SPEECH BY MR TAN KIAT HOW, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION & MINISTRY OF HEALTH, AT THE NATIONAL HEART CENTRE SINGAPORE HEART TO HEART GALA 2026, 16 OCTOBER 2026

Professor Yeo, Chief Executive Officer, National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS)

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

1      A very good evening.

2      It is a real pleasure to join all of you here today at the sixth Heart to Heart Gala. I’m very happy to be here, to see many familiar faces and also this is a very meaningful event.

3      Earlier, Professor Yeo shared many heartwarming and inspiring stories. Many of you here have made all this possible. So, please give yourself a round of applause.

4      Cardiac medicine has made extraordinary progress over the years. Procedures that once seemed impossible are now part of clinical practice. We can detect more conditions earlier, offer precise treatments and give patients better prospects of living longer, healthier lives.

5      But behind every advancement are the people: healthcare professionals who devote themselves to their patients, researchers who challenge what we know, families who place their trust in the care team, and supporters who make new possibilities achievable.

6      Tonight is a celebration of all of them. It is also a chance to recognise how NHCS is advancing cardiac care through better science, more compassionate methods and models of care, and investment in the next generation.

Advancing care for an ageing population

7      Singapore is now a super-aged society. By 2035, it is projected that more than one in four Singapore citizens will be aged 65 and above. That means more people will live with complex chronic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. We cannot meet these needs simply by doing more of the same.

8      Through Healthier SG and Age Well SG, which are national initiatives, we are placing greater emphasis on prevention, earlier intervention and helping Singaporeans stay healthy and independent for longer. Innovation can support this shift, but its value is not measured by how sophisticated a technology is. It is measured by what it changes for the very important people – the patients that we care for.

9      Tonight, I want to build on what Professor Yeo shared earlier. Let me elaborate on three very good examples from NHCS.

Understanding patients better

10      First, the Cardiovascular Ageing and Longevity programme, or CRANE, brings clinical care and research together to help older adults stay well for longer.

11      Heart health in later life cannot be understood through blood pressure or other conventional measures alone. CRANE takes a broader view, including muscle health, frailty and cognitive and mental well-being. It uses AI to help identify early signs of frailty so care teams can better tailor support to patients.

12      NHCS is also refining how it investigates persistent symptoms. Some patients experience chest pain even when routine tests reveal no major blockages. Functional Coronary Angiography, now part of routine clinical care at NHCS, can help identify causes that might otherwise be missed.

13      And through MOSAIC, a clinical research programme using advanced ultrasound to assess the heart and skeletal muscles together, researchers are exploring how to detect problems earlier and better match care to patients’ needs.

14      These are very important efforts. But I think the common purpose is clear and straightforward: understand the whole person better, so we can care for that person better. It’s a wonderful programme.

Bringing care closer to home

15      The second programme is also very heartwarming: Heartlanders, a partnership between NHCS and the Lien Foundation. I think this is something that many of you might resonate with.

16      For someone living with advanced heart failure, the journey can be very difficult. There may be repeated hospital visits, distressing symptoms and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Families and caregivers carry much of that burden.

17      Sometimes, better care is not another procedure. It is earlier relief from symptoms, clearer conversations about choices, and support that helps patients spend more time comfortably in familiar surroundings. Sounds simple, but not so easy to do.

18      Heartlanders introduces supportive and palliative care earlier, alongside active cardiac treatment. Multidisciplinary teams attend to clinical and psychosocial needs, while community partners help sustain care beyond the hospital.

19      I’m very encouraged that now in its third year, Heartlanders has benefited more than 800 patients, many with advanced heart failure, with plans to extend support to those at earlier stages. 

20      It is a reminder to all of us that innovation is not always a new device or new algorithm. Sometimes, the most meaningful innovation is a better way to care for people.

Advancing discoveries relevant to Asian patients

21      Third, we must continue to push the scientific frontier.

22      Asian populations remain under-represented in much of the world’s cardiovascular research. Yet disease patterns, genetic backgrounds and responses to treatment can vary. Global medical progress must be informed by evidence that reflects the diversity of patients that it serves.

23      I am therefore pleased that we are officially launching the Centre for Integrative Human Cell Research and Translation, or CIPHER, this evening.

24      CIPHER will use human cell models, including those derived from Asian patients, to study cardiovascular disease and identify potential new treatments. It will bring laboratory discoveries closer to clinical needs and contribute to a stronger evidence base for cardiovascular care in Asia and beyond.

Investing in the people who will lead

25      I’d like to turn the last part of my remarks to what I think is a very important part of the whole effort: people. None of this progress happens without people. In cardiothoracic surgery especially, excellence is built over years of practice, mentorship and the passing on of hard-won expertise to the next generation.

26      Tonight, we recognise the establishment of the Tong Ming Chuan Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery, made possible by Dr Tong’s generous gift of $2.5 million. Please give him a round of applause. Thank you, Dr Tong.

27      This is the first of its kind in the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine Centre. It will help nurture future surgical leaders and advance cardiac care and research.

28      There is a special meaning to this gift. Dr Tong led the team that established Singapore’s heart transplant programme in 1990, 36 years ago. More than three decades later, he is helping the next generation of surgeons take cardiac medicine further.

29      His gift should be seen as more than a contribution to a professorship. It is the passing of a torch – from someone who helped open a new chapter in Singapore’s medical history to those who will write the chapters ahead of us.

Closing

30      Ladies and gentlemen, these efforts may be different in form – from programmes that are very technical in nature, to ones at the cutting edge of scientific research,  and ones that build the next generation of healthcare professionals and leaders. But there is one thing that unites all of these efforts, and that is purpose. CRANE may seek to understand patients better. Heartlanders brings compassionate care closer to patients and their families. CIPHER advances discoveries relevant to our population. And the Professorship invests in the people who will carry the work forward.

31      Each reminds us that progress in healthcare is not simply about what medicine can do. It is about what we can do for people.

32      Philanthropy makes an important difference. It gives clinicians, researchers and care teams room to explore ideas, build evidence and develop better approaches to care – sometimes long before their full benefits can be seen.

33      Tonight, to all NHCS donors and partners, I would like to thank all of you for your generosity and trust. Your support and invaluable contributions give patients better care today and greater hope for tomorrow.

34      And as Dr Tong’s story reminds us, one of the most enduring contributions we can make is not only what we can achieve for ourselves, but what we make possible for those who come after us.

35      On that note, I wish everyone a wonderful evening. Thank you.