• This is Ngee Ann Development’s largest gift to-date and its first contribution to healthcare.

• This gift is the largest received by SingHealth from a business conglomerate to-date.

Singapore, 18 June 2019 – SingHealth today received a $40 million gift from Ngee Ann Development (a subsidiary of The Ngee Ann Kongsi) that will greatly boost medical research and education efforts to advance patient care. Ngee Ann Development’s $40 million gift reflects its strong commitment towards partnering clinicians, researchers and educators in SingHealth to make an impactful and lasting difference in the health of patients and Singaporeans.

“We are very heartened by Ngee Ann Development’s generosity towards healthcare. This gift will enable SingHealth to conduct further research into strategic areas such as ageing, population health and artificial intelligence for healthcare, and address challenges that affect our local and Asian populations. It will support continuing education programmes to build a strong pipeline of competent healthcare professionals to meet current and future needs. As an Academic Medical Centre, in partnership with Duke-NUS Medical School, we will be able to do more to improve the health and lives of our patients,” said Professor Ivy Ng, Group Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth.

In appreciation of the generous gesture, one of the two towers in the Academia, which is SingHealth’s education and research nucleus that houses core research services and training facilities, will be named The Ngee Ann Kongsi Discovery Tower. The auditorium will also be named The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium. Each year, the Academia plays host to more than 150 events, including scientific and education congresses, attracting both local and international participants.

Executive Director of Ngee Ann Development, Mr Jamie Teo, said, “Healthcare and education are key pillars of social development. We have a long history of supporting a spectrum of education, cultural and welfare causes. To commemorate Ngee Ann Development’s 30th anniversary this year, we are very pleased to make this $40 million gift to SingHealth. This gift, like all our philanthropic areas of support, is grounded in fulfilling our fundamental tenet of advancing the needs of society. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 years and over, and the Government has highlighted the many health and social challenges our rapidly ageing population will pose. Our gift will provide SingHealth with additional resources to further its research into age-related conditions, such as in eye, heart and neurological diseases. It will also support SingHealth educators as they prepare healthcare professionals to care for and manage the complex medical needs of older people. We believe that by investing in medical research and education today, we will pave the way for new treatments, cures and a healthier future for all.”

SingHealth, the largest public healthcare cluster in Singapore, sees close to six million patient encounters each year. Its institutions have a long history in supporting the nation’s healthcare education and training needs. On an average day, SingHealth trains over 1,000 medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied health students and more than 950 medical residents. In addition, SingHealth has groomed more than 60 per cent of the total target number of Clinician Scientists in Singapore.

The gift from Ngee Ann Development, which will be managed by SingHealth Fund, will advance capabilities for sustained excellence in public healthcare by supporting impactful research in thematic areas such as ageing and population health through the development of artificial intelligence, big data and precision medicine for healthcare. This approach enables researchers to investigate across a wide spectrum of diseases and health conditions so as to find better treatment options for patients while nurturing a sustainable pool of research talents. In addition, the gift will also support medical education initiatives including fellowships, lectureships, conferences and seminars that foster knowledge exchange, networking and inter-professional education.