Speech at National Kidney Foundation Partners Connect Symposium

Mr Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, NKF Centre

Mr Ang Hao Yao, Chairman, The National Kidney Foundation

Ms Yen Tan, CEO, The National Kidney Foundation

Ms Jenny Wee, BBM, Founder and Director, The Social Equity and GoodJobs

Mr Eric Lue, PBM, Co-Founder, GoodJobs

Participants of the NKF Partners Connect Symposium 2026 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

1. A very good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to the NKF Partners Connect Symposium 2026. 

2. NKF plays a critical role in supporting patients on dialysis. In Singapore, more than half a million people suffer from chronic kidney disease and more than 9,000 patients require dialysis. NKF alone supports over 60% of these patients on dialysis. 

3. Kidney failure places a profound burden on patients. Beyond the physical challenges of organ failure, many also grapple with the emotional strain and social stigma that can accompany serious illness. The long hours required for treatment can be exhausting and disruptive to daily life, and these challenges may in turn affect their ability to remain in employment. 

4. The impact of kidney failure extends equally to the patients’ caregivers. They navigate the demands of prolonged dialysis schedules, which often disrupt their professional and personal lives, while also bearing the considerable emotional and financial strain of dialysis treatments, hospital visits, and medications. 

5. I am heartened to hear that NKF’s EMPOWER+ Programme which enhances the employability of patients has achieved good results. Since July 2024, NKF referred 398 patients under this Programme, and 117 have since been employed. The EMPOWER+ Programme aims to conduct job fairs for patients facing kidney failure and their caregivers, increase the pool of potential employers, improve job matching, referrals and retention, amongst other objectives. To sustain these efforts, NKF has received funding of $125,000 from the President’s Challenge to support the EMPOWER+ Programme for the next three years. 

6. The Government has also introduced initiatives to address the needs and support patients on dialysis and those who are suffering from chronic illnesses and their caregivers, who may need time and flexibility to accommodate their treatment regime. This includes the launch of the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests in April 2024, which provides guidelines on how employees should request for FWAs and use them, and how employers and supervisors consider these requests on reasonable business grounds. Subject to the nature of the job and business needs, Flexible Work Arrangements could also allow: 

a. Patients to work at a different location from their office, for example, they can work from home to reduce the physical strain of travelling, 

b. Alternatively, patients can work at different timings with no change to their total work hours or workload, for example, they can adjust their work schedule around their dialysis sessions, 

c. Patients could also work with different workloads and commensurate remuneration, for example, they can request to work part-time, giving them the time required to rest and go for dialysis.

7. Flexible Work Arrangements are increasingly recognised not only as a workplace benefit, but also a means of strengthening economic resilience, social, and mental well-being. Wider adoption of Flexible Work Arrangements can help employers retain experienced workers, and enable all workers, including caregivers and persons with health needs, to remain economically active, and reduce the strain of balancing work, treatment, and family responsibilities.

8. Ms Malathy Naga Rathnam, who works at Cedele, is a prime example of how flexible work arrangements can benefit patients on dialysis. Understanding the challenges faced by kidney patients, Cedele made practical adjustments to support her and arranged for her to work flexible hours around her dialysis schedule. Working three days a week from 10am to 3pm, has enabled her to fulfill her work commitments and still attend her evening dialysis sessions. Malathy's story shows what becomes possible when employers approach hiring with empathy and willingness to accommodate their employees' needs.

9. Beyond support for Flexible Work Arrangements, renal patients can tap on the broader suite of employment support, such as job matching and career advisory services provided by Workforce Singapore and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute. These organisations work closely with jobseekers to understand their personal and medical needs and match them to suitable roles that fit their circumstances. With the upcoming merger of SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore to form a new statutory board, which is the Skills and Workforce Development Agency, renal patients will benefit from a more seamless and coordinated journey across employment support and skills development, making it easier for them to access the help they need to re-enter and remain in the workforce.

10. MOM is also embarking on efforts to enhance support for workers to maintain or re-enter employment after experiencing a serious injury or health-related setback. This is one of the areas of focus for the upcoming Alliance for Action on Safety and Health for Employment Longevity that MOM, NTUC and SNEF will launch later this year. Through the AfA-SHEL, we will partner industry to co-create innovative and scalable solutions to support workers’ return to work. Solutions could include new job redesign approaches that allow workers to maximise their strengths while accounting for their health needs, or new partnership models to match workers to jobs that suit their functional capabilities. 

11. I am confident that more organisations will step forward to contribute to the greater good: 

a. For employers and HR recruiters, I encourage you to approach hiring with greater openness and empathy. Flexible Work Arrangements are not just a way to support employees with health conditions or caregiving commitments – they can help organisations tap into a wider and more diverse talent pool, bringing valuable skills, perspectives and resilience into the workforce. I also invite more organisations to partner with NKF and come on board as an employer under the EMPOWER+ Programme.

b. For community partners, I encourage you to cooperate and collaborate with each other, building on one another’s strengths and networks, so that your collective impact can go muchfurther. 

12. Taken together, I am confident that the employment prospects and outcomes for renal patients and their caregivers will continue to improve in the years ahead. 

13. Under NKF’s Renal Rehabilitation Programme, “Employment” is just one of the 5Es. The other four – Education, Exercise, Encouragement and Evaluation – are equally important in supporting patients holistically. NKF’s philosophy of care goes beyond dialysis, supporting patients not only medically but across all aspects of their lives. 

14. I believe that when we come together as a society, we are capable of so much – caring for one another, uplifting those facing difficulties, and moving forward together so that no one is left behind. We only have so much time left in the world, and when we commit to something meaningful and fulfilling, we can strive to do better each day, to do what is right and what is good. Thank you.