Transition builds on the hospitals’ work in connecting treatment, recovery and community support, with a continued focus on staff wellbeing
NHG Health has appointed Dr Wong Kirk Chuan as the next Chief Executive Officer of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH), as the hospitals continue to strengthen care across acute treatment, rehabilitation and support in the community for the population they serve in Northern Singapore.
Dr Wong, who was Chief Operating Officer of KTPH and YCH, is appointed CEO-Designate from 1 November 2026, and will take on the CEO role on 1 February 2027. He succeeds Professor Chua Hong Choon, who will continue to serve as Dean of NHG College.
Two Decades Spent Connecting Care for Residents
Dr Wong Kirk Chuan has spent more than two decades in Singapore’s public healthcare system, in roles that have shaped how patients and residents access care services. As Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Integrated Care, he helped drive the nationwide rollout of the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), which expanded subsidised care at neighbourhood GP clinics for lower-and-middle-income Singaporeans. He advanced the Primary Care Networks model, enabling family doctors to manage residents’ chronic conditions closer to home, and implemented the Pioneer Generation Package. From 2017 to 2021, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Population Health, at NHG Health, during which his integrated care models and programmes for community nursing, chronic disease management and school health extended care into homes, neighbourhoods and schools.
Dr Wong is most recognised for his leadership in Woodlands Hospital’s (WH) development and commissioning. From 2014, he played a significant role in shaping the campus design, clinical care models and operational readiness. This covered the recruitment and clinical immersion of more than 2,000 staff, infrastructure and equipment readiness, and the integration of more than 60 core IT systems to support safe and seamless patient care. The result was a hospital that was ready to serve patients from its first day of service.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Wong established and managed large-scale national community isolation, care and treatment facilities. These enabled patients with milder illness to be cared for safely outside hospitals, preserving acute capacity for those who needed it most.
His contributions to healthcare were recognised with the Public Administration Medal (Silver) (COVID-19) and COVID-19 Resilience Medal in 2022, and the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2016.
As CEO of KTPH and YCH, Dr Wong will bring a strong working knowledge of every part of the patient care journey, and with his proven leadership in large-scale transformation efforts, he is primed to advance the next phase of development of both hospitals.
Professor Joe Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, NHG Health, said, “Patients need care that is connected as they move between hospital, community, and home. KTPH and YCH are central to this one NHG Health system of care for the North. Kirk Chuan has built his career connecting these parts, from national programmes that provide subsidised primary care, to opening Woodlands Hospital ready to serve residents from day one. He has the depth of experience and expertise to bring the hospitals forward as one system, and to keep care close to residents.”
A Legacy of Care that Puts People First
Professor Chua Hong Choon’s tenure at KTPH and YCH has centred on building strong relationship-based approaches to care, with deep partnerships between care teams, patients, families and the wider community. Under his leadership, both hospitals have advanced population health and person-centred care for residents in the North.
Professor Chua has consistently championed inclusivity, staff wellbeing and psychological safety. Through the Joy-in-Work framework and related staff and leadership initiatives, he made wellbeing an organisational priority. These efforts were recognised with the Wellbeing CEO Award and the inclusion of KTPH and YCH among Singapore’s top 25 Impact Employers for Wellbeing. In 2026, Professor Chua was named Healthcare Transformation Leader of the Year for his leadership in innovation, improvement and sustainable transformation in healthcare.
His influence extends well beyond the two hospitals. He co-chaired the national Tripartite Workgroup for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers, whose recommendations have strengthened protection for healthcare workers across the sector. He also contributed to national efforts supporting the wellbeing of junior doctors.
Professor Chua is a respected psychiatrist who served as CEO of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for a decade, prior to leading KTPH and YCH. His contributions to mental health and wellbeing are significant: led Singapore’s inaugural nationwide epidemiological survey on depressive and anxiety disorders, which gave the country its first clear picture of mental health needs in the population; oversaw national initiatives expanding community mental health services; and chaired the national Residency Advisory Committee for Psychiatry for 10 years, developing the next generation of specialists.
As Dean of NHG College, Professor Chua will continue to shape leadership development, professional education and workforce capabilities across the Group, while continuing his clinical practice as a Senior Consultant in Psychiatry at IMH.
Professor Joe Sim added, “Hong Choon has shaped KTPH, YCH and IMH into institutions that place patients, families, and staff at the heart of care. He has shown that good care and the wellbeing of those who provide it must go together. His work has made healthcare workers feel safer across the sector, not only in our hospitals. We thank him for his leadership and look forward to his continued contributions at NHG College in developing the leaders who will carry One NHG Health forward in adding more years of healthy life for the population we serve.”
