Dr Tan Yew Seng

Dr Tan Yew Seng is a palliative care physician at Mount Elizabeth Hospitals and Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore.

He has a special interest in supporting patients, families and care staff who are experiencing the challenges of life-threatening diseases and end of life.

Prior to joining private practice, he was the medical director of Assisi Hospice and a former senior consultant at Bright Vision Hospital.

Dr Tan is involved in teaching family medicine, palliative medicine, hospice and end-of-life care to doctors, medical students, nurses, physical therapists, art therapists, social workers, counsellors and volunteers. He had also been an examiner for the graduate diploma in palliative medicine and family medicine, master’s in family medicine, and the palliative medicine advance specialty training exit examinations. He was an adjunct assistant professor at Duke-NUS Medical School and an alumnus of the Metta Institute end-of-life care practitioner programme, USA, and Upaya Buddhist chaplaincy training programme, USA, both trains professionals in the care of the dying.

He has served in various national workgroups and committees on opiate dependence and abuse, mental health and dementia; on clinical practice guidelines for epilepsy, dementia and benzodiazepines; as well as in health feedback and health policy study workgroups. Dr Tan has also been volunteering regularly at Rachel House in Indonesia, a children’s hospice that offers home-based care for children with terminal cancer and HIV.

For his work with patients, families and caregivers, he was awarded the Healthcare Humanity Award.