FLYING THE SINGAPORE FLAG IN THE UN

Two years away from home can be a long time for many Singaporeans. But despite feeling homesick, COL (Dr) Benjamin Seet did Singapore proud during his two-year stint with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN-DPKO).

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) nominated COL (Dr) Seet when a vacancy was posted by the UN-DPKO. After two rounds of interview, he emerged from a large pool of international applicants to secure the job.

He served as the Chief Medical Officer of DPKO, United Nations, from Jun 2004 to Jun 2006. His role was to oversee the health requirements of some 96,000 UN peacekeepers deployed across 19 missions. This included ensuring that the 220 UN clinics and 21 UN hospitals in various countries were up to standard and could cater sufficiently for the UN peacekeepers. Some of the countries he travelled to included the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel and Lebanon.

This was not an easy job. Recalling his days with the UN-DPKO, COL (Dr) Seet said the experience had been a very challenging one.

"Working in a heterogeneous environment were many capable and experienced people with their own ways of doing things and getting them to work as a team was a challenge," he said.

COL (Dr) Seet, who has a Masters in International Health, had previously been deployed by the SAF to the UN Mission in Support of East Timor (UNMISET) in 2001, and had also served an earlier tour as a staff officer in the UN-DPKO between 1998 and 1999.

He also played a vital role in preparing Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen for overseas peacekeeping and disaster relief missions.

COL (Dr) Seet was awarded the Overseas Service Medal by the SAF on 31 Oct for his overseas contribution.

But to him, the greatest reward was the opportunity to contribute to peacekeeping and to make a difference.

"I guess the real reward is to be given the chance to contribute professionally to UN peace operations and making my mark in a small way," he said.

Shortly after returning to Singapore, COL (Dr) Seet assumed the appointment of Chief Army Medical Officer.

"The focus of the UN and SAF is quite different but nevertheless my UN tour has taught me about managing people and resources and how to be very flexible in dealing with complex challenges," he said.

"These are skills that will certainly come in useful in any job."