Koh Poh Koon

Koh attended MacRitchie Primary School, Maris Stella High School and Hwa Chong Junior College{{cite web|title=Curriculum Vitae of Dr Koh Poh Koon|url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/sites/default/files/cv/Parliament%20CV2_Dr%20Koh%20Poh%20Koon.pdf|website=Parliament of Singapore|access-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109145605/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/sites/default/files/cv/Parliament%20CV2_Dr%20Koh%20Poh%20Koon.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2016|url-status=dead}} before graduating from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore in 1996 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree.

He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Medicine degree in surgery at the National University of Singapore and obtained fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

He also received two Health Manpower Development Programme Scholarships from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to undergo advanced training in the surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases in Edinburgh and at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Koh is the founding director of the Colorectal Cancer Genomic Health Service at Singapore General Hospital. He was also a consultant colorectal surgeon in private practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre and a visiting consultant surgeon at Singapore General Hospital and Changi General Hospital.

Koh had also been a clinical lecturer at the National University of Singapore, adjunct assistant professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, and adjunct clinician scientist at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

Koh entered politics in January 2013 when he contested as the People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in a by-election in Punggol East SMC triggered by the resignation of its Member of Parliament, Michael Palmer, after it was revealed that he had an extra-marital affair.{{cite news|title=Speaker of Parliament, PAP MP Michael Palmer resigns due to 'improper conduct'|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/speaker-of-parliament-and-pap-mp-michael-palmer-resigns-due-to--improper-conduct--054105126.html|access-date=9 January 2016|work=Yahoo! News|agency=Yahoo! Singapore|date=12 December 2012}} He contested against candidates from three other parties: Workers' Party's Lee Li Lian; Reform Party's Kenneth Jeyaretnam; and Singapore Democratic Alliance's Desmond Lim. The by-election ended with Koh garnering 43.37% of the vote and losing to Lee, who won with 54.5% of the vote.{{cite web|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/singapolitics/whos-contesting-in-punggol-east |title=Who's contesting in Punggol East?|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|work=The Straits Times |date=9 January 2013 |access-date=9 January 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Au Yong|first1=Jeremy|title=Workers' Party wins Punggol East by-election with 54.52% of valid votes|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/workers-party-wins-punggol-east-by-election-with-5452-of-valid-votes|access-date=9 January 2016|work=The Straits Times|agency=Singapore Press Holdings|date=26 January 2013}}

During the campaigning, Koh had called himself "kaki lang" ("one of us" in Teochew) and "son of Punggol". When reporters asked him about his family's ownership of two cars, he had said, "everybody has a car, we have two... We are professionals, we need to travel." His words were perceived as a blunder and reeking of elitism. After losing the election, he admitted that he had misspoken, saying, "It's not logical, even an idiot wouldn't say that. So it was partly my fault."{{cite news|title=PAP doctor diagnoses his election defeat|url=https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/pap-doctor-diagnoses-his-election-defeat|access-date=9 January 2016|work=Yahoo! News|agency=AsiaOne|date=16 December 2013}}

In the 2015 general election, Koh joined the six-member PAP team contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC{{cite web|title=PAP unveils Ang Mo Kio GRC slate|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pap-unveils-ang-mo-kio/2050212.html|website=Channel NewsAsia|access-date=9 January 2016|date=15 August 2015|archive-date=17 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817135327/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pap-unveils-ang-mo-kio/2050212.html|url-status=dead}} against the Reform Party. Following the results of the election, Koh was elected into Parliament when the six-member PAP team won and clinched 78.64% or 135,115 of the electorate's valid votes in the constituency.{{Cite web |title=Results |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/specialreports/sgvotes2015/results |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111144750/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/specialreports/sgvotes2015/results |archive-date=11 January 2016 |access-date=9 January 2016 |website=Channel NewsAsia}} Koh thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Yio Chu Kang ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC.

