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Only by leading a healthy lifestyle can one be a good role model, says chief of Alexandra Health
 He runs more than 20km a week and lives by the mantra “eat food, not too much, mostly plant”.
At 57, he also has five marathons under his belt.
Mr Liak Teng Lit, chief executive of Alexandra Health, believes in walking the talk.
“I am perhaps old-fashioned,” he confessed. “I’ve always believed in the Chinese saying yi shen zuo ze (a Mandarin idiom for leading by example). If we are in health care, then at the very least, we must be serious about what we do, which means we take care of our own health at a very personal level.
“If I do not lead a healthy lifestyle, I’m not a good health-care worker.”
Mr Liak made headlines last week after he was quoted in the Today newspaper as saying that weight would be a consideration for career advancement.
This ruffled the feathers of unions and human resource practitioners, who felt that such a perspective bordered on discrimination.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Liak clarified that weight has never been, nor would ever be, the main determining factor when it comes to a promotion.
In fact, it is the “least of the issues”.
Whenever anyone, be he a doctor, nurse or manager, is up for a promotion, his colleagues are sounded out before a decision is made.
Mr Liak said: “There are many things we are looking for... and it’s never about one criterion.”
“On the other hand, if you don’t take care of your health, if you are sickly, then I repeat myself, all things being equal, who do we pick? We will pick the one who shows authenticity and is a good role model to everyone.”
Authenticity is a characteristic close to Mr Liak’s heart, a word that he touches on numerous times in the course of the interview.
After all, the hospital’s credibility is at stake here.
“When an organisation promotes people to take on a leadership position, the leaders must lead by certain values. This is a health-promoting hospital.
“Do you believe in the mission that we have – which is to improve health and reduce illness? To do our job effectively we need to be good role models and advocate for health. We must advise our patients every single day, every minute of our lives.”
He added: “Now if I weighed 200kg and I told you to reduce your weight, what would your response be?”
He recalled an incident in which a patient who was bemused when an overweight staff member dispensed health advice, labelled him “a joke”.
“That’s not good,” Mr Liak added.
Not that he expects his staff to be waif-thin. After all, there are genetic factors that cannot be controlled.
But everything else, from diet to exercise, he said, can be controlled.
“It’s not about being macho or sexy, nothing of that nature. It’s about the effort, it’s about whether you try. Some of us have problems keeping our weight down, but are you trying, are you doing anything about it?”
Heftier staff are no less competent than their slimmer counterparts, he is quick to emphasise. And if they are making an obvious effort to stay healthy, there is no reason why a promotion would not be on the cards.
Mr Liak, in his 10 years as the head of Alexandra Hospital, and now Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, has always pushed for staff to stay fit.
Ten years ago, he had what he terms a wake-up call. At an awards presentation ceremony for health-care workers, he was appalled when the guest of honour pointed out that more than half the staff going onstage to get their awards were overweight. Some even had difficulty walking up the steps.
“It was obvious that they were in trouble health-wise, and that they would be in bad shape by the time they retired,” he added.
Rising obesity rates worldwide – linked to a host of chronic diseases and poor lifestyle choices – provide an even bigger urgency for his campaign.
At the hospital, signs encourage people to take the stairs, healthy options at the hospital canteen are priced cheaper, and all toilets are equipped with a shower cubicle so that staff can wash after using the gym.
Supervisors are told to have a quiet word with staff who are clearly overweight. New hires are told at orientation of the hospital’s emphasis on health and fitness.
Mr Liak’s efforts seem to have paid off. None of the staff at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital appeared excessively overweight when The Sunday Times paid a visit.
The staff said they support Mr Liak and felt that his comments may have been misunderstood.
“I agree with him that in this line, you have to be fit to show credibility. How can you tell a patient with a chronic condition to watch his weight if you are overweight?” said Ms Elna Ng, 32, who works in operations.
A nurse, who declined to be named, said: “As a nurse, you’re also an ambassador for healthy living. Patients look up to you as an example.
“Besides, what Mr Liak is advocating is not just to the hospital’s advantage, it benefits us personally too,” she added.
One nurse, however, felt that Mr Liak’s message comes across too strongly.
“Some of the older nurses or those who just gave birth may be overweight but are too tired to exercise. He should give them a break.”
Associate Professor Paulin Straughan of the National University of Singapore’s sociology department, who is also a Nominated Member of Parliament, applauded the hospital’s initiatives.
But she cautioned against attributing blame to those unable to conform.
She said staff who work long hours and do overtime may have little chance for regular exercise, resulting in poor health outcomes.
“Now, is it fair then to punish this individual for not being able to conform to an ideal lifestyle? You may end up punishing your loyal employee.”
WEIGHTY CAREER ISSUE? NOT FOR OTHERS
Other health-care institutions The Sunday Times spoke to said that weight is not a factor when it comes to career advancement. However, all have programmes to promote health and fitness among employees.
The Health Promotion Board said staff are hired based on their credentials and professional track records.
As an organisation spearheading health promotion, it said a healthy lifestyle, which encompasses more than just weight, is something on which it places a heavy emphasis.
Aside from promoting regular health screenings and healthier food, the board has also organised initiatives on a national level to help people lose weight.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital has launched its own programme, Dare to Lose, for staff with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 25.
The BMI of a healthy adult should be between 18.5 and 22.9.
Both the National University Hospital (NUH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) have committees to promote health-related activities.
At SGH, staff with a BMI of more than 30 are invited to participate in a weight-management programme.
At NUH, staff members even get subsidised when they participate in marathons. There is a free gym-coaching programme, with a professional trainer to provide tips.
This is on top of regular fitness classes like yoga, pilates and Body Pump.
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