NHG Health today announced that
Professor Jason Cheah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), after more than a decade of outstanding service at the helm of its newest hospital Woodlands Health (WH), will relinquish his position on 31 January 2026. He will pass the leadership baton to
Mr Joe Hau who will be appointed as CEO-Designate, WH, from 1 January 2026, and assume the role as CEO WH on 1 February 2026. Mr Hau will relinquish his role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH) on 31 December 2025.
Professor Cheah will continue in his role as Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer for Strategy, Planning and Resourcing, NHG Health.
A Pioneer in Integrated and Person-Centred Care
Since 2014 to WH’s official opening in July 2024,
Professor Jason Cheah has been instrumental in shaping WH from vision to reality, laying a strong foundation for the purpose-built 1,800-bedded campus. WH comprise a fully integrated acute and community hospital, specialist outpatient clinics, and intermediate and long-term care facilities in close partnership with Ren Ci Hospital. With a heart for person-centred care, Professor Cheah also played a pivotal role in guiding WH in setting up the first Women’s Health & Specialist Centre and Children’s Clinic for the cluster to provide specialised medical care for women and child-related health conditions. With this, WH holds the distinction of being the first public hospital to offer these services in Northern Singapore, supported by KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Professor Cheah is widely recognised in the healthcare sector, both in Singapore and internationally. He is a strong proponent of systems-thinking and a firm believer in prioritising appropriate and value-based care in our healthcare ecosystem for long-term sustainability. More importantly, Professor Cheah has realised tangible positive experience and outcomes for patients through care that is of quality, safer and affordable.
The opportunity to develop a “green-field” hospital provided Professor Cheah and his WH team with significant potential to reinvent the way care is delivered. This was done through seamless integration within and beyond hospital walls. SMART technology and innovations were leveraged to enhance care and extend the reach of WH’s services into the community, partnering and empowering residents in their health journey. Today, several of the innovative programmes pioneered under Professor Cheah’s leadership have been scaled nation-wide, including the NurseFirst helpline which provides medical advice on a caller’s condition and guide callers to appropriate medical care options.
An Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Professor Cheah contributes actively to academia and international healthcare discourse. For his distinguished service, Professor Cheah was presented the Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Bar) National Day Award in 2025, and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) National Award (COVID-19) in 2023.
As Deputy Group Chief Executive at NHG Health, Professor Cheah will continue to lead on strategic planning and workforce transformation, as well as the effective, prudent and productive use of cluster’s resources, maintaining oversight of the cluster’s finance, human resource, communications, and infrastructure planning functions.
A Seasoned Administrator in Hospital Management and Systems Planning
Mr Joe Hau has more than two decades of progressive leadership across the acute, community and primary care settings. He brings solid management, operations and administration expertise and experience in healthcare, and a track record in analysing and streamlining organisational systems and processes to improve productivity, quality and efficiency of patient care. Mr Hau has demonstrated exemplary leadership as CEO and COO of several healthcare institutions, including Ren Ci Hospital, KTPH and YCH, which have benefitted from his drive and commitment to clinical and operational excellence with clear, measurable and sustainable results, and growth. Under his leadership, these institutions achieved transformative and impactful breakthroughs in enhanced patient care, operational efficiency, while extending and deepening collaborative networks across the healthcare and community care sector. Mr Hau was presented multiple National Awards including the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) National Day Award in 2022, and Public Administration Medal (Silver) National Award (COVID-19) in 2023.
Professor Joe Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, NHG Health, said, “We are very grateful to Jason for his stalwart leadership and unwavering commitment to bring the development of Woodlands Health to fruition. He has been deeply involved in conceptualising and future-proofing this hospital as envisioned by the Ministry of Health and fostering an integrated approach to patient care with enhanced outcomes as One NHG. We thank him for his leadership, foresight, and stoic dedication in achieving this significant milestone, among many other contributions.
We would also like to congratulate Joe on his new appointment as CEO of WH. As he steps into this role, I am confident he will carry forward the mission of WH with the same dedication and purpose, galvanising the clinical, ancillary and administration teams to further anchor WH as a trusted partner in health for the patients and residents we serve in the North, and to bring about more years of healthy life.”
Glossary of Chinese Terms
Professor Joe Sim
Group Chief Executive Officer
NHG Health
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沈恒毅教授
集团首席执行总裁
国立健保集团
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Professor Jason Cheah
Deputy Group CEO (Strategy, Planning and Resourcing)
NHG Health
Chief Executive Officer
Woodlands Health
NHG Health
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谢廷成医生
集团副首席执行总裁 (策略规划与资源配置)
国立健保集团
兀兰医疗机构总裁
国立健保集团
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Joe Hau
Chief Operating Officer
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Yishun Community Hospital
NHG Health
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侯自成
营运总监
邱德拨医院与义顺社区医院
国立健保集团
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