DPM Gan Kim Yong at the NUHS Tribute Awards Ceremony 2025

Prof Yeoh Khay Guan, Chief Executive, NUHS
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening. Thank you for inviting me to join you at this year’s NUHS Tribute Awards Ceremony.

I am very delighted to be here among old friends, old colleagues, and the outstanding healthcare professionals and leaders across the National University Health System (NUHS).

I last attended the NUHS Tribute Awards in 2019, just a year before COVID-19 hit us, to present a letter of appreciation to Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, who had then just handed over the Chairmanship of the NUHS Board to Mr Hsieh Fu Hua.

I am glad to be back here to honour Fu Hua this evening, who had handed over the Chairmanship earlier this year to Mr Tan Chong Meng.

Each one of them – Chorh Chuan, Fu Hua and Chong Meng – hold a deep, genuine passion to take our public healthcare system to greater heights.

This is the same passion that unites each and every member of our healthcare family.

United in Duty

When I co-chaired the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) during the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw firsthand the extraordinary dedication of our healthcare workers.

The challenges then were immense, and decisions were often difficult.

Yet, one thing remained steadfast: the indomitable spirit of our healthcare leaders and workers at all levels.

Whether in the hospitals, our community care facilities, or in the migrant worker dormitories where many of you were deployed, you displayed professionalism and commitment and kept our healthcare system going and resilient.

I remember the early days of COVID-19, I called a meeting among all the healthcare leaders – all the group CEOs and main CEOs of the various key hospitals. I told them that this pandemic is likely to last many months, if not years, and they have to brace themselves for this long journey or fight against COVID-19. I was very worried that they would not be able to handle it. But I am very pleased that our healthcare leaders all assured me that they had a plan in place and they will get it done. So I want to congratulate you on a job well done, all of you.

Often the Co-Chairs of the MTF are at the front whenever we meet the media but the real heroes are all of you here.

That same dedication must now drive the next bound of transformation for our public healthcare system, not so much in response to a crisis, but in anticipation of the challenges ahead.

Building the Healthcare System of the Future

We face a rapidly ageing population. As more of our people grow older and live longer, which is a good thing. we must ensure that they age well, so that they can enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives.

This is why we had embarked on HealthierSG, to shift the focus from treating illness to keeping people healthy.

In tandem, we have also launched Age Well SG, to encourage our seniors to lead healthier lifestyles and age well in the community.

This is a long-term, multi-year effort, even multi-generation effort, requiring our healthcare, community and social care agencies to work closely together to implement it well.

I am heartened to learn that NUHS is now leading this transformation with new models of care that extend beyond its hospital walls.

One such programme is NUHS@Home.

This programme was first introduced in 2020 to allow COVID-19 patients to recover at home.

Today, this programme continues to provide eligible patients the option of being cared for at home instead of in the hospital, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists who can monitor their condition remotely with the help of smart devices.

NUHS@Home has since served over 2,900 patients at home. Not only does it allow patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes, it also enables them to direct our hospital resources towards those with more acute conditions that require round-the-clock institutional care.

Another initiative is NCIS On-The-Go by the National University Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS).

NCIS On-The-Go allows cancer patients to receive selected services and treatments in the community rather than at the NCIS.

This makes it more convenient for low-risk patients to receive care, while freeing up resources at the NCIS centre for patients requiring more complex treatments.

Patient visits to NCIS On-The-Go have multiplied ten-fold since its introduction in 2017. Currently, over 11% of patients who would otherwise be seen by the NCIS have been able to transition to this form of care in the community, and I am glad to hear that there are plans for a fourth community clinic in the pipeline.

I am particularly glad that NUHS has embarked on this programme because NUHS is helping to look after my Choa Chu Kang residents.

In addition to going beyond the hospital to the community, we must leverage technology to expand our healthcare capacity and capabilities, as the demand on our healthcare system grows. I am glad that NUHS is now leading the way in embracing technology-driven innovation in healthcare delivery.

For example, the NUHS App empowers patients and individuals to take charge of their healthcare needs, including managing their appointments, access to test results and consult with clinicians through telemedicine services. This will support them to live healthier in the community.

By pulling together ‘live’ data from the electronic medical patient record system and deploying the Endeavour AI platform, NUHS has helped doctors and care teams improve their efficiency and enhance patient outcomes.

