Khaw Boon Wan is a
politicianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He is currently the country's
Minister for National DevelopmentThe Ministry of National Development is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to land use planning and infrastructure development...
and the
ChairmanIn politics, a party chair is the presiding officer of a political party....
of the governing
People's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP). He was previously the
Minister for HealthThe Ministry of Health is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for providing information, raising health awareness and education, ensuring the accessibility of health services, and monitoring the quality of health services provided to citizens and visitors in the Republic of...
from August 2004 to May 2011. He is a
Member of ParliamentThe Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
(MP) representing the
Sembawang Group Representation ConstituencySembawang Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency located in the northern area of Singapore. The GRC consists of Sembawang, Woodlands, Marsiling, Admiralty, Canberra and Chong Pang...
.
Education and early career
Khaw completed his education at the
University of NewcastleThe University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
under the Singapore Government Colombo Plan Scholarship, graduating in 1977 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce. He worked in the
Ministry of HealthThe Ministry of Health is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for providing information, raising health awareness and education, ensuring the accessibility of health services, and monitoring the quality of health services provided to citizens and visitors in the Republic of...
, formulating health policies, and restructuring the public hospitals. He had been the CEO of the
National University HospitalThe National University Hospital , established in 1985, is Singapore's only university hospital. It serves as a tertiary hospital as well as a clinical training centre and a research centre for the medical and dental faculties of the National University of Singapore...
,
Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's HospitalFormerly known as Kandang Kerbau Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital is now the largest hospital specialising in healthcare for women and children in Singapore....
and the
Singapore General HospitalThe Singapore General Hospital is the largest and oldest hospital in Singapore, of which the foundation of its first building was laid in 1821....
.
Political career
In 1992, Khaw became
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Goh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
's Principal Private Secretary, serving in this post for three years. In 1995, he joined the
Ministry of Trade and IndustryThe Ministry Of Trade and Industry is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation of policies related to the development of trade and industry in Singapore.-Mission:...
, where he served as its Permanent Secretary until October 2001.
Khaw was elected as a Member of Parliament in November 2001. He was appointed Minister for Health in August 2004. He played a key role in successfully combating the
SARSSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
epidemic which tested the Singapore's public health resources. He was also noted for his role in handling the
National Kidney Foundation (NKF) scandalThe National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, also known as the NKF saga, NKF scandal, or NKF controversy, was a July 2005 scandal involving National Kidney Foundation Singapore following the collapse of a defamation trial which it brought against Susan Long and Singapore Press Holdings...
, and made
Gerard EeGerard Ee Hock Kim Born in 1949, Ee became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales in 1972. In 1974 Ee began his career as an accountant, becoming a practicing auditor in 1976. Ee was made a Partner of the Ernst and Young accounting firm, where he remained in the...
the new chairman of the NKF following T.T Durai's resignation.
Controversy
In a parliamentary speech on 9 February 2009, in the context of tackling the rising healthcare costs, he suggested that Singaporeans can consider sending their elderly parents to nursing homes in
Johor BahruJohor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
in
Malaysia, which are more affordable to lower-income Singaporeans. This was quoted by news reports and a public outcry ensued. Khaw subsequently clarified that his statement was quoted out of context by the media and his suggestion was only one of the many choices available to Singaporeans.
External links