FAQs

Ambulance Wish Singapore is a charity that supports terminally ill patients through the simple but deeply meaningful act of wish granting. Our work is rooted in our motto, “Fulfilling Wishes, Celebrating Lives”.

With the support of partnering healthcare institutions, volunteers and donors, Ambulance Wish Singapore is enabled to assist these patients and their families. We hope that through wish granting, we can celebrate the lives of the terminally ill by creating positive experiences and memories. More importantly, the simple act of wish granting provides closure, bringing comfort and peace to both the patients as well as their families.

Terminally ill patients often have little time to realise their unfinished business or unfulfilled wishes. Helping them fulfil a wish can help the patient find meaning and comfort, thereby providing relief for the distress they are experiencing. Through our work at Ambulance Wish Singapore, we have seen how fulfilling a wish can elevate the spirits of both the patient and his/her family members in the end-of-life journey.

We are an affiliate of Stichting Ambulance Wens, which was started in 2006 in the Netherlands. We were inspired by the work at Stichting Ambulance Wens and decided to set up a Singapore chapter. Ambulance Wish Singapore is independently run but we are grateful for the support from Stichting Ambulance Wens founder, the late Mr Kees Veldboer, when we first started out.

Ambulance Wish Singapore is managed by a small team of dedicated staff and governed by a Board of Directors. We are all individuals who are passionate about improving end-of-life care. Click here to view our Board of Directors.

We do not own an ambulance as not all wishes we work on require the services of an ambulance. Some wishes are fulfilled at home or the healthcare institution that the patient is admitted to. Patients who are mobile do not require an ambulance. We work with ambulance service providers whenever needed.

We fulfil wishes for anyone who is terminally ill (i.e. has a prognosis of less than 12 months), aged 19 years and above, and is a Singapore Citizen or PR.

We have four main types of wishes: 

1. I wish to go to a place of personal significance, e.g. beach, park, museum, or attend a loved one’s wedding or graduation ceremony. 
2. I wish to have a gathering with my loved ones, my favourite food, photoshoot makeover or something that I have always wanted. 
3. I wish to meet my spouse, favourite television personality, childhood friends or pet. 
4. I wish to give back to society, or to my loved ones with a get together. 

The turnaround time to fulfil a wish range from one day to a couple of months. It is highly dependent on the patient’s condition and what he/she wishes for. There have been exceptional times where we had to work swiftly to grant wishes, or bring forward the planned wish, of patients whose conditions deteriorated very quickly. 

With greater awareness of wish fulfilment for terminally ill patients, Ambulance Wish Singapore has seen an uptake in wish referrals from hospices, hospitals, medical institutions and even direct referrals from patients and/or their loved ones, and we anticipate more wish referrals in the years ahead. 

Ambulance Wish Singapore is ramping up our operations and fundraising to fulfil more wishes. 

All our patients have a prognosis of less than 12 months, and many of them have terminal cancers. The majority of our beneficiaries are in their 60s, the oldest and youngest patients were 96 and 19 years old respectively. 

Yes, there are wishes that we do not fulfil. They include wishes that have to do with direct gifts of money, illegal or unsafe acts, payment for medical treatment and equipment, travel, and support for citizenship.

We receive an average of about 15 to 20 wishes per month. We expect the number of referrals to increase with increased awareness and understanding of our services. 

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. They include working adults, tertiary students, homemakers and retirees. The minimum age to volunteer is 18 years old. 

All our volunteers are trained on the rudiments of palliative care, how to create a delightful and memorable wish experience, and how to communicate empathetically with our patients and their loved ones. 

The half day training programme with online pre training modules are thoughtfully structured to focus on mentoring our volunteers to make every wish special and heartfelt. 

You may apply here. All new volunteers are required to go for a training session prior to a wish assignment. Untrained volunteers are still welcome to assist with ad hoc events or fundraising activities. 

There is no fixed or strict commitment required. However, we encourage volunteers to keep an eye on wish requests posted in the volunteer community chat and let us know if you’re available to help.  

We welcome service providers who wish to support our mission by offering their services, skills, or products. Whether you’re ready to extend what you offer or just want to start a conversation about how you can help, we’d love to hear from you.

Please reach out to us through [email protected], and we will get in touch to explore how we can work together to bring more wishes to life.

Wish requests can vary widely, but common needs include flowers, cakes, food and beverages, photographers, videographers, decorations (like balloons), staycations (hotels, resorts, or chalets), attraction tickets, transport services, nursing aides, hairdressers, and makeup artists. The possibilities are endless, so if you think you can help in any way, feel free to reach out! 

About 40% of the funds we raise go to our beneficiaries. Other expenditure include operating and fundraising expenses.

Stewardship of donated funds is diligently observed at Ambulance Wish Singapore. Our Management and Finance Committee exercises prudence and ensures good governance over all allocation of funds including operational as well as granting wishes.

We are grateful for the generous sponsorship of in-kind contributions in fulfilling our beneficiaries’ wishes. This has helped keep our expenses to a minimum.

Yes, all donations above $50 are eligible for a 250% tax deduction.