Singapore Heart Foundation Celebrates 55 Resilient Years of Promoting Heart Health in Singapore

• SHF’s three core pillars – Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Resuscitation – have driven its mission to prevent and reduce disability and death due to cardiovascular disease and stroke, from strategic educational initiatives to a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programme and initiatives to build a nation of lifesavers.
• Over the last 55 years, SHF has introduced numerous innovative programmes and initiatives to actively educate the public about heart health, help heart patients recover progressively while providing financial aid to those in need, and equip more people with lifesaving skills. One newly launched preventive educational effort is the CardioChase Game Kiosk.

Singapore, 6 April 2025 – The Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF), proudly celebrated its 55th anniversary today, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to preventing and reducing disability and death due to cardiovascular disease and stroke. At a celebration event that was held at the National Gallery Singapore on Sunday, 6 April 2025, SHF also recognised the resilience and commitment of those who walked the 55-year journey together with the Foundation on its mission to promote better heart health in Singapore.

Themed “Resilient HeARTs: Celebrating 55 Years of Empowering Heart Health”, the event was graced by Guest of Honour, Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung, who visited the various exhibits showcasing SHF’s pioneering programmes and initiatives that have had a profound impact in promoting heart health and raising awareness throughout the nation.

Since its founding in 1970 by a group of passionate cardiologists and professionals, SHF has been leading the charge against heart disease within the community, through its three core pillars of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Resuscitation.

“From the launch of Singapore’s first National Heart Week in 1972 to the introduction of Asia’s first female manikin vest for CPR training, SHF has always been evolving to address the challenges of an everchanging heart health landscape in Singapore,” said Professor Tan Huay Cheem, Chairman of SHF. “As we celebrate our 55th anniversary today, we pay tribute to the resilience of not only those who helped build a heart-healthier nation together with us, but also that of cardiac arrest survivors and our Heart Wellness Centre clients who relentlessly fight back at heart disease.”

55 Years of Positive Impact on the Community

Prevention has always been at the core of SHF’s mission. Over the past 55 years, the Foundation had braved numerous challenges, such as the low education levels of some Singaporeans and limited resources, to spread its heart disease prevention messages. Through its resilience, SHF has made significant contributions to raising public awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke in Singapore over the years.

From large-scale public events to targeted educational initiatives to engage school children and the visually impaired, SHF has constantly spearheaded strategic and innovative methods to spread its heart health messages. A total of 727,916 individuals gained valuable heart health knowledge through the Foundation’s public education efforts over the course of the year, ending 31 March 2024.

Innovation Drives Prevention

SHF is currently running flagship preventive education initiatives such as the BP Initiative @ Schools and the BP Initiative @ Community, BP Awareness Kiosk, Salt Taste Threshold Test, as well as the newly launched CardioChase Game Kiosk.

The CardioChase Game Kiosk, featuring SHF’s mascots Hugo and Sandy, is a highly interactive motion-sensing game that took 11 months to develop and is designed to educate primary and secondary school students about the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle and a healthier diet. The game kiosk is to be introduced in schools from the third quarter of 2025.

“The CardioChase Game Kiosk represents our initiative to gamify educational efforts and engage the public in heart health,” said Mr. Geoffrey Ong, CEO of SHF, referencing the organisation’s earlier online game, “Captain Hugo,” launched in September 2022. “We believe that by creating a fun and educational experience, we can inspire lasting heart-healthy habits and choices, ultimately helping to build resilience in future generations of Singaporeans.”

Dedication Drives Rehabilitation

A steadfast partner in the Rehabilitation journey of heart patients, SHF is a source of warmth and guidance for its cardiac rehabilitation clients on the road to an improved quality of life after cardiovascular disease. Through its comprehensive rehabilitation programme, SHF has empowered thousands of individuals to reclaim their health, vitality and mobility.

In 2004, SHF established its first community-based cardiac rehabilitation centre, located at 10 College Road, which offered a structured Heart Wellness Programme to help heart patients in Phases 3 and 4 of their cardiac rehabilitation at a highly subsidised rate of 95%, with clients paying only $5 per rehabilitation session. The programme is also designed for at-risk individuals with existing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol.

SHF currently operates three HWCs island-wide, located at Fortune Centre, Bukit Gombak Sports Hall and Junction 8 Office Tower, serving 3,105 clients as of 31 March 2024. These HWCs provide clients with the necessary equipment and healthcare support to bounce back stronger from cardiovascular disease and lead healthier lives.

