Contributions of Early Settlers in Healthcare

Contributions of Early Settlers in Healthcare

Contributions to Singapore's Growth

In last week's lesson, we learnt about the challenges that settlers faced.

Can you recall some of the challenges?

Poor Living Conditions

• They often lived in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

• Unsanitary waste disposal

• Poorly ventilated rooms

• Poorly constructed homes

• Fire hazards

• Health problems (fell sick more easily)

Harsh Working Conditions

• Long working hours

• Poorly paid

• Had to pay off debt (for journey to Singapore)

• Could not afford healthcare

• Employers did not allow workers to see the doctor when sick

What are some solutions you can think of to help the settlers overcome these challenges?

Think-Pair-Share

Open Ended

What are some solutions you can think of to help the settlers overcome these challenges?

Help from the Community

• The poor could not afford to pay for the medical treatment when they fell sick.

• There were also very few doctors to treat unwell settlers.

• The General Hospital built in 1821 only treated sick British soldiers.

• It was only later on that it expanded to treat others who lived in Singapore. But it was still insufficient.

• Some settlers died because they were not given proper medical treatment in time.

Help from the Community

• Eventually, much of the healthcare for the poor had to come from the community.

• Some of the settlers who had become wealthy wanted to contribute by giving back to the society.

• Do you know any prominent community leaders in Singapore's healthcare?

In this lesson, we will learn about Tan Tock Seng, one of Singapore's early settlers and community leaders.

What do you know about him?

Read page 79 to 82 of your 4A textbook.

Find out more about Tan Tock Seng and other settlers who contributed to Singapore's healthcare.

Quiz Time

Let's see how much do you remember from your reading...

Multiple Choice

Which city did Mr Tan Tock Seng come from?

• Kuala Lumpur

• Singapore

• Jakarta

• Melaka

• Johor

Multiple Select

Which of the following item(s) did Mr Tan Tock Seng sell when he came to Singapore? Tick all correct answers.

• vegetables

• fruits

• chicken

• textiles

• medicine

Tan Tock Seng

• He became an influential Chinese leader.

• He was the first Asian to be made a Justice of Peace by the Governor.

• He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese.

• He was known for his generosity and compassion. He gave widely to charitable causes, for example, the burial of destitute Chinese.

• He was also one of the founders of Singapore's oldest temple, the Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer.

In 1844, he gifted 7000 Spanish dollars to build the hospital.

Multiple Choice

Who donated a piece of land so that the hospital for the poor could be built?

• Mr Seah Eu Chin

• Mr Syed Umar Bin Ali Aljunied

• Dr Veerasamy Naidu

• Dr Jose d'Almeida

• Gan Eng Seng

Syed Omar Aljunied | Infopedia

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Seah Eu Chin | Infopedia

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Contributing does not necessarily mean one has to donate money. People can contribute their time or skills too. 

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Open Ended

What would you do and why? What would be the possible outcomes of your decision?

Discuss with your partner and key in your decision.

Conclusion: Making an Impact

• Decisions made will always have an impact on others.

• If you chose not to help the sick settlers, a possible outcome is that they would have continued to suffer, and the illness could have spread to even more people. 

• If settlers like Mr Tan Tock Seng, Mr Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied and Dr Veerasamy Naidu had not contributed to the community, many people would have continued to suffer.

• Due to their efforts and contributions, people were able to seek treatment for their illnesses.