It is dinner time at Ren Ci Community Hospital and instead of the usual hospital meal, some patients from Ward 14 are enjoying their favourite hawker foods bought by Dr Kala and her colleagues from the Clinical Quality Management Unit.

The initiative known as “Makan Kakis” was started by Dr Kala, a veteran physician for the past 25 years. Having cared for elderly patients in Ren Ci for 11 years, Dr Kala noticed that they would crave for their favourite hawker food.

“We wanted to bring the simple joy of having a hawker meal back into their lives,” says Dr Kala.

Once a month, Dr Kala and her colleagues visit the nearby hawker centre to buy dinner for the patients, after checking on their dietary restrictions and if they have any special requests.

In addition to looking after their emotional wellbeing, Dr Kala manages patients who require subacute and rehabilitation care.

As the Director of Clinical Quality Management, she oversees patient safety and quality improvement and has spearheaded many award-winning projects including the “Trial-off Tracheostomy” project.

“We help patients with tracheostomy to wean off the tube so they can breathe and eat on their own again. It was a difficult but worthwhile project that has made a great difference to their quality of life. In the past, patients suffered the discomfort of a breathing tube in their neck and required frequent suctioning. With the tracheostomy out, they are more comfortable and some can even be discharged earlier,” says Dr Kala. The project which was introduced in 2015 has since been adopted as a standard of care for suitable patients with tracheostomy at Ren Ci.

Dr Kala also regularly takes time out to help patients outside of Ren Ci by volunteering for medical missions in Kashmir and Nepal. She sees these humanitarian trips as opportunities for her to give back to less privileged communities.