Gan Kim Yong

Gan Kim Yong MP (born 9 February 1959) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) , he holds the PAP chairmanship and was appointed as the Minister for Health by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He was elected as the People's Action Party Central Executive Committee chairman.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Gan.

The Honourable

Gan Kim Yong

MP
颜金勇
Gan in 2013
Minister for Health
Assumed office
21 May 2011
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byKhaw Boon Wan
ConstituencyChua Chu Kang GRC
Minister for Manpower
In office
1 April 2008 – 21 May 2011
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byNg Eng Hen
Succeeded byTharman Shanmugaratnam
Chairman of the People's Action Party
Assumed office
23 November 2018
DeputyMasagos Zulkifli
Secretary-GeneralLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byKhaw Boon Wan
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Chua Chu Kang GRC
(Chua Chu Kang)
Assumed office
7 May 2011
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Chua Chu Kang SMC
In office
6 May 2006 – 7 May 2011
Preceded byLow Seow Chay
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC
(Zhenghua)
In office
25 October 2001 – 6 May 2006
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byLiang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC - Zhenghua)
Personal details
Born
Gan Kim Yong

(1959-02-09) 9 February 1959
Singapore
CitizenshipSingapore
NationalitySingaporean
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Children2
EducationCatholic High School
National Junior College
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge (BA, MA)

He is the Chairman since 1 November 2018. He is also Co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Task Force in charge of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore alongside Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.[1]

A member of the governing PAP, he previously served as Minister for Manpower from 1 April 2008 to 20 May 2011.

He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chua Chu Kang GRC for Chua Chu Kang since 7 May 2011, after previously served in Chua Chu Kang SMC from 6 May 2006 to 19 April 2011 and Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC for Zhenghua from 25 October 2001 to 6 May 2006.

Career

Early career

Gan began his career in the Singapore Civil Service at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He left the civil service for the private sector in 1989 and joined NatSteel Ltd. In 1996, he was made the Executive Vice-President of NatSteel and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NatSteel Resorts International and NatSteel Properties. In 2005, he became the President and CEO of NatSteel.

Political career

Gan's first election was for the Holland–Bukit Panjang Group Representation Constituency in the 2001 elections, where the party won a walkover on nomination day. In 2005, Gan was appointed a Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Manpower.

Gan replaced Chua Chu Kang Single Member Constituency MP Low Seow Chay in the 2006 general election. He defeated Singapore Democratic Alliance's candidate Steve Chia (who was a former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament at the time) with 60.37% of the votes.

At the 2011 general election, Gan led his five-candidate PAP team in the newly formed Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency (into which his former ward was subsumed, along with Hong Kah GRC). The team won the election with 61.20% of the votes against a team of National Solidarity Party. Gan assumed his MP role representing Chua Chu Kang till this day.

In the 2015 general election, his four-member team won 76.89% of the votes against the newly formed People's Power Party (Singapore).

On 23 November 2018, Gan assumed the party's chairperson, taking over Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan,[2][3]

Minister for Manpower (2009 - 2011)

In 2008, Gan was made the Acting Minister for Manpower, and later promoted to a full Cabinet Minister the following year.

Minister for Health (2011 - present)

On 21 May 2011, Gan was appointed the Minister for Health.

In 2018, Gan appeared in a special appearance in a television drama, You Can Be An Angel 3 where he is the guest-of-honour giving out the Nurses Merit Award.

HIV data leak

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] Gan also explained that the information was not announced earlier, in order to safeguard the patients' well-being.[6]

Other appointments

Gan was appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to serve as the Independent High-level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases from 2018 until 2019.[7]

COVID-19 pandemic
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

Gan, along with the then Minister for National Development (Now Minister for Education) Lawrence Wong were announced on 27 January 2020 as co-chairs of the government's COVID-19 Multi-Ministerial Task Force as part of the government's response to the pandemic.[8]

Education

Gan was educated at Catholic High School and National Junior College, before going on to the University of Cambridge on an Overseas Merit Scholarship, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Electrical Engineering (1981).[9] In 1985, he obtained his master's degree from Cambridge University.[10]

Personal life

Gan currently serves as an elder at the Chen Li Presbyterian Church.[11]

In addition, Gan is married with two daughters.[12]

References
  1. "PM Lee announces new Cabinet lineup". The Straits Times. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  2. "PAP's new CEC". PAP.org.sg. 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. "DPMs Tharman, Teo Chee Hean and 3 senior PAP members step down from Central Executive Committee". PAP.org.sg. 21 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  4. "'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.
  5. paulam@st (9 March 2019). "HIV data leak: Mikhy Farrera-Brochez slapped with 3 charges by US grand jury". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  6. "Gan Kim Yong explains why HIV Registry leak was not disclosed earlier, apologises once more". mothership.sg.
  7. WHO Independent High-level Commission on NCDs Archived 21 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine World Health Organization (WHO).
  8. "Wuhan virus task force: Singapore's high-powered members". The Straits Times. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  9. "Speech by Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State For Education & Manpower, at the Engineering Fiesta Opening Ceremony, 24th November 2005, 9.10am at the National Library at Bras Basah". Ministry of Education (Singapore). 24 November 2005. Archived from the original on 10 April 2006. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  10. approver (20 November 2018). "PMO | Mr GAN Kim Yong". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  11. "Ministers Urged Seminary to be Continually Involved in Globalised Society". The Christian Post. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010.
  12. "Mr GAN Kim Yong". Prime Minister's Office, Singapore. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ng Eng Hen		 Minister for Manpower
2009 – 2011
Acting: 2008 – 2009		 Succeeded by
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Preceded by
Khaw Boon Wan		 Minister for Health
2011 – present		 Incumbent
Parliament of Singapore
New constituency Member of Parliament for
Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC (Zhenghua)
2001 – 2006		 Succeeded by
Liang Eng Hwa
Preceded by
Low Seow Chay		 Member of Parliament for
Chua Chu Kang SMC
2006 – 2011		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for
Chua Chu Kang GRC (Chua Chu Kang)
2011 – present		 Incumbent
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