Husband-and-wife volunteers recognised for efforts in helping seniors navigate online

SINGAPORE - Earlier in 2024, Ms Qhek Hwee Boon saw an elderly woman and her husband who appeared troubled at the Central Provident Fund (CPF) service centre in Bishan.

Upon inquiring further, the 55-year-old retired engineer, who was volunteering at the centre, learnt that the couple had rushed there after discovering the amount in the CPF Retirement Account of the husband, who used a walking frame, had decreased.

At the centre, they found out that some of the money in the retirement account had gone to premiums for CPF Life, the national longevity insurance annuity scheme.

Ms Qhek assisted the wife in downloading the CPF Mobile app and helped her change the language to Chinese – which she was more conversant in – as well as how to check for transactions on the app.

“She heaved a big sigh of relief,” Ms Qhek said.

Since 2021, Ms Qhek and her husband, Mr Tham Wai Chung, 59, have volunteered as CPF e-Xperience guides, helping seniors to navigate the CPF Board’s online tools as well as providing them with tips on avoiding falling prey to scams.

As part of their efforts, the pair have helped translate workshop materials to Chinese and mentored others as guides.

For their contributions to expanding the CPF Board’s digital literacy efforts, Mr Tham and Ms Qhek received the Outstanding Citizen Contributor award during the Digital Services Awards ceremony on Nov 28.

Now in its fourth year, the awards recognised the contributions of 44 individuals, private organisations and government agencies for their efforts in advancing digital government services and enhancing user experiences.

Others receiving the Outstanding Citizen Contributor award included Mr Tan Bing Wen, who created CheckMate, a WhatsApp-based platform that helps verify suspicious text messages, images and online videos.

Since its launch in March 2023, CheckMate has helped over 2,700 users check more than 3,400 messages with the help of more than 200 volunteers as well as artificial intelligence (AI).

Also receiving the award was Dr Ng Wei Ming, who set up a Facebook group to gather feedback and crowdsource ideas for the myResponder app, which alerts community first responders to nearby minor fires and suspected cardiac arrest cases.

The 38-year-old, an emergency physician at a public hospital, told The Straits Times that suggestions from the group included allowing first responders to see if other responders are at the same incident – a function that was introduced earlier in 2024.

Organised by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and supported by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the 2024 awards event was attended by more than 2,400 people, both in person and online.

Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Janil Puthucheary, who attended the event at the Lifelong Learning Institute, said digital transformation is not just about innovation but also about efficiently solving real-world problems.

Dr Janil, who is also Minister-in-charge of GovTech, pointed to several AI-powered tools developed by GovTech and employed by government agencies.

They include SearchSG, a search engine that uses machine learning to deliver exact, up-to-date results across multiple government websites, cutting search times by more than six minutes.

Another tool, SmartCompose – an AI-powered writing assistant that helps to draft e-mail replies for faster feedback – has enabled agencies to generate more than 33,500 responses since August 2023.

GovTech chief executive Goh Wei Boon said strong collaboration between government, industry and citizens could ensure services remain “relevant, user-centric and inclusive”.

Dr Janil said this “transformative power” of collaboration is something to emphasise as the Republic embraces Smart Nation 2.0 strategies.

“Together, government agencies, private organisations, public offices and citizens have propelled and will continue to power Singapore’s digital services in government and in the private sector to new heights,” he said.