Heng Swee Keat in stable condition, says PM Lee, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Heng Swee Keat in stable condition, says PM Lee

This article is more than 12 months old

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat remains sedated but in stable condition after undergoing an operation to close an aneurysm, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Heng collapsed on Thursday afternoon during a weekly Cabinet meeting after suffering a stroke and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) where he was operated on.

Mr Lee delivered the update via his Facebook page after visiting the 54-year-old Tampines GRC MP at TTSH's intensive care unit on Friday.

Mr Lee wrote: "He was sedated. His condition is stable, but he will remain in the ICU for some time.

"He is in very good hands, like all patients at the National Neuroscience Institute."

In the same post, Mr Lee said that while Mr Heng's family were going through a tough time, they were "touched by the sympathy and support from so many Singaporeans".

 

 

On Friday evening, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng joined religious leaders to pray for Mr Heng's recovery.

Imam Habib Hassan from the Ba'alwie Mosque called for a minute of silence to pray for Mr Heng's "smooth, speedy and full recovery".

Imam Habib said that they had met when Mr Heng was Education Minister, and called Mr Heng "one of the most dedicated leaders in Singapore and one that Singapore needs".

DPM Tharman also paid tribute to Mr Heng, whom he has known for two decades.

He said: "Swee Keat represents the best in all of us. Humble, someone who is able to overcome adversity...And someone who is has the ability to work with everyone...

"Life has its up and downs, for all of us, when things are down, we come together to hope, pray and support. This is how we come up again.

"Swee Keat, with the love of his family, his wife and two children and the prayers of the nation will recover."

Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that while the operation was a success, Mr Heng would need time to recuperate.

"Glad that Swee Keat is stable after the successful procedures yesterday. But these are early days, and he will need close monitoring in the ICU for quite some time more," he posted on Facebook.

"His wife and children are holding up well and grateful for your prayers and support."

 

 

heng swee keathospitalLee Hsien LoongVivian BalakrishnanoperationTan Tock Seng HospitalTharman Shanmugaratnam