Friends, colleagues and distinguished guests alike convened for this year's rendition of the SMA Annual Dinner on 23 May at Conrad Singapore Orchard. The Royal Pavilion Ballroom bustled with conviviality as attendees exchanged pleasantries, looking forward to an evening of warm fellowship and celebration.
The Guest of Honour for the evening was Dr Ng Eng Hen, former Minister for Defence. Other distinguished guests in attendance included Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Education and Ministry of National Development, and Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC; Dr Hamid Razak, Member of Parliament for West Coast-Jurong West GRC; Dr Haresh Singaraju, Nominated Member of Parliament; and Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo, President of the Malaysian Medical Association.
SMA President Dr Daniel Lee Hsien Chieh began the dinner with a warm introduction for Dr Ng Eng Hen. Dr Lee then gave his welcome address (see page 12), in which he discussed healthcare financing and medical inflation. He also reiterated the importance of the duty of care and the profession's commitment to prioritise patients' best interests.
SMA Honorary Membership
The SMA Honorary Membership was instituted in 1969 and is the highest honour that SMA can bestow on persons who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession or to the Association.
This year, SMA conferred this accolade upon Dr Ng Eng Hen. A/Prof Prema Raj, a childhood friend of Dr Ng, delivered the heartwarming citation (see page 14). A/Prof Prema shared personal anecdotes of Dr Ng's early days in school and in medicine, highlighting an unswerving character of dedication, responsibility and humility that would serve his patients and the nation well in years to come. A/Prof Prema noted that those who knew Dr Ng as a young boy might not have expected that he would one day become a surgical oncologist and Minister for Defence, but they would agree without hesitation that he would grow up to become someone deeply dedicated to the people entrusted to his care.
Dr Lee then presented the SMA Honorary Membership award to Dr Ng. Following the presentation, Dr Ng expressed his thanks and delivered his Guest of Honour address (see page 16). In his speech, he highlighted the value and importance of trust in cultivating robust medical systems and society at large, especially in an era with increasingly eroded trust.
Commemorating compassion
Advocacy is a key pillar of SMA's ethos and the Association could not have come this far without the support of our dedicated volunteers and donors over the years. Over the course of the evening, a series of awards were presented in recognition and thanks to individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to advancing SMA's mission and contributing to the continued development of the medical profession and Singapore healthcare.
SMA Merit Award
The SMA Merit Awards were presented to four recipients who had made significant contributions to SMA and the medical profession, or in social service to the community.
Prof Fong Kok Yong is deputy group CEO (Medical and Clinical Services) of Singapore Health Services and senior consultant at the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at Singapore General Hospital. Throughout his career, Prof Fong has made great strides in shaping clinical governance and advancing the field of rheumatology in Singapore. SMA presented the Merit Award to Prof Fong in recognition of his dedication and contributions to autoimmune disease care, academic medicine and national healthcare leadership.
Dr Angel Lee Onn Kei is group medical director at St Andrew's Mission Hospital and Singapore Anglican Community Services. Dr Lee played a pivotal role in establishing and enhancing inpatient palliative care services, playing a key role in developing national guidelines and quality frameworks and advocating for dignity in ageing and end-of-life care, bridging clinical excellence with policy, education and systemic healthcare improvements. SMA presented the Merit Award to Dr Lee in recognition of her significant contributions to the medical profession.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak is an ophthalmologist as well as the co-founder and vice chairman of Eagle Eye Centre. Dr Lim was also a Member of Parliament from 2006 to 2025, during which he represented and served the division of Canberra in Sembawang GRC, championing healthcare affordability, the needs of an ageing population and fiscal prudence in medical spending. SMA presented the Merit Award to Dr Lim in recognition of his contributions to the medical profession and his distinguished public service.
Adj Asst Prof Mok Ying Ren is a sports surgery consultant at National University Health System and a member of Anti-Doping Singapore's governing board. Prof Mok is a decorated former national athlete, having won two gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games (triathlon in 2007; marathon in 2013) as well as being a seven-time Singapore Marathon champion during his competitive career. SMA presented the Merit Award to Adj Asst Prof Mok in recognition of his dedication to medicine and outstanding sporting achievements.