On 1 January 2016, Koh was appointed Minister of State at the Ministries of National Development and Trade and Industry. On 1 May 2017, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State and continued serving in the two Ministries; he relinquished his position in the Ministry of National Development on 30 April 2018. On 23 April 2018, Koh was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress{{cite news|last1=Kwang|first1=Kevin|title=Education Minister Ng Chee Meng, Koh Poh Koon join NTUC as deputy sec-gens|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/education-minister-ng-chee-meng-koh-poh-koon-join-ntuc-as-deputy-10168166|work=Channel NewsAsia|date=23 April 2018|language=en}} and he held this position until 15 May 2021.{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/chee-hong-tat-to-replace-koh-poh-koon-as-ntuc-deputy-secretary-general-on-may-15|title = Chee Hong Tat to replace Koh Poh Koon as NTUC deputy sec-gen on May 15|newspaper = The Straits Times|date = 7 May 2021|last1 = Yang|first1 = Calvin}}

In the 2020 general election, Koh switched to join the five-member PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and they won with 66.41% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2020.html|access-date=2020-09-10|website=www.eld.gov.sg}} Koh thus became the Member of Parliament representing the Tampines Central ward of Tampines GRC.{{Cite web|date=2020-07-01|title='A life and death situation': PAP's Koh Poh Koon compares governing during pandemic to emergency surgery|url=https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/life-and-death-situation-paps-koh-poh-koon-compares-governing-during-pandemic-emergency|access-date=2020-09-10|website=AsiaOne|language=en}} On 27 July 2020, he was appointed Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Health. He took up an additional appointment as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Manpower on 15 May 2021. Koh was appointed Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on 13 June 2022, while relinquishing his Ministry of Health portfolio.{{Cite web |last=Lim |first=Min Zhang |title=Tan Kiat How, Eric Chua and Rahayu Mahzam to be promoted in latest Cabinet changes |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/tan-kiat-how-eric-chua-and-rahayu-mahzam-to-be-promoted |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=The Straits Times |date=6 June 2022}}

A Chinese Singaporean of Teochew descent, Koh grew up in a farmhouse at Lorong Cheng Lim in Punggol before he and his family moved to a four-room HDB flat in Toa Payoh. His father was a bus driver who drove the public bus service 82.{{cite news|last1=Koh|first1=Mui Theng|last2=Tan|first2=Judith|date=13 January 2013|title=Meet the 'son of Punggol'|work=The New Paper|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|agency=asiaone|url=http://news.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130111-394975.html|url-status=dead|access-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217052313/http://news.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130111-394975.html|archive-date=February 17, 2016}} Koh was the oldest child in his family and often worked part-time jobs when he was young to support his family.

Koh is married to a doctor, with whom he has two daughters.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/koh-poh-koon Koh Poh Koon] on Parliament of Singapore
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130120020446/http://www.capstonecolorectal.com.sg/profile.html Doctor's Profile – Dr Koh Poh Koon]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022517/https://www.pap.org.sg/news-and-commentaries/news-reports/pap-announces-candidate-punggol-east-smc PAP announces candidate for Punggol East SMC]

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|sg}}

{{S-bef | before = Seng Han Thong}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament
for Ang Mo Kio GRC
(Yio Chu Kang)

| years = 2015 – 2020}}

{{s-aft | after = Yip Hon Weng

| as = MP for Yio Chu Kang SMC}}

{{S-bef | before = Heng Swee Keat}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament
for Tampines GRC
(Tampines Central)

| years = 2020 – present}}

{{s-inc}}

{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes|title=Member of multiple Parliaments of Singapore|list=

{{14th Parliament of Singapore}}

{{13th Parliament of Singapore}}

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Category:Singaporean people of Teochew descent

Category:People's Action Party politicians

Category:Colorectal surgeons

Category:Singaporean surgeons

Category:National University of Singapore alumni

Category:Hwa Chong Junior College alumni

Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Parliament of Singapore