'It's wonderful to be back'
HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who underwent a major open heart
surgery six weeks ago, returned to his office on Monday to a
rousing and heart-warming welcome from his staff and
colleagues.
Declaring that it's wonderful to be back at work, Mr Khaw
thanked his colleagues for having kept the ministry 'running
smoothly in my absence, without missing a (heart) beat'.
'I am proud of them,' he says in his latest blog posting on
Monday.
'While I was away, there were some 800 emails built up in my
inbox. I have used the last two weeks to systematically reply to
the old emails. As a result, I have less than 20 outstanding emails
today, not so stressful. Would have been bad, otherwise, for my
heart, I presume.'
While his office remains unchanged, he says his daily routines
have undergone some changes.
'First: I am still on cardiac rehabilitation, with regular
visits to the National Heart Centre, three times a week. Just now,
I brisk walked 2.5 km on treadmill, besides various stretching and
weights exercises.
'Second: I have adopted a fully plant-based diet plan, avoiding
all meat, not even fish or dairy products. Today's lunch was bought
from SGH food court: salad with no dressing, vegetable sandwich (on
wholegrain bread) and fruits. This morning's breakfast was oats,
wholegrain bread and fruits.
'Third: I have cancelled most meetings this first week to allow
me to adjust gradually in accordance with my level of physical
health.'
So far, he has been able to cope with his first day at work,
says the minister, adding that his colleagues have helped to ease
his adjustments a lot.
But his community and political work at Sembawang will have to
wait a while longer.
'I am not physically ready to climb a lot of stairs and do
house-to-house visits. I am also not yet able to man the
Meet-the-People's Session, but I will start vetting and signing the
appeal letters based on the interviews conducted by my Branch
activists,' he says in his blog.
'They are experienced and know how to gather the key points to
strengthen the residents' appeals. We will not fail our residents
at their hour of need.'
-- ST