Tan Tock Seng

Lived: 1798 - 1850

Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in malacca in 1798 to an immigrant Fukien (Hokkien) father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.

Tan Tock Seng was a notable businessman in the 1819s. He owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres at the the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Pandang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese.

In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.

Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed $36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, TanTeck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital

In the 1840s, Singapore was a successful trading centre. Large numbers of immigrants came, hoping to make their fortune here. The majority of immigrants were poor and destitute. Malnutrition was common and it was estimated that about 100 immigrants died each year from starvation.

The British government set up a pauper's hospital in the 1820s but it closed in the1830s because of insufficient funds. The government then suggested that the better-off members of each community take care of their own poor. Subsequently, some of the more benevolent members of the community responded. One such person was Tan Tock Seng, a successful businessman, philanthropist and the first Asian Justice Of Peace. In 1843, Tan offered funds for the construction of a hospital.

The foundation stone of the Chinese Paupers' Hospital, Singapore's first privately-funded hospital, was laid on 25 July 1844, on Pearl's Hill. Construction took three years and a shortage of funds saw the hospital stand empty for two more years. Finally, the first batch of patients was admitted in 1849. About 100 sick and destitute people had been housed in an attap shed at the foot of Pearl's Hill when a fierce storm destroyed the shed, leaving them homeless. Rather than have them wander the streets, the government decided to place them in the hospital. In the hospital's early years, money was a constant problem, alleviated from time to time by donations from kind benefactors. A shortage of staff and no reliable water supply also made things difficult.

Tan Tock Seng died in 1850. His eldest son, Tan Kim Cheng, donated $3,000 for an extension to the hospital and to improve existing facilities. The hospital's name was changed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and, in 1861, it relocated to new premises on the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road. A lepers' ward was also added. In 1903, the land on Moulmein Road, where the present hospital stands, was bought.

By the 1980s, the hospital's services and patient intake were beginning to outgrow the 1950s hospital building. A new 15-storey building was constructed and officially opened on 1 April 2000.

As a result of a restructuring exercise in the local health-care scene, the hospital became a member of the National Health care Group in 2000

The hospital prides itself as a pioneer in the development of Geriatric Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Rehabilitation Medicine, Respiratory and Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. It is also a major referral centre for Geriatric Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gastroenterology, Otorhinolaryngology and Orthopedic. In 2003, the hospital was declared the designated hospital for SARS screening and treatment by the Ministry of Health.

My Reflections

Tan Tock Seng shows the 'Singapore Spirit' by helping the citizens when they need help. He was a true hero, he was not selfish at all. He was willing to donate money for the construction of Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple.

He helped out whatever he could, preventing the poor to suffer any further. This is the 'Singapore Spirit' everyone Singaporean should have, helping each other regardless of races and religion

The existence of Tan Tock Seng Hospital is to remind Singaporeans the commitments he made and although he passed away, he did not neglect his duty for the hospital, he want his son to take over his duty to take care of the hospital...