Leadership Changes at Changi General and the Eastern Health Alliance

Monday, 26 March 2012 – (CGH) and the Eastern Health Alliance (EH Alliance) will soon see a change in their top leadership. The current Deputy Director of Medical Services for Healthcare Services and Performance in the Ministry of Health, Dr Lee Chien Earn, will take up his new appointment as CEO, CGH on 1 May 2012. CGH’s current CEO, Mr T K Udairam will become Group CEO, EH Alliance. Mr Udairam was previously holding a concurrent appointment of CEO, EH Alliance.

Mr Udairam has been CEO of CGH since 1 February 2000. Under his leadership, CGH has grown to become a leading medical provider in eastern with more than 20 medical specialties and several medical centres of excellence. His focus on improving efficiency and workflows in CGH enabled its Accident & Emergency department, the busiest in Singapore, to consistently achieve the shortest waiting time and a high patient satisfaction rate among the restructured .

“Mr Udairam has made significant contributions to the development of CGH and the EH Alliance,” said Mr Gerard Ee, Chairman of the Board for the EH Alliance. “He played a pivotal role in developing collaborative patient care with the various healthcare providers, and has also been instrumental in convening, guiding and driving the Eastern Health Alliance from its conception to inception, working with a wide variety of stakeholders and partners to bring to life Singapore’s first regional health system.”

Mr Udairam’s concurrent appointment during this period as CEO, EH Alliance is a reflection of this crucial leadership he has provided. With the EH Alliance’s drive towards its vision of seamless quality care for patients, and the raft of significant healthcare priorities and initiatives announced during the most recent Government Budget debate, the head of the EH Alliance will need to focus on bringing many of these programmes to fruition over the next few years, and bring many partners to collaborate closely together. Mr Udairam’s assumption as Group CEO, EH Alliance is a reflection of this crucial need.

On his appointment as Group CEO, EH Alliance, Mr Udairam said: “With the formation of the Eastern Health Alliance in April 2011 and the official launch in November last year, we have entered a crucial chapter in the reshaping of healthcare for eastern Singapore. The needs and priorities are great, and as Group CEO, I will focus on stepping up, enhancing and continuing to innovate our integrated care programmes, while building and strengthening critical partnership with other healthcare providers in eastern Singapore.” Incoming CEO, CGH Dr Lee Chien Earn is currently Deputy Director of Medical Services for Healthcare Services and Performance in the MOH. A veteran in the healthcare industry, his past appointments include Head of Health Services Finance at MOH and Director of Corporate Affairs at Singapore General Hospital. Dr Lee was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2011 and the Minister of Health Award for Public Health in 2006 for his contributions in tackling the Fusarium Keratitis outbreak.

Dr Lee is upbeat about his new appointment and said, “I look forward to working with the team in CGH to deliver quality care. With the ageing population, we have many challenges ahead but by innovating our processes and delivering care with passion, I believe CGH will be able to meet the healthcare needs of the community.”

Mr Ee said: “I am confident that Dr Lee will build on Mr Udairam’s excellent work to further strengthen CGH’s capabilities as we take on a strategic direction to reshape the healthcare delivery system for the betterment of our patients.”

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Annex Mr T K Udairam Mr Udairam is the CEO of Changi General Hospital and the Eastern Health Alliance (EH Alliance), whose members are Changi General Hospital, St Andrew’s Community Hospital, SingHealth Polyclinics and the The Salvation Army Peacehaven Nursing Home. He has 36 years of experience in healthcare operations, administration and management.

Mr Udairam was appointed the CEO of CGH on 1 February 2000. At CGH, he successfully introduced new medical services, such as Neurosurgery, Sports Medicine, Psychological Medicine and Dermatology to better meet the healthcare needs of the community. Under his leadership, CGH has established a reputation for a comprehensive range of medical services, compassion in care, and innovation in healthcare delivery.

A firm believer of ‘management by walking’, Mr Udairam often visits care delivery teams at their work stations to observe and understand how things are done, and gets feedback and help to improve the delivery of care.

Mr Udairam will assume the role of Group CEO, EH Alliance on 1 May 2012.

Dr Lee Chien Earn Dr Lee is currently the Deputy Director of Medical Services in the Ministry of Health. His portfolio includes Health Services Strategy and Planning, Healthcare Information Management, Health Services Research and Technology Assessment and Standards and Quality Improvement. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.

His immediate prior appointment as Director of Health Regulation included overseeing the licensing and accreditation of healthcare institutions, clinical audits and biomedical research regulation. Dr Lee’s previous appointments include Head Health Services Finance at the Ministry of Health and Director of Corporate Affairs at the Singapore General Hospital, the largest acute hospital in Singapore.

He currently sits on the Board of the Health Sciences Authority. He is also a member of the Government Business Analytics Advisory Committee and the A*STAR–CIMIT Collaboration Steering Committee. His international appointments include membership in the International Steering Committee, WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety; Steering Committee, Asia-Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; and the Joint Commission Resources Standards Subcommittee.