Goh Keng Swee Foundation gifts S$1.2M in support of medical education
Published: 14 May 2021
The Goh Keng Swee Foundation, established by Dr Phua Swee Liang in 2008 to perpetuate the values of her late husband, has announced a gift of S$1.2 million to the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in support of financially disadvantaged medical students.
The gift was announced on the 11th death anniversary of Dr Goh, who passed away on 14 May 2010 at the age of 91 after years of ill health, during which he was nursed by Dr Phua. The late Dr Goh served alongside Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, holding Cabinet appointments as Deputy Prime Minister, as well as helming the finance and defence portfolios at key stages of Singapore’s development.
He is widely regarded for his role in the development of Singapore into a prosperous nation. As early as 1981, Dr Goh set up the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) with the foresight to protect Singapore’s reserves from unforeseen economic crisis. In the year before his retirement from political office, he sowed the seeds of biotechnology in Singapore, with his involvement in the introduction of Nobel laureate Dr Sydney Brenner to Singapore, and the establishment of the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology (IMCB).
“I am very pleased that Dr Goh’s life and memory will be honoured by this gift to NUS Medicine. In his dealings with people, Dr Goh made no distinction between race, religion, gender, wealth or power, provided people were genuine and decent. His compassion and thoughtfulness toward people has always moved me and it is my hope that recipients of this bursary will embody the same attitude towards their patients and those around them,” said Dr Phua.
NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said, “We are deeply appreciative of this generous gift from Dr Phua. It will go a long way towards nurturing the next generation of medical leaders, helping train the compassionate and competent doctors that Singapore needs, as well as advancing the science and practice of medicine in Singapore.”
Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, expressed the School’s gratitude for the Foundation’s gift, “We are deeply honoured and grateful for this gift from Dr Phua and the Foundation. One in six of our medical undergraduates needs financial assistance and this gift from the Foundation will be invaluable in alleviating their financial worries, allowing them to fully experience the benefits of a comprehensive medical education and contribute to the greater community as students.”
Read more in the press release here.
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