Veteran medical social worker Gilbert Fan dies at 67

SINGAPORE – Veteran medical social worker Gilbert Fan, who served twice as the president of the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW), died on March 31 after a battle with colorectal cancer. He was 67 years old.

Dr Fan was a master medical social worker with the psychosocial oncology department at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and president of social service agency Viriya Community Services’ management committee.

He was also an adjunct assistant professor with the National University of Singapore’s Department of Social Work.

Medical social workers are healthcare professionals who help patients and their families address psychosocial, financial and emotional challenges associated with their conditions.

Dr Fan began his career in medical social work at Changi General Hospital before serving with the National University Hospital, where his work also involved counselling male victims of sexual attacks, a 1991 Straits Times article noted.

In 1999, he joined the then newly formed NCCS, serving as its first medical social worker.

In a statement, SASW described Dr Fan, who was a member of the association’s executive committee, as a pillar of strength and wisdom whose contributions to the social work profession in Singapore were “profound and enduring”.

“An internationally respected leader in oncology social work, Dr Fan was a clinician, educator and scholar who advanced the fields of palliative care and bereavement,” the association said.

“He generously imparted his knowledge through teaching, mentorship and publications, shaping generations of practitioners in Singapore and beyond.”

Dr Fan had served two terms as its president – once between 2001 and 2003, and again from 2007 to 2009 – with the SASW noting that he had played a pivotal role in advancing social work’s professionalisation and building the foundation of the sector’s accreditation framework.

“His leadership in the launch of the national accreditation system and his service on the inaugural Social Work Accreditation and Advisory Board reflect his steadfast commitment to excellence and accountability,” the association said.

He served many roles within SASW, including as honorary secretary, chairman of its training and professional development standing committee, and most recently as chairman of the discipline board.

At the association’s annual general meeting in 2025, he was conferred the SASW Fellowship in recognition of his lifelong dedication to and impact on the profession.

Ms Gillian Ong, head of social work and psychosocial services at Methodist Welfare Services, wrote on LinkedIn that Dr Fan was someone with “great conviction, purpose and care for the work he believed so deeply in”.

“Thank you, Gilbert, for pioneering the psychosocial aspects of oncology and grief work in Singapore, and for the good you have done and left behind. Your legacy continues to impact through your generosity in educating generations of social workers,” she wrote.

Viriya Community Services executive director Andy Lam described Dr Fan as “generosity personified”.

“He shared his knowledge freely, his wisdom patiently and his time without hesitation. From the day I knew him, he never said no when someone sought his help,” Mr Lam said on LinkedIn.

Ostomy Association of Singapore co-founder Ellil Mathiyan Lakshmanan – who was diagnosed with rectal cancer and testicular cancer in 2011 – said Dr Fan had helped him as part of a patient support group at the time, training him and others to be patient ambassadors to support others with cancer.

The 67-year-old said they later became friends, with Dr Fan providing advice and other support to the Ostomy Association when it was formed.

Dr Fan, who was not married, had wanted to keep his own cancer private after being diagnosed in 2024 even while he was helping other cancer patients with their struggles, Mr Ellil told ST.

“I think many of us are still in shock. It’s definitely a loss to the community at large, not only for colorectal cancer patients but other social workers he used to mentor,” he said.

In 2021, Dr Fan was one of two people to receive the Outstanding Social Worker Award, the highest accolade for those in the field here, awarded by SASW.

In an interview with ST at the time, Dr Fan noted that prior to joining NCCS, he had shied away from working with patients with terminal illnesses.

“But I told myself: As a social worker, you have to face the things you are afraid of so you can give the best help to your clients.”