SPCA 80th Anniversary Dinner Speech George Yeo
Release time: Nov 3,2026
Reading volume: 51
It is a great honour for me to have been appointed Patron of Singapore Chinese Physicians' Association (SCPA), Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution and Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and to address you this evening on the occasion of SCPA's 80th Anniversary.
As Singapore Health Minister from 1994-1996, I did play a modest role in promoting Chinese Medicine. It was the first time acupuncture was introduced to public hospitals in Singapore. We also began the registration of Chinese Medical Practitioners. Without good regulation, it would have been difficult for Chinese Medicine to develop further and win the trust of younger Singaporeans.
Chinese Medicine has been an integral part of Chinese society from the earliest times. Over two thousand years ago, the essence of Chinese Medicine was already distilled into Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内经). Maintaining harmony between the body, mind and spirit is at the core of a holistic approach towards health and well-being.
Wherever Chinese people are found in the world, Chinese Medicine is practised, continuing a precious and profound inheritance of Chinese science and philosophy. Translating 中医 as Traditional Chinese Medicine is somewhat misleading because Chinese Medicine is not unchanging; it responds to new knowledge and new circumstances. There is no such thing as traditional science or traditional philosophy. The essence of science and philosophy is endless discovery and development. As an analogy, it would be wrong to translate Sun Zi's 兵法 as Traditional Chinese Military Strategy. There is nothing traditional in 兵法.
Western Medicine came to dominate healthcare in the world because of advances made in the development and practice of medicine in western society over a few hundred years. It is described as 'evidence-based' and 'scientific'. Under colonial rule, Chinese Medicine was relegated as 'traditional', 'unscientific' and 'alternative'.
Part of the problem was relatively slow development of Chinese Medicine during that period and the absence of government regulation to develop it as a profession. This led to a loss of public trust especially among the better educated. In reaction to this, the Singapore Chinese Physicians Association was established 80 years ago. Chinese physicians knew that the practice of Chinese Medicine had also to be evidence-based and scientific.
For a long time, the Singapore Government took a hands-off approach towards Chinese Medicine because, unlike Western Medicine, there did not exist a system for professional regulation. It is also inherently more difficult to regulate Chinese Medicine because of its holistic nature. The public health care system did not incorporate Chinese Medicine at all. At the grassroots, politicians gave Chinese Medicine some support but always with wariness. Despite the almost complete lack of government support, Chinese Medicine continued to be part of the lives of ordinary Singaporeans, especially among older Chinese.
Over the years, Chinese physicians have made significant contributions to the healthcare and well-being of Singaporeans. There has always been a deep tradition of compassion, benevolence and social responsibility. No healthcare system works well if it is only dependent on market mechanisms. Medicine must not only treat the body; it must also treat the spirit. Chinese Medicine takes a holistic approach towards medical treatment involving not just the individual but also the community of which he is a part. The Singapore Chinese Physician Association and all its member associations have always made the well-being of patients the key mission, and not the making of money. The spirit of voluntarism is a key aspect of Chinese medical practice.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning a revolution in the practice of both Western and Chinese Medicine. All public hospital departments, medical schools and research institutions in Singapore are now responding. In Chinese Medicine, we must do the same. This is a critical area requiring our full attention. In Singapore, we should learn from medical institutions in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, all of which are now incorporating AI into Chinese Medicine. AI will help bring about the full integration of Western and Chinese Medicine, a goal which has eluded scientists for a long time.
In recent years, we are learning that the microbiome which exists on our body and inside our body plays a very important role in our health. What we eat and drink, the environment in which we live, and our psychological state, all affect both our body and the microbiome. The efficacy of Chinese Medicine is much more easily understood once we take the microbiome into account. AI will greatly increase our understanding of the way the microbiome affects our overall health.
In Physics, it took a long time for the particle theory of light and the wave theory of light to be integrated into the wave-particle theory of light. The same integration of Western and Chinese Medicine will eventually be achieved with AI. It will transform the art and science of medicine dramatically and benefit human society enormously. It is important for the Singapore Chinese Physicians Association to give AI the highest priority. Our objective is not AI in itself but in deepening our understanding of good health and benefiting the people we treat.
On this 80th Anniversary of SCPA, I thank all members and member organisations for the good work you have done; and wish you continuing success in developing Chinese Medicine in Singapore for the benefit of all our people.
