Track D2: Pharmacy Technician Symposium
Saturday, 27 September | 16:30–18:00 | Waterfront Ballroom (Level 2)
Pharmacy technicians have long been the backbone of efficient pharmacy operations. Over the years, pharmacy technicians have taken on greater leadership roles, driving innovation and contributing to advancements in automation and technology in pharmacy practice. Attendees will hear inspiring stories of pharmacy technicians who have stepped into leadership roles and advanced through professional development programmes, demonstrating their capabilities beyond traditional roles. We will also showcase how pharmacy technicians are leading innovations in automation that have transformed pharmacy practice. Join us as we celebrate the success of pharmacy technicians past and present, and envision a future where pharmacy technicians continue to lead and innovate in healthcare.
Presentations
Empowering Pharmacy Technicians: Progress and Priorities 2025 by Ms Xue Li TANG
This presentation outlines national initiatives advancing the pharmacy technician workforce. In 2025, pharmacy technicians are taking on broader roles, supported by a standardised entry-to-practice competency framework, structured training roadmap, and an active community of practice fostering shared learning. Despite significant progress, ongoing workforce shortages highlight the need for enhanced recruitment, improved training, and a broader manpower pipeline. Key priorities include expanding pharmacy technician numbers, raising awareness of their key roles, and promoting leadership development to drive positive change. Looking forward, ongoing solutions aimed at workplace challenges, partnership development, and leadership cultivation will be essential. These strategies are critical to recognising pharmacy technicians as essential members of healthcare teams and ensuring continued delivery of high-quality patient care.
Pharmacy 4.0: Bridging Automation with Pharmacy Practice by Mr Raymond YEO and Ms Felicia LIEW
Mr Raymond YEO
The Smart Inventory Monitoring Rack (SIMR) is an Internet of Things–enabled solution that uses weight sensors to monitor medical inventory in real time. Designed to improve supply chain efficiency in healthcare settings, SIMR accurately tracks consumables, such as infusion products, and triggers replenishment alerts when stock levels fall below predefined thresholds. By eliminating the need for manual stock counts, SIMR reduces the workload for replenishment teams and helps nurses to focus on patient care. It also supports chargeable-item tracking and enhances visibility across wards. In live test beds with public hospitals, SIMR achieved close to 100% accuracy using weight-based detection, demonstrating its reliability across a wide range of stock-keeping units. The solution minimises stockouts, streamlines replenishment workflows, and collects usage data to support intelligent forecasting. With continued development into SIMR gen 3, the system now integrates with dashboards, mobile apps, and automation platforms to offer a scalable, end-to-end inventory monitoring solution.
Ms Felicia LIEW
As pharmacy operations evolve under the Pharmacy 4.0 framework, automation plays a crucial role in improving efficiency and accuracy. This presentation highlights quality-improvement projects at various healthcare institutions that focus on optimising pharmacy inventory process. The presentation will showcase the development of various systems, implementation challenges, and their potential to bridge automation and manual oversight, thereby aligning with Pharmacy 4.0’s goal of integrating smart technologies into routine pharmacy practice.
Career Progression in Practice: Developing Tomorrow’s Pharmacy Technician Leaders Today by Ms Candice CHANG
Pharmacy technicians today are poised to do more than support – they’re ready to lead. This session highlights how Nanyang Polytechnic’s upskilling programmes are transforming the pharmacy technician workforce, enabling them to take on leadership roles, drive innovation, and support Singapore’s national push for continuous learning and workforce transformation.
Breaking Boundaries: The Expanding Horizons of Pharmacy Technicians by Ms Whitney TAN and Ms Hazirah YACOB
This presentation showcases the evolving and expanded role of pharmacy technicians within the pharmacy compounding hub, emphasising their critical contributions to maintaining cleanroom standards and supporting good manufacturing practice (GMP) compliance.
Key highlights include the development of work instructions for cleanroom equipment, deviation management, and tracking of environmental monitoring data to ensure compliance with cleanroom regulatory requirements.
Finally, this presentation outlines the technician’s role in conducting installation qualification, operational qualification, and performance qualification for cleanroom equipment, and it details how pharmacy technicians actively support GMP commissioning preparation activities.
Panel Discussion moderated by Ms Abigail TAN
Panelists:
• Ms Candice CHANG
• Ms Carolyn HO
• Ms Felicia LIEW
• Ms Whitney TAN
• Ms Xue Li TANG
• Ms Hazirah YACOB
• Mr Raymond YEO
Speakers and Moderator
Ms Xue Li TANG
Manager
Chief Pharmacist’s Office
Ministry of Health
Singapore
Ms Xue Li Tang is a Pharmacist at the Chief Pharmacist’s Office, Ministry of Health Singapore. She works closely with key stakeholders to drive manpower development initiatives for the pharmacy workforce. She is committed to advancing pharmacy practice and shaping a future-ready profession.
Her work includes supporting the Pharmacy Technicians Training and Development Committee and the Pharmacy Technician Leaders meeting platform. Key contributions of the committee include the implementation and continual improvement of the Pharmacy Technicians Entry-to-Practice Assessment Framework, the review and progression of workforce priorities following the Pharmacy Technicians Survey 2024, and articulation of the Development Framework for Pharmacy Technicians.
