Condolence Letter from President Tony Tan Keng Yam on the passing of Dr Kwa Soon Bee

31 October 2016

Dear Lucy

Mary and I are deeply saddened by the passing of your beloved husband, Dr Kwa Soon Bee.

Soon Bee contributed significantly to Singapore in a long and distinguished public service career.  In particular, his impact on the medical service in Singapore is immensely felt even today.  Soon Bee started as a medical officer in 1956, and rose through the ranks to retire in 1996 as the Permanent Secretary of Health and Director of Medical Services.  Over those four decades, Soon Bee left his footprint in almost every aspect of healthcare in Singapore, from the restructuring of hospitals to the training of our healthcare professionals.  

Soon Bee was synonymous with the development of healthcare in the early days of Singapore’s growth as a nation.  As Permanent Secretary of Health, he started the restructuring of government hospitals and laid the foundation for today’s public hospital system in Singapore.  Soon Bee’s vision led to the establishment of several medical specialty institutions in Singapore, such as the National Cancer Centre and the Institute of Mental Health, some of which are world class centres today.  He was instrumental in developing the blueprint of what we know today as the 3M framework – Medisave, MediShield and Medifund – which keeps healthcare costs affordable for all Singaporeans.

Soon Bee’s legacy in the healthcare sector extended to the capabilities of our medical professionals.  As then-Education Minister, I saw first-hand how Soon Bee was passionate in improving our training and development of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals.  He had the strong belief that our healthcare system could only be as good as the people who provided the services.  Soon Bee and I worked closely together to uplift the medical and healthcare schools in our universities and polytechnics, and many of the beneficiaries of this enhanced training are leaders in our healthcare sector today.  He also looked out for promising individuals, and personally mentored them.

For his outstanding contributions to Singapore, Soon Bee was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1989 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1992.

After his retirement, Soon Bee continued to contribute to Singapore, chairing the boards of the Singapore Zoological Gardens, the Jurong Bird Park and the Wildlife Reserves until 2003, and was deeply involved in shaping our tourism industry.

Singapore benefitted greatly from Soon Bee’s lifelong contributions to public service.  He was a pioneer in the development of healthcare system in Singapore.  Many generations of healthcare professionals will remember Soon Bee as their mentor and the one person who had made the most impact to their careers. 

Please accept our deepest condolences to you and your family on this great loss.

Yours sincerely

TONY TAN KENG YAM