Humble beginnings
My father once told me that when I was born, he did not know where his next meal would come from. He was struggling to set up a business, and things were bad. Thankfully, things started to improve after that, and by the time my younger sister was born a year later, he said he was ok. Despite that, we were still poor. Many people were, at that time. I recall my neighbors borrowing our phone and putting perishable items in our fridge. I didn’t have a single toy. I played with leaves and flowers plucked from bushes, and guppies I managed to catch in the nearby canal became my pets. When I told my grandchildren this story, my granddaughter tried to give me one of her dolls.
My aim was to be a vet
Because of my love for animals, I thought I should become a vet. However, Veterinary Science was only available in universities in Canada and Australia then. And as I love the comforts of home, I decided to apply to do medicine in the University of Singapore instead of applying for a scholarship to do Vet Science.
I became a pen pusher
I spent many years of my working life in Ministry of Health headquarters, after my Public Health postgraduate training.
Many doctors don’t like to write. Our training and clinical years involved very cryptic notes like Heart/Lungs normal. One of my friends told me that asking her to write was like drawing blood out of stone. I, on the other hand, love writing. So I discovered I had found my calling, in writing minutes of meetings, concept plans, research papers, policy papers, cabinet papers, Minister’s speeches, etc. Because I also like to sing, there were many opportunities at our lunch time concerts, farewell dinners, MOH D&Ds, etc.
A friend teased me for working in administrative and policy areas when I was trained to be a doctor. My quick repartee was, I actually wanted to be a vet!
My life as a doctor
I have never regretted studying medicine. I have learned much from it, understood how the body functions, able to advise friends about medical issues, and am able to keep myself fit and healthy even in my senior years. I believe that my years in MOH HQ did impact our health care scene, especially with regards to family medicine and government polyclinics, and in elderly care.
In fact, studying medicine and working in MOH HQ was perfect for me. Another friend who is a vet told me that people who love animals too much cannot be vets, as vets have to make rather difficult decisions like culling of diseased animals, putting animals to sleep when there isn’t enough room in the animal shelter, amongst other reasons.
Volunteer work
Instead, I indulge in my love of animals by volunteering my time at animal charities, donating to animal charities in different parts of the world, and supporting animal welfare causes.
There is always a silver lining
One can always find something positive in any situation. Check out Book: Profiles in Resilience. My Plan B actually turned out to be Plan A!
lingsinglin
Dr Ling Sing Lin is a medical doctor by training. She worked in MOH HQ for many years, in policy making and administrative positions, until her retirement.
