As Deputy Chief Executive of the National University Health System (NUHS), Mr Foo Hee Jug leads the Group Operations team to drive integration and improve patient experience to achieve greater efficiency. Supported by the NUHS Group Chiefs, he also oversees the cluster’s digital, technology, cybersecurity and data portfolios, with a focus on the implementation of national systems as well as the digital transformation of NUHS’ operations and care processes.
Mr Foo served more than 10 years as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and the former Jurong Health Services cluster. Under his leadership, Singapore’s first integrated healthcare development - comprising an acute hospital and a community hospital built from the ground up – took shape and opened in 2015 and have become iconic landmarks in the west with multiple awards for its patient-centred features. Now part of the NUHS, the two hospitals play a major role in looking after the health of the population in the west of Singapore.
Always at the forefront of change, Mr Foo led NTFGH, Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) and Jurong Medical Centre (JMC) to achieve several groundbreaking firsts in Singapore healthcare. Within three years of opening, NTFGH achieved the highest possible Stage 7 on the HiMSS EMRAM, an international standard evaluating digital maturity in hospitals. The successful implementation of Epic EMR in 2015 introduced digitised patient medical records with data-mining potential for medical informatics. This served as a strong foundation for a common Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) between NUHS and NHG – another nationwide first and a feat during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
With 27 years of experience in public healthcare, Mr Foo rose through the ranks and helmed several key positions including Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Changi General Hospital as well as COO at Singapore General Hospital with concurrent appointments as SingHealth's Group COO and Group Chief Procurement Officer. He was responsible for driving infrastructure development, operations effectiveness and efficiency, and quality at the organisational level. He played a key role during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and was conferred the National Day Commendation by the President of Singapore. More recently in 2017, he received both the Republic of Singapore’s Public Administration Medal (Silver) and Public Service Medal for his contributions to healthcare in Singapore and the community. Mr Foo serves in various public sector committees and on boards such as the Integrated Health and Information Services (IHIS) Board, the South West Development Council, the Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Health Sciences Advisory Committee, and the MHA’s Public Entertainment and Appeal Board.
He was the former NS Commander of CID and held the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (NS). The recipient of a Public Service Commission Scholarship, Mr Foo graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours (2nd Class Upper) from the National University of Singapore. He also holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Heath (Health Services Management) from the Anderson School, University of California, Los Angeles. In 2007, he attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.
