New chairman for Health Sciences Authority from next year

Prof Satkunanantham succeeds Professor John Wong Eu Li, who will be appointed chief executive of the National University Health System (NUHS) from the same date.

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Here is the joint press statement from the Ministry of Health and Health Sciences Authority:

From January 1, 2014, Professor Satkunanantham s/o Kandiah will be appointed Chairman of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). Professor Satku brings to HSA almost a decade of invaluable expertise as Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health (MOH) where he is responsible for advising the government on health matters, the development of Singapore's healthcare services, professional education and standards, and the regulation of the sector.

Professor Satku will be stepping down from his role as Director of Medical Services at the end of 2013 to return to clinical practice and teaching at the National University Health System (NUHS).

Professor Satku succeeds Professor John Wong Eu Li as HSA Chairman. Professor Wong, currently Deputy Chief Executive of NUHS, will be taking on the key appointment of Chief Executive of NUHS from January 1, 2014. Professor Wong, the Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences, also serves as Vice Provost (Academic Medicine) of the National University of Singapore and Director of the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.

Since Professor Wong became Chairman of the HSA Board at the beginning of 2012, he has promoted HSA's development as a well-respected scientific and regulatory authority, strongly networked internationally and with its local partners. He has also provided wise counsel and guidance to strengthen scientific rigour, capacity and infrastructure for HSA's three key areas of responsibility in managing the national blood service, providing forensic and applied scientific expertise to enforcement and other government agencies, and regulating health products to safeguard public health. Professor Wong has placed a high premium on developing the agency's professional expertise and academic linkages to meet future scientific and biomedical challenges.

MOH and HSA would like to express our sincere appreciation to Professor Wong for his invaluable contributions and visionary leadership of HSA. We extend our best wishes to him as he assumes his new role as NUHS Chief Executive. We also warmly welcome Professor Satku and look forward to his Chairmanship of HSA as the agency continues to protect and advance national health and safety, and consolidates its reputation as a leading scientific and regulatory authority locally and internationally.

Professor Satku will continue to play a critical role in medical education. As part of the on-going efforts to enhance our postgraduate medical training, MOH has set up an Office of Medical Assessment as a unit within the Ministry. This office will guide the implementation of a new system for assessing postgraduate training outcomes so as to certify individuals, uphold national standards and advance quality in postgraduate medical assessments in Singapore.

To oversee the development of this Office in the next few years, a pro tem Committee on Medical Assessments will be set up and chaired by Professor Satku. As developments to postgraduate medical education require the collaboration of many stakeholders, membership will be drawn from across the medical and professional education community.