Pre-Symposium Activities
The Pre-symposium activities and corresponding short synopses are as follows:
1. Science and Health
On 24th March and 26th March, the movie screening session was held. In this activity, participants watched "Something the Lord Made" which showed a true story of how cardiac surgery was first attempted when a medical researcher, Dr. Blalock, decided to go against the traditional believe that the doing a surgery on the heart would be fatal. Leadership in the medical field is explicitly shown in the movie where new methods of treatment were attempted and new tools were created to enhance the surgical procedure. After watching the movie, participants gathered in groups to discuss on issues regarding risk and opportunities which include failures in innovation as well as risk calculation. During the session, some participants argued that regardless of the risk involved in a surgery, a surgeon should attempt the operation if the initial intentions were good and the patient is willing to give the operation a try. On the other hand, some participants disagree as they felt a life should not be endangered if an operation is not entirely safe.
Dialogue session:
On the 26th March, a leader in the field of health sciences, Datuk Dr Saw Huat Seong, who is a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon to dialogue with us regarding his personal experience and believes. During the dialogue, participants were given a clearer picture as how leadership is displayed in the field of medical sciences such as setting up an institution to certify graduate nurses who are qualified and competent and creating a grading system in Singapore (assess if an operation was done correctly). In the session, Dr. Saw also mentioned about risks involved in a cardiac surgery which actually differs from person to person. He also felt that risks in an operation are hard to determine as there are many complex factors involved. During the dialogue, he suggested that the role of the doctor is to "cure, relieve often and comfort always". He stressed that this role of a doctor has been diluted due to commercialization which caused doctors to pursue wealth instead of looking to the welfare of their patients. The issue on research was also highlighted in the dialogue. Dr. Saw supports the idea that innovations should not be patented to allow more people around the world to have access to these new methods of treatment and not be deterred by the high cost due to patenting. In addition, he felt that research should be done to address the issues in the region and we should not accept the new treatment wholesale. This is because some treatments that are developed in the West for example cannot be applied to the East. In all, the dialogue session shed some light about the working in the field of medical sciences and also gave participants a more in depth picture of how a 21st century doctor can lead in this field.
2. Moot Parliament
Conducted over a series of four sessions, Moot Parliament was an enlightening experience that allowed NJC students to take on the roles of Singapore's leaders to propose and attempt to pass a Bill in a mock Parliament meeting.
As part of the activity, the participants were given the opportunity to visit Singapore's Parliament house to learn about the duties of the Speaker, the Ministers and other representatives. There, a mock debate was carried out to orientate the students to the proceedings in a Parliament meeting.
The subsequent two sessions included learning the structure and form of Bill Writing, as well as analysing the topic that would eventually be debated on in the mock parliament session: Gene Therapy. The students were divided into two groups, the Government and the Opposition, and given roles such as "Minister of Health" and "Leader of the Opposition" to be played out. After many discussions about the stance of each group and the reasons behind it, the participants eagerly revisited the Parliament House where an exciting and intense debate about the proposed Bill took place.
All students are strongly encouraged to participate in these Pre-symposium Activities prior to the Main Symposium, so as to have a better understanding about these issues before attending the Main Symposium.