The Ministry of Health (MOH; Malay: Kementerian Kesihatan; Chinese: 卫生部; Tamil: சுகாதார அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for managing the public healthcare system in Singapore.
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1955 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Headquarters | 16 College Road, College of Medicine Building, Singapore 169854 |
| Motto | Championing a Healthy Nation |
| Employees | 1,573 (2018)[1] |
| Annual budget |  S$11.72 billion (2019)[1] |
| Ministers responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | www |
Statutory boardsEdit
- Health Promotion Board
- Health Sciences Authority
- Singapore Dental Council
- Singapore Medical Council
- Singapore Nursing Board
- Singapore Pharmacy Council
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board
MinistersEdit
The Ministry is headed by the Minister for Health, who is appointed as part of the Cabinet of Singapore. The incumbent minister is Ong Ye Kung from the People's Action Party.
| Portrait | Minister | Term start | Term end | Political party | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Braga | 1955 | 1959 |  Singapore People's Alliance
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| Ahmad Ibrahim | 5 June 1959 | 1961 |  People's Action Party
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| Kenneth Michael Byrne | 1961 | 1963 | |||
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Yong Nyuk Lin | 1963 | 1968 | ||
| Chua Sian Chin | 1968 | 1974 | |||
| Toh Chin Chye | 1975 | 1981 | |||
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Goh Chok Tong | 1981 | 1982 | ||
| Howe Yoon Chong | 1982 | 1984 | |||
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Tony Tan Keng Yam | 1985 | 1986 | ||
| Richard Hu | 1985 | 1987 | |||
| Yeo Cheow Tong | 1987 | 1994 | |||
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George Yeo | 1994 | 1997 | ||
| Yeo Cheow Tong | 1997 | 1999 | |||
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Lim Hng Kiang | 1999 | 2003 | ||
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Khaw Boon Wan | 2003 (interim) | 2004 | ||
| 2004 | 2011 | ||||
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Gan Kim Yong | 21 May 2011 | 14 May 2021 | [2][3] | |
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Ong Ye Kung | 15 May 2021 | Incumbent | [3] |
IncidentsEdit
HIV data leakEdit
On 28 January 2019, sensitive information including names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses and HIV test results of 12,400 HIV-positive people were leaked online after an ex-Ministry of Health staff, Ler Teck Siang had mishandled the information.[4] The ex-staff, the former head of National Public Health Unit, had access to the information and did not comply with Ministry of Health's security guidelines. Ler downloaded the information on to a personal thumb drive, which his then-boyfriend Mikhy K Farrera Brochez had leaked online subsequently.[5] Minister of Health, Gan Kim Yong, also explained that the information was not announced earlier, in order to safeguard the patients' well-being.[6][7]
Community Health Assist Scheme computer system errorEdit
On 16 February 2019, the ministry released statement that there was an error in the computer system, managed by NCS, for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). The error miscalculated the amount of health care subsidies applicants could receive through means-testing their income information. Thus, approximately 1,300 people received lower subsidies and 6,400 people received higher subsidies.
The first discrepancy in a result of a CHAS card holder was detected on 24 September 2018 by MOH. NCS was informed immediately, which then initially attributed the issue to intermittent network connection problems. Between 9 October 2018 and 2 November 2018, another 5 more discrepancy cases were detected and thus leading into a deeper investigation. In November 2018, NCS Pte Ltd traced the cause of the discrepancies to a software version issue used on a server used by the system. The identified issue occurred during a migration of the system to another government data center in September 2018. The software version issue was resolved as a resolution to an unrelated slow performance issue on 10 October 2018. However, incorrect results that were generated between 18 September 2018 and 10 October 2018 remained.
Remedial actions were then carried out by MOH and NCS to assess impact on the affected applicants. MOH would then work with grant scheme administrators and healthcare institutions to follow up with notifications and reimbursement to the affected applicants. MOH reportedly had the intention to recover costs and expenses due to this incident from NCS as allowed in the contract between them.[8]
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b "MINISTRY OF HEALTH" (PDF).
- ^ Ong, Justin (28 September 2015). "Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces Singapore's new Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ a b Mahmud, Aqil Haziq (25 July 2020). "PM Lee announces new Cabinet; 6 office holders promoted, 3 retirements". CNA. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "'I am sorry': Gan Kim Yong says health ministry providing support to HIV sufferers affected by data leak". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "HIV data leak: Mikhy Farrera-Brochez slapped with 3 charges by US grand jury". The Straits Times. 9 March 2019. Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Gan Kim Yong explains why HIV Registry leak was not disclosed earlier, apologises once more". mothership.sg.
- ^ "Statement by Minister (Health) Mr Gan Kim Yong on the Unauthorised Possession and Disclosure of Information from HIV Registry". Ministry of Health. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Ng, Huiwen (16 February 2019). "Chas subsidies for about 7,700 people miscalculated due to IT error: MOH". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
External linksEdit
