Ever since 1999, Mr Lim Weng Sam had been a grateful recipient of medical subsidies for his stroke treatment. The Pioneer Generation Package was the Singapore Government’s gratitude-led initiative to honour and thank Singapore’s pioneers for their contribution towards building the nation. The Package provided healthcare benefits and subsidies, of which Mr Lim Weng Sam, as a pioneer, was able to benefit from.
In July 2023, Mr Lim passed away peacefully. He might have been a man of few words, but as the saying goes, his actions are what spoke louder. Inspired by the blessings he had received, he and his wife decided to express their gratitude and generosity by establishing the Mr and Mrs Lim Weng Sam Medical Scholarship in 2023. In this way one gift begets another, and the legacy lives on.
Mrs Lim has always been an avid proponent of giving to the cause of education, having previously established the Gan Guat Ching Medical Scholarship and the Gan Eng Teck and Maria Tan Ah Ho Bursary at to NUS over the past two decades. She is beyond excited for her latest gift to “provide opportunities to capable young men and women to be trained as doctors for Singapore” and looks forward to a new generation of doctors who are “committed, compassionate and able to empathise with the patients they treat”.
By 2025, the Mr and Mrs Lim Weng Sam Medical Scholarship would have supported more than two financially needy medical undergraduates at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), defraying the cost of their university tuition fees until they complete their medical studies. This scholarship continues to enable the University’s efforts to raise financial aid for potential student applicants; so far more than 90% of financial aid applicants have successfully received support for their university education at NUS Medicine. This frees students from financial burdens, providing them the luxury of time to fully concentrate on their demanding curriculum.
NUS Medicine is committed to nurturing competent and compassionate doctors who will care for Singapore’s ageing population and beyond. With strong support from donors such as Mrs Lim, the School is able to ensure that no deserving student loses the opportunity to pursue a medical career due to financial constraints. The availability of medical bursaries and scholarships such as the Mr and Mrs Lim Weng Sam Medical Scholarship encourages more Junior College and Polytechnic students to freely consider a medical education; expensive tuition fees need not be a deterrent to realising their potential and calling to serve society as medical practitioners.
To future recipients of the Scholarship, Mrs Lim has her own advice and encouragement to share: “First, be committed to the medical profession. Do not look at it as just a way to make money. Secondly, treat elderly persons with compassion, especially in light of Singapore’s growing ageing population. Lastly, look after your parents, as they are the ones who gave of themselves to raise you to where you are today.”
Education has always been at the forefront of Mrs Lim’s giving, stemming from her belief that it is “a good avenue to lift people out of the vicious cycle of poverty. By making a gift to the University, you can help generations of students long after you are gone”.
In light of Mr Lim’s recent passing, Mrs Lim’s words ring even more poignantly. They sound a clarion reminder that generosity is not just a one-time gift, but rather a legacy with the power to impact generations.
So, what inspires a legacy? It is gratitude, and the right heart to give just as one has received.
Mr and Mrs Lim Weng Sam at their residence in the 1980s.