And last but not least, NUHS has adopted AI-enabled solutions to drive greater manpower productivity, such as using predictive analytics to optimise staff allocation based on projected patient demand patterns, and a proprietary Generative AI model, RUSSELL-GPT, that help doctors write referral letters and summarise case notes.

For their respective contributions in driving healthcare transformation, the teams behind NUHS@Home, NCIS-On-The-Go, and the NUHS App will be recognised tonight with the NUHS Pinnacle Team Awards. Congratulations to each one of you!

A Tribute to Excellence

I know I am between you and your dinner but there are a few persons that we need to honour and it is my pleasure to honour them.

Tonight, we also honour 16 healthcare professionals who will be conferred the honorary titles of Emeritus Consultant and Emeritus Fellow.

One of the newly minted Emeritus Consultants is Professor Arijit Biswas. I am sure you know Arijit.

He has been at the forefront of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for the past 35 years, specialising in high-risk pregnancies.

He has delivered a whopping 14,000 babies in his career to date. Probably one of the largest number of babies delivered.

One of them is Karuna, who with her mother Mdm Magdaline Tan, are here with us tonight.

Around 25 years ago, Mdm Magdaline Tan was discovered to have no amniotic fluid surrounding her baby in the womb in the early stages of her pregnancy. This would have meant certain foetal death, but Prof Biswas did not give up.

For every week until term, Prof Biswas painstakingly administered amniotic fluid infusions, which kept the baby safe, in an otherwise impossible situation. Today, Karuna, the baby girl he worked so hard to save, is a dedicated nurse.

We are glad to have Mdm Tan and Karuna here with us tonight to celebrate the achievements of Prof Biswas.

Besides celebrating the achievements of our doctors, I am glad that NUHS is also recognising the achievements of healthcare professionals in other disciplines.

This year, NUHS is introducing the prestigious Emeritus Fellow title for other healthcare professional groups.

Dr Emily Ang, a Senior Nurse Advisor at Alexandra Hospital, will be awarded the inaugural Emeritus Fellow title.

Over the last few decades, Emily has helmed numerous entities in the NUHS cluster – from leading oncology nursing at NCIS, to Head for NUS Nursing, and to Group Chief Nurse of NUHS.

Dr Ang has also been an exemplary mentor to generations of nurses, driving the revamp of curricula at NUS Nursing and developing the NUHS Nursing Vision and Nursing Architecture.

At the young age of 72, Emily is still actively contributing to the advancement of nursing education and leadership. She continues to coach the next generation of nurses, sharing her wealth of experience through mentorship roles and leadership training. Her dedication to the profession and commitment to nurturing future healthcare leaders makes her a truly deserving recipient of the Emeritus Fellow title.

And to all the 77 recipients tonight who have gone over and beyond to drive excellence in patient care, research and education, let me express my heartiest congratulations. Keep up the good work, and continue to deliver Incredible Care & Health, together!

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Hsieh Fu Hua for his leadership of the NUHS Board over the past five years.

Not many of you know that I have known Fu Hua for close to 30 years. We have been in the private sector together, doing projects together. And what struck me is that Fu Hua is a man of great integrity. I always negotiate very hard with my business partners on joint venture businesses, and he was one of my joint venture partners and I negotiated very hard with him and his team. But he was always the moderating voice and said “Please give this young man Gan Kim Yong a chance, don’t drive such a hard bargain”. So I have always had great respect for him as a man of great integrity.

Indeed, Fu Hua, your leadership has propelled NUHS to overcome many challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You have also overseen many milestones for the NUHS, including the redevelopment of Alexandra Hospital and the planning of the upcoming Tengah General and Community Hospital.

Conclusion

Over the past six decades, we have built up a strong and resilient healthcare system to enable our people to have access to high quality and affordable healthcare. Going forward, we must place equal emphasis on health and on care, so that our people can live not only longer but also healthier lives, and we can ensure our healthcare system remains sustainable as we cope with our ageing population.

This is not something that the Government can do alone, but one that requires the collective effort of all of us along the healthcare continuum. Once again, let me thank each and every member of the NUHS team for your dedication, commitment and service. Together, we can realise not only a HealthierSG, but also an SG that Ages Well.

Thank you and have a good evening.