SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES, AT INDUCTION COMITIA OF THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE, SINGAPORE, 12 SEPTEMBER 2026

Dr Wong Chiang Yin, Master of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore,

Past Masters, Council Members of the Academy,

Distinguished guests,

Fellows, graduates, colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen

1.             I am very happy to join you this afternoon for the Academy of Medicine’s Induction Comitia. My warmest congratulations to all our new Fellows, Graduate Diploma in Hospital Practice graduands, Master of Health Professions Education Singapore graduands, and Annals Reviewer Award recipients.

2.             Today, we also honour clinicians who have made a significant lifetime of contributions to medicine in Singapore. Not only have they journeyed alongside the development of Singapore’s healthcare system – guiding, enriching and improving it over many years, they have also touched the lives of many patients and their families. Concurrently they have made their mark in clinical excellence, research, education and leadership, and have upheld the ethos and standards of the medical profession.

3.             In countries such as the United States, such doctors of distinction are admitted as members of the National Academy of Medicine. In the United Kingdom, they are elected as fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Many other countries have their own equivalents. Today, Singapore medicine and dentistry join them in this well-established international best practice.

4.             For the first time, the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, is formally conferring the title of Eminent Academician to our doctors of distinction. I thank the Academy for suggesting this initiative, which the Ministry of Health supports.

5.             In doing so, we are demonstrating to the medical profession: this is what the highest standards of medicine and dentistry look like in Singapore. And to those who are just starting out on your medical career, the life’s work of the Eminent Academicians in this room is a testament to what each of you can and should aspire towards.

6.             We have now established three career tracks for doctors in Singapore – do consider all three tracks – Family Physicians, who anchor care in the community; Hospital Clinicians (HCs), with broad-based competencies to coordinate and integrate care; and Specialists, with deep expertise in specific disciplines. All three complement each other. They form the three key pillars of a well-rounded medical profession and a holistic healthcare system.

7.             While today’s conferment goes out to renowned specialists, over time, we should expect an inclusive outcome that recognises the contribution of all three pillars of the profession.

8.             Family Medicine became Singapore's 36^th specialty last November. In time, as highly accomplished Family Medicine Specialists build legacies of distinction, we will surely see them among the list of Eminent Academicians.

9.             The HC track is relatively new, but will grow further in importance as patient profiles continue to evolve and the HC’s expertise is increasingly needed. We have recently established the apex grade of Senior Principal Hospital Clinician. At that level, the HC, besides coordinating care for patients with complex conditions, will be leading clinical programmes, population health initiatives or research efforts in a healthcare institution.

10.          The Academy of Medicine running the Graduate Diploma in Hospital Practice reflects Singapore’s commitment to investing in the development of HCs as part of building a more resilient healthcare system. In time to come, the Eminent Academician title should also evolve to recognise HCs with a distinguished lifetime of service.

11.          Today, we are conferring the Eminent Academician title to 17 of the most accomplished clinicians in Singapore. Let me just highlight a few.

12.          Professor Venkataraman Anantharaman is known to many as the Father of Emergency Medicine in Singapore. He built the specialty from the ground up, founded its professional bodies, initiating postgraduate specialty training, and was head of Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) Emergency Medicine department for nearly a decade.

13.          Professor Low Cheng Hock served at Tan Tock Seng Hospital for over four decades, tirelessly raising generations of medical students and young surgeons. He was the President of the Singapore Medical Association when SARS struck in 2003 and established The Courage Fund to support healthcare workers and their families on the frontline. The Courage Fund was again activated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

14.          Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran built his early career in Singapore, serving at the National University of Singapore for fifteen years where he was Professor and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He went on to lead the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. He was eventually conferred Knight Bachelor by Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom.

15.          Professor Ong Biauw Chi spent years building up an entire patient safety architecture at SGH, which paved the way for how every specialty in Singapore approaches it. When COVID-19 struck, she stepped in to ensure that thousands of affected migrant workers received the care they needed. Beyond the operating theatre, she planned, staffed and established Sengkang General Hospital and was its founding Chairman Medical Board.

16.          Emeritus Professor Chew Chong Lin, who served as Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Chief Dental Officer and led the Singapore Dental Council for decades. He helped introduce the Dental Registration Act, thereby raising and maintaining standards of dental practice in Singapore, and the impact is still felt today.

17.          It has been my honour serving alongside all our clinicians and healthcare professionals over the past years. We still have much work to do. Singapore is already super-aged, and will age further in the coming decade. This means further changes in the profile of patients, and how care is to be delivered. We face new challenges and epidemics of mental health, antimicrobial resistance and in time, another global pandemic crisis like COVID-19. Our ability to respond and overcome them, depends on how well we can synergise our collective know-how and experience.

18.          Hence, today’s conferment is also a statement of commitment, that in Singapore, the development of the healthcare system and our healthcare policy will always be grounded on medical science, evidence and clinical experience, sometimes you cannot take that for granted. The delivery of care may be enhanced by technology, but always achieved through human clinical judgement, compassion, trust and human touch. The well-being of the patient is at the centre of what we do, the health of the population is what we will continuously and constantly strengthen.

19.          To the families and loved ones in the room: thank you too for your steadfast support of our clinicians, through their long years of training and service. And to the Academy of Medicine, thank you for your perseverance in building an institution that makes today possible. Thank you.