The next step for SMACF
Dr Chong YehWoei, Chairperson of the SMA Charity Fund (SMACF), then took to the stage to share about the charity's latest fundraising campaign,"The Next White Coat" (see page 19 for further details). Following which, the new SMACF corporate video was unveiled, featuring beneficiaries of the charity. To find out more about how you can lend a hand in uplifting needy medical students, please visit https://www.smacf.org.sg.
With the dinner in full swing, guests moved freely from table to table, mingling and catching up with peers old and new, as toasts were made and wefies were snapped. Guest of Honour Dr Ng Eng Hen was also spotted in spirited conversation with fellow attendees.
Appreciation for our volunteers
Dr Daniel Lee returned onstage to introduce the 67th SMA Council. As the evening continued, more awards were given out in celebration of individuals' efforts and dedication towards the Association as well as towards the medical profession and research.
SMA Long Service Award
The SMA Long Service Award serves to appreciate individuals who have contributed their time and services to the SMA Council and committees. A big thank you to all awardees for your hard work and support of the Association!
30 years of service
Dr Chong Yeh Woei: SMA Council (1998–2020); SMA President (2009–2012); SMACF Chairman (since 2019)
Adj Prof Tan Sze Wee: SMA Council (since 1996); SMACF (2013–2021); SMA Pte Ltd Chairman (2011–2012; since 2014)
20 years of service
Dr Allen Wang: SMA Complaints Committee (since 2006)
Dr Wee Siew Bock: SMA Complaints Committee (since 2006)
Prof Teo Eng Kiong: Singapore Medical Journal (SMJ) Editorial Board (since 2006)
Dr N V Ramani: SMJ Editorial Board (since 2006)
Adj A/Prof Benedict Tan Chi'-Loong: SMJ Editorial Board (since 2006)
10 years of service
Dr Chie Zhi Ying: SMA News Editorial Board (since 2016); SMA Council (since 2020); SMACF (since 2022)
Adj A/Prof Ng Chew Lip: Doctors-in-Training Committee (since 2016); SMA Council (since 2018); SMACF (since 2022)
Dr Tan Li Hoon: SMJ Editorial Board (since 2016)
Dr Ganesh Ramalingam: SMA Whiskey Chapter (since 2016)
Dr Felix Li Jingxiang: SMA Whiskey Chapter (since 2016)
Dr Tan Pinhong: Volleyball, SMA Sports and Games Committee (since 2016)
Adj A/Prof Vishal G Shelat: SMA Centre for Medical Ethics and Professionalism (SMA CMEP) (since 2016)
Dr Jamie Zhou: SMA CMEP (since 2016)
Staff
Noor Azliena Bte Samhudi: Senior Executive, Membership Services, 30 years of service
Priseillia D/O Govindasamy: Executive, Membership Services and Council Support, 5 years of service
SMJ Best Research Paper Award
The SMJ Best Research Paper Award has been presented since 2004, with the aim to encourage the publication of high quality local and international research papers within the SMJ and to promote and recognise local and regional researchers for their achievements. The top three research papers of 2025 were selected from 43 original articles published in 2025. SMJ past Editor-in-Chief and Honorary Advisor Adj Prof Poh Kian Keong presented the commemorative trophies and certificates to representatives from the following papers.
Dr Leong Zhou Hao and team: "A machine learning approach for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea using oximetry, demographic and anthropometric data" (April 2025)
Dr Mark Tan Bangwei and team: "Use of deep learning model for paediatric elbow radiograph binomial classification: initial experience, performance and lessons learnt" (April 2025)
Dr Chua Yan Ting and team: "Disparities in ethnicity and metabolic disease burden in referrals to nephrology" (June 2025)
We congratulate the authors and recipients of the above awards and encourage more quality submissions to SMJ!
In gratitude to all
All too soon, it was time for the night to end. The 67th SMA Council would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dr Ng Eng Hen for gracing the event, and to all guests for taking the time to join us at the 2026 SMA Annual Dinner. We hope everyone had an enjoyable evening and we look forward to welcoming you again at the next Annual Dinner!
The 67th SMA Council
30-year Long Service Award recipients with SMA President (L to R: Dr Chong Yeh Woei, Dr Daniel Lee, Adj Prof Tan Sze Wee)
20-year Long Service Award recipients with SMA President (L to R: Dr Allen Wang, Dr N V Ramani, Dr Daniel Lee, Dr Wee Siew Bock, Adj A/Prof Benedict Tan Chi'-Loong)
