Koh Poh Koon, former Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower, stepped down from his political roles effective June 1, 2026. He announced on social media that he is returning to healthcare as a colorectal surgeon after leaving office, thanking colleagues at the Ministry of Health [1, 2, 3, 4].
The 54-year-old lawmaker had his resignation announced by the Prime Minister’s Office on May 22. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed thanks for Koh's decade of public service since his 2016 appointment as Senior Minister of State [1, 2, 4].
Koh will continue as a Member of Parliament representing Tampines GRC, but cited family reasons for stepping down from ministerial and state appointments. Married to a doctor with two daughters, he said, "I had been an absent husband, father and son since I entered politics in 2015, and my family needs my attention in a way that is not compatible with the demands of political office" [1, 2, 3, 4].
Before entering politics in 2015, Koh was founding director of the Colorectal Cancer Genomic Health Service at Singapore General Hospital. He started private practice in 2011 and co-founded a colorectal disease hospital in 2012 [1, 2, 4]. Koh also contested the 2013 Punggol East by-election but lost to the Workers’ Party candidate, Lee Li Lian [1, 2, 3, 4]. He was elected into Parliament in 2015 as part of the Ang Mo Kio GRC team, then contested Tampines GRC in 2020 and 2025 general elections [1, 2, 3, 4].
Since October 2025, Koh has been serving as a visiting consultant surgeon at Changi General Hospital, a role that he will continue to focus on now that he has left his political office [1, 2, 4].
On June 2, Koh posted that as he leaves the Ministry of Health "and go back to healthcare as a surgeon, I hope our paths will cross again as we work to support the healthcare needs of Singaporeans" [1].
