On 16 September, the Health Communication course in MSC had the privilege of hosting Mr. Tim Pang, a renowned patients’ rights advocate with the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), as a guest speaker for its final-year undergraduate class.
Mr. Pang shared his valuable experience in handling medical complaints, including many real cases that illustrated the challenges patients may face when navigating healthcare services. He highlighted the importance of effective communication between patients and healthcare service providers, as well as the role of advocacy in protecting and promoting patients’ rights. Drawing from years spent listening to patients’ stories and fielding medical complaints, Mr. Pang painted a vivid picture of what it really means to be a patient caught in a complex system. He described the frustrations of waiting for hours, the anxiety of misunderstood symptoms, and the relief when someone finally listens. Each example highlighted both the hurdles and the hope—reminding students that behind every complaint is a human being seeking understanding and care.
Students were highly engaged throughout the session, participating actively in the discussion and raising questions that connected course concepts to real-world issues. Mr. Pang’s stories and insights helped deepen the class’s comprehension of topics such as patient-provider relationships, complaint resolution, and the socio-cultural factors influencing health communication.
A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Tim Pang for his generous sharing and for inspiring our students to bring compassion and advocacy into the heart of health communication.