On The Red Dot: Hidden Heroes - Saving India’s women from Cervical Cancer

Every community has people whose acts of kindness go unseen — ordinary Singaporeans who step forward when no one is watching. Hidden Heroes follows five such individuals who have dedicated their lives to lifting others up, often at great personal cost.

We journey with gynaecologist Dr Quek Swee Chong to the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh. Since 2010, he has been returning almost annually to provide free cervical cancer screening and treatment for women who have little or no access to healthcare. Even after surviving pancreatic cancer, he remains determined to continue the mission he started.

Back in Singapore, Roger Tan has written more than 28,000 letters to prison inmates — one every day since 2022 — offering comfort, guidance, and hope to people society often overlooks. Even after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he keeps going, dreaming of building a legal charity to help ex-inmates rebuild their lives.

During the height of COVID-19, hawker Melvin Chew created Hawkers United Dabao, a Facebook group that helped thousands of non-tech-savvy hawkers promote their businesses when footfall vanished overnight. Though his own stall has struggled, Melvin continues to advocate for hawkers and raises funds for families in need.

For Ong Bee Yan, heroism began with love for her son. After watching him fight pancreatic cancer, she created Fashion For Cancer — a runway show featuring cancer patients and survivors — so he could feel joy and strength again. He walked the runway two weeks before he passed. Today, she continues the show in his honour.

Despite losing half her vision years ago, Fion Phua remains a relentless force behind Keeping Hope Alive, a volunteer network she has led for 40 years. From decluttering hoarders’ homes to fixing broken lights in rental flats, she continues to serve those who have nowhere else to turn.