Leaders paid tribute to Singapore’s renowned neurologist, Dr Lee Wei Ling
Singapore: Leaders in Singapore honored Dr. Lee Wei Ling, who passed away on Wednesday, October 9, at the age of 69. She was the daughter of Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore. Her brothers, Mr. Lee Hsien Yang and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, survive Dr. Lee, who was the second of three children.
While attending the ASEAN Summit in Laos, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong praised Dr. Lee for her commitment to her medical career.
Dr. Lee was not someone I knew directly. However, as the chairman of Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s neuroscience department, a pediatric neurologist, and an epileptologist, I am aware that she dedicated her life to medicine,” he said on Facebook.
She participated in the founding of the National Neuroscience Institute and went on to lead it for 11 years. She never wavered in her commitment to medical ethics and patient welfare throughout her career.
In addition, Dr. Lee often contributed essays to The Sunday Times. These pieces were eventually collected into a book titled A Hakka Woman’s Singapore Stories: My life as a daughter, physician, and ardent Singaporean.
According to Mr. Wong, “Dr. Lee wrote newspaper columns later in her career, where she shared her stoic outlook on life as well as stories of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.”
Her sharp insights and strong opinions would have benefited many readers.
At 5:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Lee Hsien Yang posted on Facebook to notify Dr. Lee’s passing. Her condition was progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder that impairs the ability to walk and swallow.
She was a standout student who shared the 1973 President’s Scholarship with Mr. George Yeo and Mr. Lim Hng Kiang, both of whom would later be appointed Cabinet ministers.
A “passionate and dedicated person,” Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean (who was also among that batch of President’s Scholars) said of Dr. Lee that she “put her all into what she did, in particular as a doctor.”
He said on Facebook, “We had a number of deep discussions on the issues that meant much to her, like early childhood education, over the five decades we’ve known each other.”
Mr. Teo said, “She saw very few close family members and associates and remained stoic in her final years despite having a degenerative and debilitating illness.”
“May she find peace now.”
Dr. Lee was referred to the Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong as a “fighter” who was devoted to her pals.
He also recalled how his younger sister, who was the family doctor, was very interested in the treatment of his cancer, which he was battling in the early 1990s.
“One of her nephews arrived at our usual family meal at Oxley Road with a stomach ailment one day. After a cursory check, she suspected appendicitis and ordered him for a more thorough evaluation. She proved to be correct, Mr. Lee recalled.
Mr. Lee recalled that Dr. Lee was a dutiful daughter.
Ling continued to live with our parents at Oxley Road after the boys got married and moved away. As they got older, she maintained a close check on their well-being,” Mr. Lee recalled.
“She oversaw our mother’s post-stroke treatment. She also took care of my father, who was aging and becoming more fragile as he took care of our mother, particularly when she passed away in 2010.
Ho Ching, the former leader of Temasek, the national wealth fund in Singapore, paid homage to her sister-in-law in addition to her husband, Mr. Lee.
Through a Facebook post, she said, “You are now free and at peace.”