One of these clients is Mrs Patricia de Souza, 77, an HWC client who faced dangerously high cholesterol levels in late 2022 that required heart surgery. After the procedure, she made a full recovery with the help of the SHF’s HWC. “Joining the SHF Heart Wellness Centre @ Gombak has been at the core of my recovery from surgery,” said Mrs Patricia de Souza. She added: “The dedication of the SHF Team and the rapport amongst fellow participants at the sessions, truly encouraged, guided and empowered me in the past two years. In April last year, I was even able to complete a hike to the Colugo Deck at the Rifle Range Nature Park. I am blessed and would like to thank Prof Tan Huay Cheem for introducing me to the Heart Wellness Programme!”

Financial Aid for Needy Heart Patients Contributes to Rehabilitation

For some patients, rehabilitation requires more than what the Heart Wellness Programme can provide. Financial assistance also plays an integral role in their recovery. For this reason, SHF also operates the Heart Support Fund (HSF), which provides financial assistance to financially challenged heart patients. In the Financial Year ended 31 March 2024, the HSF had provided a lifeline to 300 individuals and their families.

One of the beneficiaries of the HSF is Mr Rahmat Bin Mohamed, 65, who underwent a $36,000 Endovascular Hybrid (EVH) Frozen Elephant Trunk Implantation, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for treating extensive aortic disease. After deductions from MediSave and MediShield, SHF provided Mr Rahmat with more than $5,000 in financial aid, which significantly eased his financial burden.

“SHF’s Heart Support Fund has been a lifeline for me and my family,” said Mr Rahmat. He commented, “The financial assistance allowed me to focus on my treatment and recovery, giving me the resilience and confidence to prioritise my well-being and work towards better heart health.”

Building a Nation of Lifesavers

With Resuscitation as one of its core pillars, SHF is at the forefront of equipping the community with essential lifesaving skills such as CPR and AED. Since its launch in 2007, the Heart Safe Initiative has trained thousands of individuals in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED). In just one year, until 31 March 2024, SHF has trained over 8,461 individuals in essential lifesaving skills, strengthening the resilience of the community and ensuring that more people will be able to respond to medical emergencies.

Through programmes and initiatives such as CPR+AED training courses, Project Heart and the CPR Self-Learning Kiosk, SHF has inspired and trained a growing network of Community First Responders – everyday heroes ready to save lives during emergencies. In 2023, SHF also established the Community First Responders Club to provide community first responders with a platform to know each other and share their experiences, and to support them in terms of mental wellness and additional knowledge such as AED product demonstrations. In the same year, SHF also founded the Cardiac Arrest Survivors Club, in collaboration with UPEC, where the survivors of cardiac arrest can share their experiences and find support in each other.

Celebrating 55 Years of Resilience

The celebration event at the National Gallery Singapore showcased the ‘Resilient heARTs’ exhibition, a remarkable collection of 55 visual and sound art pieces contributed by SHF’s stakeholders, including cardiac patients, survivors of sudden cardiac arrest, an SHF board member as well as staff members of the Foundation. The exhibition was a commemoration of resilience and hope and celebrated those who helped build a heart-healthier nation with the Foundation.

Interactive kiosks, such as the BP Awareness Kiosk, CPR Self-Learning Kiosk and the new CardioChase Game Kiosk, also provided attendees with a hands-on experience to reinforce their heart health knowledge and learn lifesaving skills.

The celebration culminated in a Mandarin dialogue session entitled “Building Tomorrow with Heart and Resilience”, organised in collaboration with the Fortune Times. The session featured an insightful panel discussion with Prof Tan Huay Cheem, Chairman of SHF; Dr Wu Wei, Chairman of the Singapore-China Trade Technology & Culture Exchange Association; and Ms Mei Reading, co-founder of the Griffin Group and Vice President of the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association.

The SHF joined hands with social service agencies and social enterprises to celebrate resilience through inclusion. This collaboration promoted creative expression, empowerment and shared learning through six immersive art stations that demonstrated the power of unity in promoting heart health and community empowerment. Each art station provided a unique, hands-on experience that allowed participants to explore and connect with the essence of resilience through their artistic creations. These art stations included:

• The Moss Photo Frame Workshop hosted by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore
• The “Soft Tissue, Hard Design” Workshop hosted by the Singapore Association for Mental Health
• The Sustainable Urban Farming Workshop hosted by Everything Green
• The Artistic Crafting Workshop hosted by celebrated Singaporean illustrator, Mr Patrick Yee
• The Heartfelt Memento Workshop hosted by local visual artist Ms Elisa Liu

Join SHF in Building a Heart-Healthy Singapore

As SHF celebrates 55 years of making a positive impact on the community, it remains committed to its mission of reducing disability and death caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. To pave the way for a healthier future for all Singaporeans, the Foundation will present the SHF Charity TV Show ‘Resilient Hearts’ on 29 June 2025 on Mediacorp Channel 8, from 7pm to 10pm, as another occasion to celebrate this milestone and invite the public to give generously towards its meaningful cause.

For more information on SHF’s 55th anniversary celebration event, please visit https://shf55.myheart.org.sg/.