The 13th February 2022 marked the passing of Assoc Prof Cynthia Goh, a pioneer of palliative care in the region and a past Chair of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network. Dr Goh’s passion and dedication to palliative care led her to make a significant impact on palliative care communities not only in Singapore, but throughout the world.
Cynthia was a visionary as well as an enabler, connecting people and resources throughout the region and the world in addressing the issues for access to palliative care especially in low resource countries. She led several projects in developing regions to train and inspire clinicians with much success in India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and many more. Through advocacy, training, education, research and capacity building, she initiated and led many other projects in the region so that each country would be able to provide palliative care as part of universal health care.
Dr Goh’s family has decided to continue her legacy by establishing the Cynthia Goh Global Palliative Care Institute (CGGPCI). The institute will be established by SingHealth Duke-NUS Supportive and Palliative Care Centre (SDSPCC). The Institute aims to leverage on existing expertise of the partner organisations to develop joint programmes and appointments to develop its activities whilst advancing education and research capacity and capability in the region. The partners include the APHN, the Lien Centre for Palliative Care and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute.
The CGGPCI will serve as a catalyst from which programmes can be developed to improve access to palliative care for individuals with serious advanced illnesses and their families. These programmes will focus on multi-region research and interdisciplinary education to enhance palliative care practice and standards in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. The Institute seeks for an endowed donation of S$10 million (with matching to S$20 million), and expendable donation of S$2 million (with matching to S$2 million) to fund the expenses. For more information, please refer to Annex A.
On behalf of the APHN, may I extend a formal invitation to support this initiative through funding a percentage of the S$12 million required for its establishment. Your support will allow the institute to continue Cynthia’s efforts in advancing palliative care practice and access, especially in low to middle-income regions.
Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Dr Ednin Hamzah
Chairman
Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network
Note: All donations will be handled directly by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Supportive and Palliative Care Centre (SDSPCC)
Annex A: CGGPCI Appeal Letter from Cynthia’s Family (Download the PDF here)
