Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon has requested to step down from his political appointments citing family reasons, with his resignation to take effect on June 1, 2026. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has accepted the request, and Dr Koh will relinquish his roles as Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for Health on that date, while remaining a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Dr Koh, a colorectal surgeon, first contested in the 2013 Punggol East by-election, losing with 43.73% of the vote to the Workers’ Party’s Lee Li Lian who received 54.5% [3, 4, 6, 7]. He was elected into Parliament in 2015 as part of Ang Mo Kio GRC and appointed to political office in 2016 [3, 4, 6, 7]. Over the past decade, Dr Koh took on portfolios including trade and industry, manpower, health, sustainability, environment, national development, and the Labour Movement [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7].
He assumed the appointment of Senior Minister of State for Manpower in 2021 and took on an additional role as Senior Minister of State for Health in 2025 [5]. At the Ministries of National Development and Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Koh led efforts to grow the agri-food sector, improve food safety, and promote sustainability [2, 4, 6, 7].
Dr Koh said he has been "an absent husband, father and son since I stepped into politics in 2015, placing the needs of Singapore and my constituents above my family." He added that "for too long, my wife has carried much of the burden at home, often having to look after our parents and our children on her own. Right now, my family needs my attention in a way that is not compatible with the demands of political office." He wants to better support his wife and focus on family after leaving office [4, 5, 6, 7].
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong praised Dr Koh for his "thoughtful and rigorous approach to issues" and said he "served with dedication, thoughtfulness and a deep sense of duty," adding that his contributions have benefited many Singaporeans [2, 4, 6, 7]. Observers noted that Dr Koh's resignation mid-term is unusual in Singapore politics, but believe other political office holders or new leaders will fill his roles and provide continuity. Singapore Management University Associate Professor Eugene Tan said there is "sufficient depth and breadth within the 4G leadership" while independent observer Felix Tan said the resignation "should not be interpreted as a challenge to leadership stability" [8, 9, 10, 11, 12].
Dr Koh plans to spend the next few months focusing on his family and has not made firm plans to return to medical practice [5]. His resignation and relinquishment of ministerial roles will take effect on June 1, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7].
