29th May 2020
From 1 July 2020, Ms Paulin Koh will succeed Ms Tan Soh Chin as the new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in the Ministry of Health (MOH) to oversee the strategic development and regulation of the nursing profession in Singapore.
2. Since Ms Tan’s appointment as CNO in January 2015, she has led transformative efforts in nursing to improve the delivery of healthcare, and has made invaluable contributions in shaping nursing development and resourcing policies. Under Ms Tan’s leadership, all the recommendations from the National Nursing Taskforce (NNT) to strengthen the development of the nursing profession and better attract, recognise and retain nurses were rolled out progressively in 2015-16.
3. A strong proponent of continuing education, Ms Tan spearheaded the formation of the Nursing Education Executive Committee in March 2017 to look into enhancing competency-based nursing education at the national level. She instituted the Advanced Clinical Education nursing programmes to equip nurses with broad-based skills and knowledge to manage patients across care settings, in line with the needs of an ageing population. Ms Tan also strengthened the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) training programme to better equip expert nurses with advanced clinical skills to manage patients with complex needs. To strengthen nursing in the community, she worked with the nurse leaders to implement the Regional Health System (RHS)-led Community Nursing pilots across the three clusters in October 2017. In addition, she oversaw the development and completion of the Community Nursing Competency Framework and Training Roadmap.
4. A highly respected figure in the nursing profession, Ms Tan was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2017 for her outstanding contributions towards the improvement of our healthcare system.
5. Ms Paulin Koh is the Chief Nurse at Changi General Hospital (CGH) and the Deputy Group Chief Nurse of SingHealth. Ms Koh was appointed as CNO-Designate in MOH from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020. Ms Koh has been a key driver for Community Nursing at CGH to extend its reach beyond the hospital and into the community. As a member of various MOH and Singapore Nursing Board committees, Ms Koh has contributed towards elevating the nursing profession in Singapore and has shaped policies and strategies to enhance nursing practice, education and career. Ms Koh’s professionalism, drive for high standards of patient safety and services and close linkage with the ground will provide her with a strong foundation to advance the nursing profession in Singapore.