Heng Swee Keat resumes duties as Finance Minister

SINGAPORE — More than three months after he suffered a stroke during a Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday resumed his Cabinet duties.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who has been covering Mr Heng’s duties since he was hospitalised, relinquished his appointment as the Covering Minister for Finance with effect from yesterday, said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

Stepping in to support Mr Heng is National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who was appointed Second Minister for Finance, and will help with operational responsibilities at the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Heng, who has been on medical leave after he was discharged from hospital in June, will be returning to work progressively, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday. His work will first focus on preparing for next year’s Budget and the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE), which he had chaired before his stroke.

While he has been given the medical go-ahead to do office work, he would have to avoid community and grassroots work just yet, as doctors have recommended that he avoid contact with crowds for at least a few more months, Mr Lee had said, adding Mr Heng should have “minimum” interaction, even in his office work.

Mr Heng had collapsed during a Cabinet meeting on May 12 and was hospitalised in the intensive care unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The aneurysm, which is a localised weakening of a blood vessel, was successfully closed in an operation.

Even after he was discharged from the hospital six weeks later on June 25, Mr Heng remained on medical leave to continue his rehabilitation.

During this time, apart from Mr Tharman stepping in to cover Mr Heng’s duties in the ministry, former Tampines GRC MP Sin Boon Ann was asked to stand in for the minister in grassroots activities.

Mr Heng also had to sit out on certain events, such as the National Day Parade as well as the National Day dinner in his constituency, as doctors had advised him to avoid crowded places.

He wrote on Facebook earlier this month that he had contracted a lung infection while he was in intensive care after his stroke. As the lungs take time to recover fully and a new infection could set back that process, doctors have told him to avoid crowded places, he said.

Writing on Facebook after the rally on Sunday, Mr Heng had thanked his colleagues for helping with his work while he was on medical leave.

While Mr Lee has been checking up on Mr Heng in the last few weeks, advising him to take care after his stroke, the latter added: “My sincerest hope is that he will also be kind to himself when it comes to his health.”