Doc and his charity are ST S'porean of the Year

Dr Goh Wei Leong and HealthServe, the healthcare charity he started, have won the The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award for 2017. He and his team received a cash prize of $20,000 and a trophy from President Halimah Yacob at UBS University A
Dr Goh Wei Leong and HealthServe, the healthcare charity he started, have won the The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award for 2017. He and his team received a cash prize of $20,000 and a trophy from President Halimah Yacob at UBS University Asia-Pacific yesterday. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Dr Goh Wei Leong and HealthServe, the healthcare charity he started, have won the The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award for 2017. He and his team received a cash prize of $20,000 and a trophy from President Halimah Yacob at UBS University A
President Halimah chatting with para-athlete Jason Chee, one of the finalists for this year's ST Singaporean of the Year award, as past finalists Ashvin Gunasegaran (left) and John Shu look on. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

A doctor who started a healthcare charity to help migrant workers in Singapore and his team have been named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year for 2017.

HealthServe provides migrant workers in Singapore with affordable healthcare, as well as various forms of social assistance.

President Halimah Yacob presented Dr Goh Wei Leong and his team with a cash prize of $20,000 and a trophy at UBS University Asia-Pacific yesterday.

The award, now in its third year, is organised by The Straits Times and sponsored by UBS Singapore. It honours Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map, persevered through incredible adversity or made the community a better place through selfless acts.

Madam Halimah paid tribute to this year's 10 finalists.

"To some extent, they are Singaporeans like you and me, but... they give of their best, and I think they have a lot of passion to serve... That is what we want, a compassionate, caring society," she said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 07, 2018, with the headline Doc and his charity are ST S'porean of the Year. Subscribe