Koh Poh Koon rejoins Singapore General Hospital as colorectal surgeon

Koh Poh Koon has rejoined Singapore General Hospital where he used to practise medicine for several years before assuming political office.

Published Sep 30, 2026, 06:05 PM

Updated Sep 30, 2026, 06:05 PM

SINGAPORE - Former senior minister of state for health and manpower Koh Poh Koon has rejoined Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where he used to practise medicine.

He told The Straits Times on Sept 30 that he is currently a visiting consultant surgeon with SGH, and will continue on a part-time basis for clinical work.

The 54-year-old also gave the update in a social media post, saying that as he returned to clinical practice in SGH, he hoped to “continue connecting people, ideas and capabilites across the public and private healthcare sectors”.

He shared that SGH has brought in Singapore’s first Toumai surgical robotic system for clinical evaluation.

Based on information on the manufacturer’s website, the robotic system is a multi-arm surgical robot that can perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries. It can be used for procedures across urology, general surgery, gynecology, and thoracic surgery.

Koh will also help the hospital to drive interesting projects such as the robotic system, “to grow capabilities and develop public-private partnerships to strengthen our healthcare ecosystem”.

Koh, a colorectal surgeon by training, resigned from office on June 1 for family reasons. He said then that he wanted to spend some time with his family and will be returning to healthcare as a surgeon.

Koh has two daughters with his wife, who is also a doctor. He continues serving as an MP for Tampines GRC.

Before entering politics, Koh was the founding director of the colorectal cancer genomic health service at SGH from 2009 to 2013.

He had also assumed the role of director of the colorectal cancer molecular genetics research laboratory at SGH from 2008 to 2013, and was a consultant colorectal surgeon with the hospital.

He later went into private practice before assuming political office.

Wei Qiang is a correspondent at The Straits Times. He is on the health beat, with a special interest in healthcare policies.

SGH/Singapore General Hospital

许宝琨已重返新加坡中央医院，他曾在此行医多年，之后才从政。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 30 日下午 6:05

更新于2026年9月30日下午6:05

新加坡——前卫生部兼人力部高级政务部长许宝琨已重返新加坡中央医院（SGH），他曾在那里行医。

他于 9 月 30 日告诉《海峡时报》，他目前是新加坡中央医院的客座顾问外科医生，并将继续兼职从事临床工作。

这位 54 岁的医生还在社交媒体上发布了最新消息，称他重返新加坡中央医院从事临床工作后，希望“继续连接公共和私营医疗保健部门的人员、理念和能力”。

他透露，新加坡中央医院已引进新加坡首个Toumai手术机器人系统进行临床评估。

根据制造商网站上的信息，该机器人系统是一款多臂手术机器人，可以进行微创腹腔镜手术。它可用于泌尿外科、普通外科、妇科和胸外科等多个领域的手术。

Koh 还将帮助医院推进一些有趣的项目，例如机器人系统，“以增强能力并发展公私合作关系，从而加强我们的医疗保健生态系统”。

许先生是一名受过专业训练的结直肠外科医生，他于6月1日因家庭原因辞职。他当时表示，他想多花些时间陪伴家人，并将重返医疗行业，继续担任外科医生。

许宝琨与妻子育有两个女儿，他的妻子也是一名医生。他继续担任淡滨尼集选区的国会议员。

在从政之前，许先生于 2009 年至 2013 年担任新加坡中央医院结直肠癌基因组健康服务的创始主任。

2008 年至 2013 年，他还担任新加坡中央医院结直肠癌分子遗传学研究实验室主任，并且是该医院的结直肠外科顾问医生。

他后来从事私人执业，之后才从政。

魏强是《海峡时报》的记者，主要负责健康领域的报道，尤其关注医疗政策。

新加坡中央医院