical College?

Learning about Occupational Health through the MPH course inspired me and granted me the knowledge and skills needed to pioneer OH work in Christian Medical College. After I finished the course in June 2011 and returned to CMC, we invited Associate Professor Chia Sin Eng to share his experiences as a teacher in the field of OH, which was an eye-opener for both students and faculty of the College.

Following that, with the help of our staff training department, I conducted a study among CMC staff to investigate the level of awareness of Occupational Health. We found that it was very poor, even among the doctors, so we formed a team to create awareness and teach our staff about OH. Under the leadership of then-Associate Director Prof D J Christopher, an Occupational Health committee was formed comprising members from various specialties and departments, including doctors, nurses, engineers, physiotherapists and administrative officers, and with me as the committee’s Occupational Health Officer.

We conducted several awareness programmes for the different classes of workers; included OH as a mandatory staff training module; and introduced it into the curricula of the Undergraduate Medicine, Master of Philosophy and Master of Public Health programmes.

The College started observing the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April each year. This year, we commemorated it with a week-long event, with staff taking Ergonomics sessions to learn how to relieve and prevent back and neck pain. The OH committee had found that back and neck pain were major issues among our staff, so we also have an Ergonomics team that conducts a ‘Back School’ programme with each department, educating them on back care and teaching them exercises to stretch, strengthen and protect their backs. These exercises have also been uploaded to the College’s intranet so that anyone can watch and perform the exercises at any time.

Another initiative the committee carried out was to identify and screen staff who were at risk of workplace health hazards. To reduce the risk of damaged hearing, we started doing annual audiometry for staff who are exposed to high noise levels (e.g., boiler section, laundry). We also measured noise levels in workplaces around CMC. This revealed that some areas had noise levels that were higher than normal, so we provided earmuffs and earplugs to the staff working there. We also started conducting annual spirometry for staff working in the Artificial Limb centre, general pharmacy and operating theatre, where dust was an issue.

What about your experience in building Occupational Health capacity outside the College?

The OH committee has conducted initiatives with external parties, including research among staff and small-scale industries.

We conducted a one-day workshop on 31 January 2013 for factory medical officers and private practitioners, since Vellore is surrounded by a lot of industries, especially tannery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The guest lecture was delivered by Dr Park Yoo Dong, a visiting faculty on Industrial Health in SSHSPH. Around 60 doctors and administrators from the industries attended and the feedback we received from them was excellent. Through this workshop, we created a network with the industries around Vellore, and collaborated with them to bring our students to visit as part of their OH curriculum.

On 24–25 January 2014, a two-day National Conference on Hospital Safety and Occupational Health was conducted, with around 300 participants. Dr Sun, my PMH colleague, attended the workshop and delivered a talk on ‘Occupational Health Services in Singapore’.

We also organised the 1st National Conference for Healthcare Workers on 30–31 October 2015 that saw more than 300 participants from across the country. The Guest of Honour was Prof David Koh, who had taught me in SSHSPH. Our Health Minister, Dr Vijayabaskar, also attended the event, and delivered the Chief Guest address. We are planning to hold the next conference in January 2019.

Following a request from the Superintendent of Police, we also conducted a session on ergonomics for the local policemen on the prevention of back and neck pain. Around 75 policemen and policewomen attended the session, which started with a theory class, followed by exercise training.

Our work has also been recognised by the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO) in India, who has been active in the promotion of quality and safety across the country. I have been invited to conduct sessions for their Advanced Certificate programme for quality implementation, which is currently a one-day module in Occupational Health in Healthcare. The first programme was conducted on 16 December 2017 in Bangalore Baptist Hospital, with 40 healthcare professionals from around the country. Feedback was excellent and the programme will be periodically conducted in different regions of the country.

What other plans do you have in store for Occupational Health in India?

We are currently in the midst of writing a manual on Occupational Health for the healthcare institutions in India, the first draft of which has been completed. In 3 years’ time, we also hope to establish a one-year fellowship in Occupational Health for medical doctors through the Distance Education department. We are excited to spread awareness and knowledge about OH in India, and to extend the reach to other academic institutions and industries across the country.

Your journey after SSHSPH is important to us, and we’re always on the lookout for stories and updates from our alumni! Kindly share with us your life experiences, professional triumphs or inspiring adventures by emailing your story and photos to Ms Elizabeth Tan at elizabeth_tan@nus.edu.sg.