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Khoo Oon Teik

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Khoo.
Khoo Oon Teik
BBM
Born(1921-03-30)30 March 1921
Penang, Straits Settlements, British Malaya
Died5 March 2012(2012-03-05) (aged 90)
Singapore
Alma materUniversity of Malaya (MD)
King Edward VII College of Medicine (LMS)
SpouseAdeline Phoa (m. 1947–1996)
Children4
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese邱恩德
Simplified Chinese邱恩德
Hanyu PinyinQiū Ēndé
IPA[tɕʰjóʊ.ɤn.tɤ̌]

Khoo Oon Teik BBM (30 March 1921 – 5 March 2012) was a Singaporean nephrologist and founder of National Kidney Foundation.[1]

Early life and education

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On 30 March 1921, Khoo was born in Penang to a Chinese family, and was the second eldest among his nine siblings. His father, Reverend Khoo Cheng Hoe, was a pastor of the Chinese Methodist Church at Madras Lane, Penang, and his mother, Kwan Chin Poh, was studying at the Eveland Seminary in Singapore before marriage in March 1919.[2][3]

Khoo enrolled in the Anglo-Chinese School, Penang, and graduated with a Senior Cambridge in 1937.[4][5] He was awarded a scholarship to study medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine (KECM).[6] His studies were disrupted by the Japanese occupation of Singapore, and he was appointed as a section leader of the Medical Auxiliary Service, organising medical students and staff of the college to render medical assistance to the injured.[1]

In 1942, Khoo served as a laboratory assistant in the Mental Hospital, and in 1944, he was sent to work on the Burma Railway. After the war ended, Khoo resumed his studies and graduated with a Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery in 1946.[1][7]

In October 1951, Khoo left for United Kingdom to further his studies in medicine, specifically on dermatology, neurology, and chest-related diseases.[8][9] On 19 December 1952, Khoo graduated from the University of Malaya with a Doctor of Medicine.[10][11]

Career

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In 1947, Khoo began his career as a medical officer at the General Hospital, and as a lecturer in clinical medicine at KECM. In 1948, he started a skin and leprosy clinic within the hospital, marking the start of dermatology in Singapore.[1]

In 1965, Khoo succeeded Ernest Steven Monteiro as the professor of clinical medicine, and pushed for the establishment of a S$4 million institute for medical specialties at the University of Singapore.[8][12]

In the 1960s, Khoo witnessed many deaths due to kidney disease, including his younger brother, Oon Eng, who died in 1959 due to kidney failure.[13] After returning from an extensive study trip across United Kingdom, United States and Europe in 1967, Khoo urged the government for the establishment of a national foundation to help individuals dying from kidney disease.[14][15] As such, on 7 April 1969, the National Kidney Foundation was inaugurated by Minister for Health Chua Sian Chin, with Khoo being elected as the founding chairman.[16][17] President Yusof Ishak was appointed as patron of the foundation, and Ernest Steven Monteiro, Singapore's ambassador to Cambodia, was appointed as the president.[18]

In 1995, Khoo stepped down as chairman after suffering from a stroke.[19][20]

Personal life

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Khoo was a Methodist.

On 29 August 1947, Khoo married Adeline Phoa at Wesley Methodist Church, Singapore, and they had four sons.[3][21] Phoa died on 3 April 1996.[21]

In 1995, Khoo suffered from a stroke and had a failed operation to remove a cyst in his brain. He had been in ill health and was wheelchair-bound since then.[13][19] In February 2012, Khoo suffered from epileptic seizures and organ failure.[19]

Khoo died at 1:30 am SST on 5 March 2012, aged 90, at Singapore General Hospital.[19] His good class bungalow at Caldecott Hill was put up for sale by his estate on 15 August 2012, and was sold for S$26.1 million on 30 October 2012.[22][23]

Awards and decorations

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Lee, Evan JC; Chew, Chin Hin (15 May 2012). "Dr Khoo Oon Teik (1921 – 2012)" (PDF). Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore. 41 (5): 234–235. doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.V41N5p234.
  2. ^ "Khoo Cheng Hoe". dcbasia.org. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "LOCAL DOCTOR WEDS". Malaya Tribune. 30 August 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  4. ^ "CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATION". Malaya Tribune. 6 March 1936. p. 14. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. ^ "197 PENANG BOYS PASS CAMBRIDGE EXAMINATIONS". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 1 March 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. ^ "ANGLO CHINESE HIGH SCHOOL PRIZE GIVING". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 28 June 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  7. ^ "21 NEW DOCTORS, 6 DENTISTS". The Straits Times. 21 December 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Prof. Khoo takes over from Monteiro at S'pore U". The Straits Times. 30 October 1965. p. 5. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  9. ^ "THREE S'PORE DOCTORS TO STUDY IN UK". Singapore Standard. 28 June 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  10. ^ "SIMPLE CEREMONY AT VARSITY". Singapore Standard. 20 December 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Twenty get diplomas at university". Singapore Free Press. 20 December 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Now is the time to set up $4 mil institute: Dr. Khoo". The Straits Times. 20 August 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b Tan, Wendy (11 July 1999). "Tribute to the founder of NKF". The Straits Times. p. 21. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  14. ^ "CALL FOR A NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION". Eastern Sun. 19 November 1967. p. 3. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Kidney transplant plan for S'pore". The Straits Times. 25 June 1967. p. 3. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  16. ^ Peters, Maureen (6 September 1968). "The first kidney transplant in Republic soon". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Health Minister To Inaugurate National Kidney Foundation". Eastern Sun. 6 April 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Kidney centre inaugurated". The Straits Times. 8 April 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Tan, Theresa (6 March 2012). "Singapore's kidney health pioneer dies". The Straits Times. p. 4. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  20. ^ Chang, Clarence (13 July 2005). "It must". The New Paper. p. 8. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Mrs Adeline Khoo". The Straits Times. 5 April 1996. p. 68. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  22. ^ Chan, Dennis (12 August 2012). "Caldecott Hill bungalow of late NKF founder up for sale". The Straits Times. p. 11. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  23. ^ Ng, Magdalen (30 October 2012). "NKF founder's old bungalow fetches $26m". The Straits Times. p. 10. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Doctor who put in 22 years of effort to help fight kidney disease". The Straits Times. 9 August 1987. p. 18. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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