The onslaught of HIV in Singapore brought challenges and societal stigma to the medical community, patients and their families.
Professor Leo Yee Sin was among the few specialists committed to providing continual care for patients with HIV.
She shares her experiences and memories in dealing with HIV in Singapore
here.
Dr Edmund Monteiro grew up on the grounds of Middleton Hospital where his father Professor Ernest Stevens Monteiro was the medical superintendent. He joined the hospital in 1965 as a young doctor. Middleton Hospital later became the Communicable Disease Centre, and Dr Monteiro rose to become its Director in 1980.
Read about his experiences
here.
Dr Lee Cheng Chuan joined Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 1992, and started working at the Communicable Disease Centre in 1996. Today, as a Senior Consultant at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, he treats patients who suffer from infectious diseases such as HIV. Outside of medicine, however, Dr Lee also plays a significant role in fighting to improve treatment for People Living with HIV.
Read about his experiences here.
Medical Social Worker Ho Lai Peng joined the Communicable Disease Centre in 1995 after spending four years working with patients from medical departments such as Respiratory Medicine and General Surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Like many people then, Lai Peng knew very little about HIV. But she would soon learn the importance of giving each and every patient a listening ear, and has made it her mission to do right by this group of patients who are stigmatised.
Read about her experiences here.
Gary (not his real name) has been living with HIV for the past eight years and started seeking treatment at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) in 2013.
When he was first admitted to the CDC in 2014, he was in quite a bad shape, both physically and mentally. He felt despondent and alone, and did not see much of a future for himself. However, at the Patient Care Centre, he was inspired by the positive example of other patients, which subsequently helped him to develop a more positive outlook on life.
He shares his stories here.
