It gives me great pleasure to present Dr Loo Choon Yong, whom I have known since 1968 when we both started as undergraduates in the same medical class at the University of Singapore.
He chose to specialise in family medicine and obtained the Membership of the College of General Practitioners Singapore in 1980. In spite of his busy schedule as a young doctor, he became interested in law and successfully completed his law studies, graduating with LLB (Hons) from London University, which eventually led on to further progress and admission as barrister to the Inn of Middle Temple, London. Dr Loo also developed an interest in cardiology and in July 1984, he obtained the Diploma in Cardiology with Distinction from the University of London.
In 1976, the young Dr Loo left for private medical practice. Together with another medical classmate, Dr Alfred Loh, he set up two general practice clinics – one at Maxwell Road and the other at the multi-storey car park building at Cecil Street. These practices were to become the forerunner of the vast network of Raffles Medical Group (RMG) clinics that we see today in Singapore, Hong Kong and China, including airport medical centres in Singapore Changi Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.
Under his dynamic and visionary leadership, RMG has grown from strength to strength. His vision to make RMG the leading lifetime partner for healthcare was based on the corporate motto which simply states: "To Our Patients, Our Best". He formulated the essential core values of the Group which are remembered through the acronym CCETV – Compassion, Commitment, Excellence, Team-based care, and Value. He has made many innovations in the management and delivery systems for healthcare organisations, and has applied them successfully in RMG clinics and facilities, including the flagship Raffles Hospital. Indeed, he has led the Group through a most remarkable "journey of faith" that has resulted in continuous and sustained growth of the practice. From a mere handful of staff in the original Raffles clinics, the Group has now grown over 40 years into an extensive network of local and international healthcare centres employing more than 2,500 people, including over 380 full-time medical specialists and GPs, and two million patients on active record. The RMG network of healthcare facilities has today established its presence in Asia with clinics, centres and representative offices in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar, in addition to two new tertiary hospitals currently in various stages of development in the major Chinese cities of Chongqing and Shanghai.
Besides developing the Group, Dr Loo has made many contributions to the medical profession, as well as to Singapore. He has always supported the training of future doctors and RMG has been actively involved in the training of family physicians. Dr Loo himself has been a clinical teacher in family medicine since 1981, and has taught and trained many undergraduates and postgraduate medical students in the specialty of family medicine. He has also served on many medical professional bodies, including the SMA Council, SMA Ethics Committee, SMA Community Health Education Committee, SMA Constitution Review Committee and Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Singapore, just to name a few.
Dr Loo's desire to help the society at large was evident early in life when he undertook volunteer work at the grassroots level and served on committees at Kampong Glam constituency, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At this constituency, he worked tirelessly to support the efforts of the late Minister S Rajaratnam. He also volunteered his services at the Kim Seng Community Centre Clinic. He was actively involved in the National Council Against Drug Abuse, and the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association where he served as its president.
He was also appointed to many important committees in governmental bodies. These include the chairmanship of the Healthcare Services Working Group of the Economic Review Committee, chairmanship of the Singapore Management University Advisory Board (Business School) and deputy chairmanship of the Action Committee for Entrepreneurship. He served two terms as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2009.
His list of contributions to the medical profession and to Singapore are many, and it was no surprise when he was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2003, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2005 for his contributions to Singapore's fight against drug abuse.
His contributions to Singapore have continued even to this day. Dr Loo was appointed by the President of Singapore in 2015 as the Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Poland. Prior to this, he was the Non-Resident Ambassador to Italy from 2006 to 2015. He was Chairman of Sentosa Corporation, prior to his current appointment as Chairman of Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), Singapore's leading industrial infrastructure conglomerate, spearheading the planning, promotion and development of a dynamic industrial landscape.
He is also the founder and chairman of Asian Medical Foundation, a charitable organisation assisting needy patients of Singapore and the neighbouring regions.
In May 2010, Dr Loo was named "Best Chief Executive Officer" in the mid-cap category of the Singapore Corporate Awards organised by The Business Times and Singapore Stock Exchange. In April 2013, he was named "Businessman of the Year 2012" at the Singapore Business Awards, jointly organised by The Business Times and DHL. In February 2015, Dr Loo received the SG50 Outstanding Chinese Business Pioneers Awards from the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Indeed, the institutionalisation of RMG demonstrates the wisdom of Dr Loo, who long ago realised the importance of setting up a successful organisation with a structure that will last beyond the tenure of its founding members. His emphasis on compassion and care for the sick and needy is best epitomised by the five simple words on a plaque strategically placed in the lobby of Raffles Hospital, which serves as a constant reminder for all staff to always give their best to the patients. His medical training, legal training and vast life experience in dealing with difficult and challenging issues put him among the very few with the wideranging experience and insights to help our profession and society prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
Although I have known him since 1968 when we started medical school together, I only got to know him much better when I started to work more closely with him at Raffles Hospital over the last 16 years. I now see him as a man blessed with an innovative, visionary and entrepreneurial spirit that knows no bounds. He is always pushing the boundaries and exploring new ideas, never daunted by failures but instead inspired to do better. He is a completely indefatigable man.
All of us who have worked closely with him have benefitted greatly from the experience. This afternoon, we can look forward to learning more from him. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to invite Dr Loo Choon Yong to deliver his SMA Lecture titled "Internationalising Singapore Healthcare".