Gan Kim Yong (born 9 February 1959) is a Singaporean politician.
A member of the governing People's Action Party, he previously served as Minister of Manpower from 2008 to 2011. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chua Chu Kang GRC since 2006, after previously serving for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC from 2001 to 2006.
Gan was the Chairman of the People's Action Party since 23 November 2018 after Khaw Boon Wan stepped down from the position. He is currently the Minister of Health.
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,[1][2]
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.
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.[3] 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.[4] Gan also explained that the information was not announced earlier, in order to safeguard the patients' well-being.[5]
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.[6]
[]
- Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
Gan, along with the Minister for National Development 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.[7]
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).[8] In 1985, he obtained his master's degree from Cambridge University.[9]
Personal life[]
Gan currently serves as an elder at the Chen Li Presbyterian Church.[10]
In addition, Gan is married with two daughters.[11]
References[]
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ https://mothership.sg/2019/02/gan-kim-yong-statement-hiv-data-leak-apology/
- ↑ WHO Independent High-level Commission on NCDs World Health Organization (WHO).
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Ministers Urged Seminary to be Continually Involved in Globalised Society Template:Webarchive, The Christian Post, Oct. 3, 2008
- ↑ Template:Cite web
External links[]
- Profile of Gan Kim Yong at cabinet.gov.sg