SPEECH BY DR WILLIAM CHONG, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PACIFIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY OF PACIFIC HEALTHCARE NURSING HOME ON MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2005 AT 11AM

Good morning,

Mr Heng Chee How, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade & Industry, and Mayor of Central Singapore District,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and gentlemen

OPENING REMARKS
Thank you for taking the time to join us in celebrating the opening of Pacific Healthcare Nursing Home.

Today, we mark another significant step towards our vision of creating a truly Integrated Healthcare Service Network. This is the first of two nursing homes which Pacific Healthcare is building, and while it is a less glamorous aspect of healthcare, it forms the very core of our culture and is indeed the fabric of our society - how we as children care for the ones who have cared for us.

INCREASED LIFE EXPECTANCY & RELATED CHALLENGES
Singapore has one of the world's fastest growing elderly populations. Based on statistics in the Singapore 21 Report, by the year 2030, it is projected that those aged above 60 would constitute one quarter of our population and almost half a million will be in their late 60s or early 70s. Advances in medicine and our environment have increased our life expectancy, and the average Singaporean can now expect to live to almost eighty, and for many, way beyond that.

Yet the greatest irony of a longer life is that we thus spend a larger percentage of our life with chronic disease, which makes simple daily activities such as bathing, having meals and moving around harder to accomplish. Most of us will eventually need some assistance one day.

A HOME WITH A DIFFERENCE
As parents of our children, and children of our parents, our personal responsibilities are many. While we acknowledge that we would love to be able to be there, the reality is that circumstances may not allow us to care for our elderly loved ones directly.

That is why Pacific Healthcare has sought to create an environment where our minds will be at ease knowing that our loved ones are well taken care of. The new facility is designed with the elderly in mind and we aim to provide a quality healthcare environment that inspires confidence and a peace of mind amongst the residents and their families. Every detail is looked into to ensure that the environment serves as an extension of your homes.

Our team of dedicated nursing care professionals will be present to ensure that our residents' mental and physical health is looked after at all times. In addition, residents can have access to comprehensive medical care from different medical professionals working in close collaboration under the Pacific Healthcare Group.

DOING OUR PART FOR THE COMMUNITY
Pacific Healthcare is well aware of this need to strike a careful balance between service delivery and cost containment to ensure that our healthcare service remains largely accessible to all. Hence, the home was built with a mix of private and dormitory-style wards. Our commitment towards Pacific Healthcare Nursing Home reflects our holistic and patient-centric approach to healthcare and embodies our care and compassion in serving the community at large.

Let us help make the autumn years of our loved ones like the climate in Singapore - a lifetime of summers.

Thank you.