Dr Zheng-Wei
Family Physician
For one community hospital doctor, care is not only about treatment — it is about understanding a patient’s story well enough to guide them through what comes next.
What drew him to healthcare was the detective work involved in complex medical care.
“I enjoy digging into difficult cases,” he says. “Community care allows us to look beyond the immediate symptoms and better understand the factors affecting our patients’ health.”
That instinct to look deeper led to one case he still remembers vividly.
A patient was initially admitted to St Luke’s Hospital for wound care. After reviewing nearly a year’s worth of records, he realised there was a bigger underlying issue – an aggressive neurodegenerative disease that had gone undiagnosed.
The discovery changed the course of care completely.
What followed were honest conversations with the patient and family about prognosis, priorities, and the road ahead. With greater clarity about the patient’s condition, the focus of care shifted towards comfort, dignity, and helping the patient spend their final days meaningfully. “One of the most rewarding aspects of community care is journeying with patients and their families, gaining a deeper understanding of their medical history and how it shapes their ongoing care needs.”
For him, care often lies in the details others may miss. He makes time to observe patients during therapy sessions because, as he puts it, “There’s a surprising amount you can learn about a patient by seeing them walk.”
During a routine ward visit, the chaplain learnt that a patient recovering from a stroke had a strong fondness for an old boxing film. After taking time to understand the patient’s interest, this was shared with the multidisciplinary team. Together, the team felt that incorporating familiar elements such as boxing gloves and fist-bump interactions into therapy sessions could help to further engage and motivate the patient in both their physical and emotional recovery.
“I think he enjoyed that, and sometimes it really is the smallest gestures that matter most,” he says simply.
Years of working closely with patients have also changed the way he sees people.
“Everybody has a reason why they have become who they are,” he says. “Many of the things that shape us are beyond our control.”
Behind the scenes, much of his work involves careful documentation and piecing together medical histories — work that patients rarely see, but which shapes safer and more thoughtful decisions.
He often spends up to 45 minutes pre-clerking new admissions so he can understand the patient’s journey beyond the immediate issue at hand.
“It helps us make decisions from a longitudinal perspective, not just what we see at the moment.”
His colleagues would probably describe him as obsessive, excitable, and stubborn — especially when it comes to understanding a case fully before moving forward.
Among the organisation’s 4R values, the one he relates to most is Responsibility.
For him, responsibility means taking the time to understand the whole picture, because good care is not just about treating illness in the present — it is about helping patients and families prepare for the future with clarity, dignity, and honesty.
Read more stories
Learn More About #togetherwec4re Campaign
St Luke’s Hospital is proud to introduce Together, We C4RE campaign, celebrating the dedication of our healthcare team and their profound impact on patients, families, and the community.
