A daughter’s journey that deepened a father’s purpose in care
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When his six-month-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, pharmacist Nigel Lim found his world and his work redefined.
The care that shaped him
The 33-year-old Senior Pharmacist at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) had long been passionate about improving patient care. But seeing the dedication of his daughter’s medical team at the National University Health System (NUHS) gave that mission new meaning.
Roa was six months old when doctors discovered that her condition affects both her gross and fine motor skills, making walking, running and even sitting a challenge.
Now five, she continues to receive care from a paediatric neurologist at NUHS — a doctor whom Mr Lim fondly described as “a grandfather figure” in her life.
Despite the challenges, Roa remains “bubbly and chirpy like any other kid”, he said with a smile. She loves spicy food, long baths and aqua aerobics — small joys that remind her parents daily of her spirit and resilience.
Witnessing the compassion of her doctors and therapists reaffirmed Mr Lim’s commitment to public healthcare.
“I saw how much care went beyond medicine,” he said. “It inspired me to do my part to improve how we serve patients and families like ours.”
“I saw how the healthcare system cared for her — and it inspired me to help create better solutions for patients like her.”
– Mr Nigel Lim
Automating for safety
That drive soon translated into innovations recognised within NUHS. At the NUHS Allied Health & Pharmacy Awards 2025, Mr Lim received the Young Achiever Award. His nomination described him as a person of “exceptional competence” with a “relentless pursuit of excellence”.
He was cited for his work on the multimillion-dollar Outpatient Pharmacy Automation system (OPAS), an intelligent software system for automating dispensing of outpatient medication; it was first implemented in 2021 when Mr Lim was still a junior pharmacist. “OPAS is not a new concept, but what we did differently is that we took the different machines and integrated them together as one entire system to work together rather than in silos,” he said.
“In the past, we always did things the manual way, and that led to a lot of medication errors because humans get tired and make mistakes,” he said. “By integrating machines into the pharmacy workflow, we can improve medication safety for our patients and reduce unnecessary medication errors.”
Mr Lim’s work on OPAS and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) later culminated in the “Vertical Integration of Hardware and Software Automation in Pharmacy (VIP)” project, which clinched the National Healthcare Innovation & Productivity Medal for the Workforce Transformation category in 2024.
He was also the first pharmacist and allied health professional in Singapore to be selected for the prestigious Singapore Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, which was supported by the National Medical Research Council Research and Training Fellowship.
He admits that he applied on a whim as he wanted to try something different from a hospital setting. “It’s been a wonderful experience,” he said. “I was exposed to the different facets of medical devices – not only looking at clinically unmet needs and what stakeholders want, but also things like market size, market needs, intellectual property and regulatory pathways.”
Preparing for a changing future
Looking ahead, Mr Lim sees his role as part of a wider shift in how healthcare must adapt to Singapore’s ageing population and growing workforce pressures.
That is why, by redesigning care, empowering staff, and embracing innovation, NUHS and other healthcare institutions aim to deliver more for patients while keeping the system sustainable. With manpower making up around 60 per cent of healthcare costs, technology is expected to play an ever-larger role in supporting the workforce.
Asked what tomorrow’s pharmacist will look like, Mr Lim cited Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo’s remark that future working professionals will speak two languages: their main avenue of work, and technology or artificial intelligence.
“The pharmacist of the future will definitely need to also understand how such technologies work, because they will be interacting with them on a daily basis, if not utilising them for the large part of their work.”
– Mr Lim
The NUHS Allied Health & Pharmacy Awards celebrate individuals who have made outstanding contributions to patient care, education, research and professional practice across NUHS.
Click here to find out more about the various Allied Health Professionals.
In consultation with Mr Nigel Lim, Senior Pharmacist, NTFGH.
