Prof Paul Tambyah shared his myriad experience in public health: a Saudi-WHO Mission to the Korean Science Academy on MERS, at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital for Nipah, SARS, then the Avian Influenza in Indonesia. Locally, he also worked on research in Tuberculosis Care, contributed articles to the Singapore Medical Association, and a project against Aid Discrimination. Of course, as he is well-known for, Prof Tambyah is also a member of the Singapore Democratic Party. Smiling, he advises "if you want to do the most good, join a political party".

A lovely talk indeed; here are some highlights:

"Before you can set up a health care system for any country, you have to know that country's basic ethical values. The first question is: Do people in your country have a right to health care? If the people believe that medical care is a basic right, you design a system that means anybody who is sick can see a doctor. If a society considers medical care to be an economic commodity, then that distributes you set up a system healthcare based on the ability to pay. And then the poor, pretty much, are left out." William Hsiao, Harvard Professor of Economics.

Prof Tambyah went on a cautionary note about Overseas Community Involvement Projects, sharing an upsetting email detailing the derailing of the OCIP goals and communications, owed to poor understanding of cultural differences and the corresponding breakdown in the relationship with the stakeholders.

He went on to share movingly about his mother, who worked with disabled children. She commissioned a landmark study that found that 98% of parents with disabilities wanted their children.

His closing remarks?

Do what your spouse/partner wants to do rather than your bank manager.

Become famous and get invited around the world to do good or... learn from Dr Tan Lai Yong how to do global community health properly.

If you can't travel to change the world, try to change Singapore for the better.