Wong Kirk Chuan to take over as CEO of Khoo Teck Puat, Yishun Community hospitals from Feb 1

SINGAPORE – Wong Kirk Chuan will take over the helm of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH) as their chief executive officer from Feb 1, taking the reins from Chua Hong Choon.

Chua, the current CEO, will continue to serve as dean of the NHG College after stepping down, while continuing his clinical practice as a senior consultant in psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), NHG Health said in a statement on Nov 2.

The NHG Health Group includes Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Woodlands Hospital, Yishun Community Hospital, NHG Polyclinics, IMH, National Skin Centre and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Wong, who was chief operating officer of KTPH and YCH,

was appointed

CEO-designate on Nov 1.

In its statement, NHG Health noted that he

has

spent more than two decades in Singapore’s public healthcare system

As deputy CEO of the Agency for Integrated Care, Wong 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 COO, Population Health, at NHG Health.

Wong is most recognised for his leadership in Woodlands Hospital’s development and commissioning from 2014, NHG Health said.

During the

Covid-19 pandemic, he established and managed large-scale national community isolation, care and treatment facilities

In its statement, NHG Health said:

“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.”

Joe Sim, Group CEO of NHG Health

, added: “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.”

Sim also paid tribute to the outgoing Chua

, saying: “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.”

Chua served as CEO of IMH for 10 years, prior to leading KTPH and YCH.

Chua won the Wellbeing CEO Award and the inclusion of KTPH and YCH among Singapore’s top 25 Impact Employers for Wellbeing.

In 2026, he was named Healthcare Transformation Leader of the Year for his leadership in innovation, improvement and sustainable transformation in healthcare.

He also co-chaired the national Tripartite Workgroup for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers.

He led Singapore’s inaugural nationwide epidemiological survey on depressive and anxiety disorders, oversaw national initiatives expanding community mental health services, and chaired the national Residency Advisory Committee for Psychiatry for 10 years.