SINGAPORE, May 23 — Senior minister of state for manpower and health Dr Koh Poh Koon will leave political office on June 1, saying he needs to devote more time to his family after more than a decade in government service. He will continue as MP for Tampines GRC, the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The Straits Times reported Dr Koh in a Facebook post said the decision came after “much deliberation”, acknowledging that the demands of office had made him “an absent husband, father and son” since entering politics in 2015. His wife, also a doctor, had shouldered much of the caregiving responsibilities for their children and elderly parents, he added.
“Right now, my family needs my attention in a way that is not compatible with the demands of political office,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he accepted Dr Koh’s resignation with sadness, praising his “thoughtful and rigorous approach to issues” and his contributions across portfolios including trade and industry, manpower, health, sustainability, national development and the labour movement.
PM Wong highlighted Dr Koh’s work on the infant milk formula task force, which tightened regulations and expanded affordable options for parents, as well as his efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare through Healthier SG and Age Well SG.
Dr Koh, a colorectal surgeon, first contested in the 2013 Punggol East by-election before entering Parliament in 2015 as part of the Ang Mo Kio GRC team. He was appointed to political office in 2016 and later moved to Tampines GRC in 2020.
Cabinet colleagues including Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng and Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli paid tribute to Dr Koh’s steady leadership, clinical insight and grounded approach to policymaking.
Dr Koh said he will spend the next few months with his family while considering his next steps, but stressed that he remains committed to serving residents in Tampines.