Janil Puthucheary

Janil Arusha Puthucheary (Tamil: ஜனில் புதுச்சேரி, born 6 November 1972) is a Singaporean politician and medical doctor. He was appointed as vice-chairmen of Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council's with Sun Xueling. He is the PAP Party Whip since June 2019. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) , he was appointed as the Senior Minister of State in the Ministry for Communications and Information since May 2017 and the Ministry for Health since July 2020 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He is to helm the Young PAP was elected as the People's Action Party Central Executive Committee as Assistant Organising Secretary.
He served as Senior Minister of State in the Ministry for Transport from May 2018 to July 2020 and the Ministry for Education from May 2017 to April 2018 as well as Minister of State in the Ministry for Communications and Information and the Ministry for Education from January 2016 to April 2017. 
He has also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC for Punggol West since September 2015 and for Punggol Coast from May 2011 to August 2015.
Career.
Puthucheary was born in Malaysia and, after training as a doctor in the United Kingdom, worked at hospitals in London, Belfast and Sydney, before moving to Singapore in 2001 to work at KK Women's and Children's Hospital. In 2008, he became a Singapore citizen at the age of 35.
Puthucheary is currently a Senior Consultant in the children's intensive care unit at KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Since 2007, he has also been an Assistant Professor and Medical Director for Faculty Development at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.
Political career.
Puthucheary was a member of the PAP's team in the Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency at the 2011 general election. The PAP team, which was led by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, defeated the team from the Singapore Democratic Alliance by 100,493 votes (64.8%) to 54,601 (35.2%). Since the election, Puthucheary has represented the Punggol West ward within the constituency in Parliament.
National Service controversy.
Puthucheary did not serve national service in Singapore, as first-generation new citizens are not required to do so. Having been compared to Chen Show Mao, a foreign-born new candidate of the Workers' Party who volunteered for national service at naturalisation, he mentioned that he has instead spent the last 10 years saving kids' lives. Some commentators criticised his comment due to the advantages of a professional career compared with national service. His candidacy has led to Low Thia Khiang, the previous leader of the Workers' Party, to call for an amendment to the Singapore constitution to allow only male candidates who have served their national service to run for elections.
Education.
Puthucheary attended primary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before going on to Oundle School in the United Kingdom for his secondary education. He then trained as a paediatrician at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Family.
Puthucheary is married and has three sons.
Puthucheary is the son of Dominic Puthucheary, a trade unionist and founding member of the PAP who subsequently left the party to join the Barisan Sosialis and was detained under Operation Coldstore in 1963. He was released 10 months later, but was barred from entering Singapore until 1990.
In 2011, speaking to "The Straits Times", Dominic stated that he was "very proud of my son and his desire to serve the society he lives in", despite his own past opposition to the PAP government in Singapore.
SAF Volunteer Corps.
Puthucheary signed up for the first batch of the SAF Volunteer Corps.