SINGAPORE - Professor Ang Chong Lye, who has been chief executive of the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for nearly a decade, will be stepping down next month.

Succeeding him is his current deputy at SGH, Professor Kenneth Kwek. Prof Kwek, who has spent 30 years at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), where he now also serves as chief executive, will relinquish the KKH post when he assumes his new role.

Both hospitals are under the SingHealth group.

Group chief executive Ivy Ng thanked Prof Ang for his "sterling leadership", saying: " His strong sense of duty and deep engagement with staff has been key to SGH's success."

She added that Prof Ang, who is currently deputy group chief executive (clinical services and informatics) at SingHealth, will continue to serve in that role.

Prof Ang started out as an ophthalmologist at the Singapore National Eye Centre, where he eventually rose to the post of medical director. In 2008, he was appointed as SGH chief executive.

His successor, Prof Kwek, trained in obstetrics and gynaecology. Between 2005 and 2009, he headed the hospital's peripartum unit. Currently, he is also an adjunct professor with the Duke-NUS Medical School and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

Professor Alex Sia, who currently chairs the KKH medical board, will take over as the hospital's chief executive.