Never Too Old: She's been a nurse for six decades, but this 81-year-old doesn't want to quit

SINGAPORE: Enter one of the rooms in the basement of Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) main building and a constant clanking and rattling of metal greets you.

One side of the room is filled with metal shelves, each neatly stacked with packages of varying sizes. Each package contains a complex set of surgical tools, with the heaviest weighing 10kg. These shelves are grouped according to departments, as seen from a myriad of signs such as orthopaedic, ENT surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery and dental.

Beyond the maze of shelves are washers, sterilising machines, trolleys and busy healthcare workers in scrubs.

This is where employees of the sterile supplies unit work round the clock to clean, assemble and pack surgical equipment used by operating theatres and procedure rooms throughout SGH, and even the nearby heart and eye centres.

One of them is senior enrolled nurse Loke Lye Chan, who makes sure that sterile surgical tools reach the hands of those who require them to save lives every day.

Madam Loke has been working at SGH for six decades, but the 81-year-old said the thought of retirement never crossed her mind.

“If I’m healthy, I will continue to be a nurse,” she told CNA in an interview earlier this month. “My job is very professional and I like my job very much. If not, I wouldn’t work until today.”

"LOOKING AFTER PATIENTS MAKES ME HAPPY"

It all started in 1962, when she saw a newspaper advertisement calling for nursing trainees.

It seemed like a good opportunity given how nursing is a “very noble” profession, she recalled. While unsure if she would make the cut, she decided to give it a shot.

Then just 20 years old, she made it through the selection process and went through training for nearly two-and-a-half years at the now-demolished Thomson Road Hospital. Some days could drag on but the second eldest of seven children did not think it was unbearable.

“After I got (the training), I was very happy,” she said. “It’s not tough. It’s okay, you just have to be patient and tolerant.”

Upon graduation, Mdm Loke joined SGH and started with a short stint at the wards. This was where one of the most memorable experiences in her career happened.

A delirious patient mistook her for someone else and threatened to punch her. “I screamed and ran away but he chased after me. Luckily, my colleagues came to help,” she recalled.

The episode, while frightening, did not make her have second thoughts about becoming a nurse. Soon after, she was transferred to the hospital’s operating theatres where her responsibilities included monitoring and caring for patients before and after surgery.

She had to be on her toes all the time there as life-and-death situations could occur anytime, especially for patients who had just undergone surgery.

“One time there was a patient who suddenly turned blue (in the face) … No time to be nervous or what, you just do what you need to do,” she said.

“You have to be very observant and react quickly. If not, people die.”

By then, Mdm Loke realised that she had fallen in love with nursing.

She has always been a helpful person, eager to extend a helping hand to strangers in difficulties or care for those around her. This job fitted her personality like a glove and brought her great joy when patients under her care got better and eventually be discharged.

“Looking after patients makes me happy,” said Mdm Loke, noting that empathy is at the heart of good nursing. 

“You must always put yourself in the patient’s shoes. If you cannot do that, there’s no point in becoming a nurse.”

“VERY RELIABLE”

In 1989, Mdm Loke was given the opportunity to join the hospital’s sterile supplies unit.

While that meant she would no longer be interacting with patients, she thought it would be a chance to pick up new skills.

Repeating her “It’s okay, just do” mantra, she said: “People must learn new things, so it’s good for a person to go (to a new place) and learn more.”

Unknown to and unseen by most, the sterile supplies unit plays a key role in keeping the hospital running.

As its name suggests, the unit ensures that all surgical tools are washed and disinfected after use. They are then assembled and packed into sets, before being stored on designated shelves. About 1,300 sets of surgical instruments are processed by the unit every day.

In her current role, Mdm Loke oversees stock management and the delivery of surgical instruments.

Her days are typically busy, especially in the afternoons when the operating theatres submit their lists of required instruments for upcoming procedures. SGH has more than 40 major operating theatres.

Taking one list at a time, Mdm Loke fills up her motorised trolley with the necessary packages before she delivers them to the operating theatres upstairs.

“I usually double check twice before sending the instruments,” she said.

Apart from a pair of meticulous eyes, the job also requires some stamina. Mdm Loke said she clocks way more than the 5,000 steps that are encouraged under the National Steps Challenge.

“Every day, I walk upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs many times. I come back and do my work but sometimes I haven’t even sat down, I have to answer the telephone or answer the door when (someone presses) the doorbell to get something urgent,” she said.

“This way, I exercise every day.”

SGH’s deputy director of nursing Goh Meh Meh describes Mdm Loke as a “good role model” and a “very reliable” member of the team.

“There is a commitment to do her work well and make sure that everything that goes through her hands are of good quality,” said Ms Goh, adding that Mdm Loke is a “content expert” after having gone through all the roles in the sterile supplies unit over the past three decades.

For example, there are more than 5,000 types of surgical instruments and the team is expected to know every one of them by name, as well as how they are supposed to be washed and handled. Mdm Loke is more than familiar with all of them, as she tells this reporter the types of instruments needed for each surgical operation without hesitation.

Mdm Loke is also a motherly figure who will “sayang”, a Malay term used colloquially to express endearment, her colleagues with their favourite treats and words of encouragement.

“She’s very caring. If I lose my voice, the next thing I’ll see is herbal tea on my table,” said Ms Goh.

“She will also tell us don’t work too late. She’s that kind of person who gels people together and brings a lot of joy to the team.”

“I LIKE MY JOB”

Last November, Mdm Loke received a long service award marking her 60th year with SGH.

The year before, she was awarded the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) May Day Model Worker Award for adapting to productivity changes and tech innovation in the workplace. This, she said, was unexpected and marked one of the most memorable moments in her career.

“I’m so surprised (to) have this award,” she said. “I feel very happy. I just never expected this.”

Asked repeatedly if she has considered retirement to spend more time with her family or pursue her interests, Mdm Loke shook her head. Not that she has not had her share of tough days or thoughts of resigning, but her passion for nursing always prevailed at the end of the day.

“I like nursing, so what to do?” she said. “(There are) times I feel like resigning but after a while, I will think why must I resign? If other people can do this, why I cannot? So, I just continue until today.”

Her family, with her husband being her biggest supporter, has not stopped her from working. “They just tell me, if you like the job, carry on. If it’s too stressful then don’t work,” Mdm Loke said.

But the octogenarian hardly feels stressed at work.

“If you like your job, you won’t get stressed,” she said.

If she had not seen the newspaper advertisement 60 years ago, Mdm Loke said she would have likely become a housewife.

She loves cooking for her family, especially during Chinese New Year when she whips up a feast of seven dishes for reunion dinner every year without fail. Her signature dishes include braised mushrooms and salt-baked prawns, which require preparation to be done days in advance.

Smiling brightly, the grandmother of four said: “My children and grandchildren say they love what I cook.

“But if you ask me (whether I) want to be a nurse or stay at home, I prefer to be a nurse,” she said.

“It’s very good (to help) people. I like my job.”