Mr Raymond YEO
Senior Lecturer
School of Engineering
Republic Polytechnic
Singapore
With a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Mr Raymond Yeo has cultivated a unique blend of technical expertise and strategic operational insight. His career journey began across the oil and gas, life sciences, and electronics industries, building a diverse practical foundation. Now at Republic Polytechnic, he is dedicated to teaching and consulting, primarily focusing on process improvements and digitalisation. Mr Yeo is proud to have led the team that won the prestigious Lee Hsien Loong Smart Nation Award, secured the National Research Foundation COVID-19 Central Gap Fund, and clinched the Healthcare Open Innovation Inventory Management Category in 2020. He was also honoured with the Public Sector Transformation Exemplary Award, underscoring his commitment to impactful public service.
Ms Felicia LIEW
Lecturer
School of Applied Science
Republic Polytechnic
Singapore
Ms Felicia Liew is a seasoned lecturer at Republic Polytechnic, where she teaches students in the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science programme. She began her career as a hospital pharmacist, working in both outpatient and inpatient settings, and specialised as an anticoagulation pharmacist managing patients on blood-thinning therapies. Her passion for education developed through training new pharmacy staff, eventually leading her to pursue teaching full time.
At Republic Polytechnic, Ms Liew is committed to nurturing students holistically by equipping them with practical skills, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of healthcare practice. With a strong foundation in pharmacy and clinical experience, she bridges the gap between theory and real-world application in her teaching. Ms Liew is also actively involved in curriculum development and is passionate about improving pharmacy processes and promoting sustainability in pharmacy practice. Her dedication continues to shape the future of pharmaceutical education and inspires the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Ms Candice CHANG
Course Manager
Senior Lecturer
School of Applied Science
Nanyang Polytechnic
Singapore
Ms Candice Chang is a Course Manager and Senior Lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic with over 15 years of experience spanning hospital pharmacy practice and healthcare education. She currently leads the Advanced Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences and is instrumental in developing workforce upskilling programmes for pharmacy technicians. Recognised as a Workplace Learning Master Trainer, Candice has secured over 30 SkillsFuture-accredited courses and collaborated with more than 20 healthcare institutions to drive lifelong learning. Her efforts have contributed significantly to national initiatives that elevate the pharmacy technician workforce through structured on-the-job training and competency-based development.
Ms Whitney TAN
Pharmacy Technician Executive
Inpatient Pharmacy
Woodlands Health
Singapore
Ms Whitney Tan is a Pharmacy Technician at Woodlands Health, with 7 years of experience in hospital pharmacy operations. In addition to her core duties, she manages the pharmacy roster, reviews shift patterns, and optimises manpower allocation to ensure efficient service delivery. She also serves as a reporting officer and plays an active role in reviewing and improving inpatient pharmacy workflows.
As a certified Smoking Cessation Counsellor, she provides specialised counselling and recommends nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for inpatient referrals. She also contributes to the hospital’s smoking cessation programme by training fellow staff in effective counselling techniques.
Ms Hazirah YACOB
Pharmacy Technician Supervisor
Compounding Hub
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore
Ms Hazirah Yacob is a seasoned pharmacy technician with over 10 years of experience in sterile compounding. From 2022 to 2023, she played a pivotal role in commissioning the first national Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)–certified compounding hub within a hospital – an unprecedented initiative in the region. She demonstrated strong problem-solving skills by adapting GMP standards into daily pharmacy operations, despite a steep learning curve. A strong advocate for innovation and continuous improvement, Ms Yacob led her team through the GMP implementation journey and was recognised with the Continuous Improvement Supporter Award in 2024 from the Singhealth Allied Health & Pharmacy Awards.
Ms Carolyn HO
Assistant Director
Chief Pharmacist’s Office
Ministry of Health
Singapore
Ms Carolyn Ho serves at the Chief Pharmacist’s Office within Singapore’s Ministry of Health, where she progresses healthcare workforce development initiatives for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians through active stakeholder engagement. She is passionate about the advancement of a future-ready workforce and pharmacy. She represents the Pharmacy Technicians Training and Development Committee, which has contributed to significant milestones, including the implementation of the Entry-to-Practice Competency Assessment Framework, the Foundation Training Roadmap, and the Development Framework for Pharmacy Technicians. She looks forward to learning and sharing experiences within the Singapore Pharmacy Congress community.
Ms Abigail TAN
Pharmacy Technician Executive
Pharmacy
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Singapore
Ms Abigail Tan is a dedicated pharmacy technician executive with a strong commitment to supporting safe and effective healthcare delivery. Currently serving as Chairperson of the Pharmacy Technicians’ Community of Practice, she works closely with peers and stakeholders to share knowledge, promote collaboration, and support the growth of the pharmacy technician profession. With hands-on experience in pharmacy operations and patient care, Ms Tan values teamwork, continuous learning, and professional integrity. In this leadership role, she focuses on encouraging best practices, building community, and contributing to initiatives that improve the quality of pharmacy services. Passionate about supporting fellow pharmacy technicians, Ms Tan actively participates in mentoring and peer development. She believes in the power of collective effort and is grateful for the opportunity to serve a community committed to better health outcomes.
