Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat is under close observation in the intensive care unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH ) and remains stable after a surgery.
Heng , 54, collapsed at a weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday (May 12) at the Istana after suffering a stroke . He was immediately taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where a CT scan showed that he had suffered a stroke due to brain aneurysm.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will cover the duties of the minister for finance, the Prime Minister's office said.
A statement from the PMO said that Heng collapsed at 5.34pm as the cabinet was meeting.
Three cabinet members, who are medical doctors, rushed to his aid and managed the situation before the ambulance arrived.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his Facebook post: "We were having our weekly Cabinet meeting just now when Heng Swee Keat suddenly collapsed. The doctors in Cabinet (we have three) attended to him immediately. We called an ambulance, which took him to TTSH. A CT scan showed that he had had a stroke."
"Doctors are attending to him now. Hope Swee Keat will be alright — he is a valuable member of my team," he added.
This news spread instantly and all the cabinet colleagues of Heng posted updates and wished him well. They also mentioned his exceptional work ethic. The citizens also showed their concern for Heng on social media and expressed their hopes for a speedy recovery.
At about 7.50pm Heng's wife was seen outside the National Neuroscience Institute building at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Emeritus Senior Minister, Goh Chok Tong, posted on Facebook at 10 pm that Heng had just undergone surgery and doctors were "doing their best to deal with his problem". After sometime, the PMO has said that Heng had suffered a sudden stroke due to an aneurysm, which is a localised weakening of a blood vessel.
In a statement issued at about 11.30pm, PMO said: "He underwent initial neurosurgery to relieve pressure in his brain due to the bleeding. The aneurysm was successfully closed".
