Janil Puthucheary
Janil Arusha Puthucheary (born in Malaysia on 6 April 1972) is a Singaporean politician from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) who has held multiple government positions.
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| Current Role | • Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information
• Senior Minister of State for Health |
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| Personal details | |
| Party | Independent
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Early life
Janil received his primary education in Kuala Lumpur before moving to the United Kingdom to attend secondary school at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. He completed his medical training as a pediatrician at Queen's University Belfast and the Royal College of Physicians.
Janil obtained Singapore citizenship in 2008 after being a Malaysian citizen.
Medical career
Puthucheary had extensive working experience in hospitals across the UK, Australia, and Singapore before residing in Singapore permanently in 2001.
He was a Senior Consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital and later an Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, where he served as the Medical Director for Faculty Development.
Political career
Puthucheary made his debut in politics in the 2011 general election. He joined a six-member PAP team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. The team won 64.79% of the vote, and Puthucheary became the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol Westward. He retained his seat in subsequent elections, transitioning to represent the Punggol Coast ward following the 2015 general election.
Besides his parliamentary roles, Puthucheary has held several ministerial positions:
- Minister of State at the Ministry of Communications and Information (2016–2017) and the Ministry of Education (2016–2018).
- Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information since 2018 and Health since 2020. Additionally, he has been the Government Whip since June 2019.
His long-time medical career has helped him shape healthcare policy in Singapore.
Personal life
Janil is married and has three sons. His father, Dominic Puthucheary, was a trade unionist and founding member of the PAP who later joined Barisan Sosialis.