Saying yes to a career shift was one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made in my life.
I started out with a career in the clinical field. Then I ventured into the space of public policy, primarily to make an impact on a larger scale, and for my personal growth. My decision has led me from core healthcare to policy making, healthcare technology, and now, data governance.
Currently, my day-to-day work involves protecting data for the public healthcare sector.
How does my work affect people’s lives? Imagine that you have to visit a doctor, and after your consultation, you wait at the pharmacy to collect your medication. Upon your turn, when the pharmacist hands you your drugs, you notice each packet has a sticky label with your full name and identification number printed on it. You might wonder: Why are my details there? What if this information lands in the hands of a stranger? But from a healthcare provider’s perspective, this is done to ensure the correct medication is given to the correct person.
[ALUMNI-INFO TEXT="As a policymaker, I need to balance a citizen’s desire for privacy with the healthcare provider’s responsibility to deliver safe care. I weigh the risks, consider the key concerns, and then make a judgement call.
With Covid-19, I’ve been roped in to be part of a medical operations team, working across different ministries and agencies to rein in the current situation and ensure the well-being of our foreign workers. The hours are long, but the thought that we need to act fast — every moment counts — has made all of us try to maximise what we can do every single day. Our priority is getting the strategy right for the situation, and we reconsider our course of action as often as is necessary.
To give a sense of the complexity of the operations, some areas we need to think about are: clinical manpower to provide care, infrastructure to house people (who need different levels of care) at different locations, a planning team, an operations team, an administrative team, logistical support, a liaison team, and more. All these “parts” need to work together every single day, so that we are in sync for smooth operations."][/ALUMNI-INFO]
The fast pace of interactions is something that I have never experienced before. There are many unknowns, and when things don’t go as planned, we don’t have the luxury to sit and mull for long. We have to come up with solutions at the earliest and then execute the new plan as soon as possible.
[ALUMNI-QUOTES TEXT="For me, the bright spark in all of this has been the dedication of the people around me. We are working hard, for very long hours every day, sharing information, and trying to think of the best solutions possible. It doesn’t matter which agency we are from—we are all here to get through this together.
A thinking framework from the Master in Public Policy (MPP) programme, which has proved useful not only in current times but in general, is this: you need to identify your stakeholders, put yourself in their shoes, assess their concerns, and then address them. For instance, although the key objective with our Covid-19 operations is to halt the spread and save as many lives as possible, it’s useful for me to know what other teams are concerned about, before offering help.
Above all, my Covid-19 work has shown me that it’s a great team that makes the difference. No matter what the times, the biggest resource that we have is each other."][/ALUMNI-QUOTES]
During the MPP, I learnt so much from my classmates, some of whom made the effort to connect us by organising potlucks, trips, and cultural activities. I joined the LKY School’s alumni chapter committee with the same objective — to bring people together. Through the chapter activities, I’ve met people with different backgrounds and journeys from mine, and I want us to create a strong network, where we can keep in touch, discover new ways of doing things, and motivate one another across the years.
Eti (second row, second from right), at the MPP Class of 2010's 10-year reunion in 2018 at the LKY School.
If you are curious about working in healthcare, my advice is to get an internship opportunity for exposure. To do your best work, compel yourself to think in practical terms, by envisioning how someone’s life could be affected by your work. Try and figure out the implications of your decisions on patient safety or well-being. For example, using the newest technology purely for the sake of being up-to-date could have more downsides than upsides.
At the same time, don’t be afraid to push boundaries. Healthcare providers will be conservative because the consumer’s welfare is at stake. But this shouldn’t deter us from trying something new, for greater good.
Eti (centre, red mask) in Mexico in 2019, attending the wedding of a friend from the LKY School network.