SingHealth receives $743k for support of cancer treatments of women

The gift will go to a platform to support women for treatments like proton therapy and immunotherapy.

SingHealth has received $743k (S$1m) from the H.S. Chau Foundation for the support of women who require advanced cancer treatments.

The inaugural gift will be used to fund a platform modelled after the Dear Girlfriends programme, which supports vulnerable women of all ages with treatments like proton therapy and immunotherapy.

In addition, SingHealth will be able to widen access to the range of treatment options for financially vulnerable women at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), such as proton therapy and immunotherapy.

“Women perform multi-faceted roles in our society, often juggling work with family commitments and childcare needs. We are grateful for this transformational gift from H.S. Chau Foundation which will provide much-needed support for financially vulnerable patients,” Professor Lim Soon Thye said.

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Currently, over 84,000 new cancer cases have been recorded from 2017 to 2021, with the number projected to double by 2030. Nearly 43,000 Singaporean women were diagnosed with cancer, with the top cancers being breast cancer (30%), colorectal cancer (12.9%) and lung cancer (7.9%).

For NCCS, admissions included 55% of cancer cases in Singapore. Every year, female patients are offered integrated care and access to advanced cancer treatments at the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre.