Who Started Podiatry in Singapore? The Story Begins in 1861
25 September 2026
By Mark Reyneker, BTech (Podiatry), MSc (Palaeontology), Registered Podiatrist, Foot & Gait Specialist | Founder & Clinical Director, Family Podiatry Centre
Published: 25 September 2026 | Last reviewed: 25 September 2026
The history of podiatry in Singapore has more than one starting point. Nineteenth and twentieth century newspapers document people offering chiropody, but do not demonstrate a continuous professional service. The development of modern hospital podiatry is more clearly documented in 1993, when Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) recruited Tye Lee Tze within a multidisciplinary programme responding to diabetes and its lower limb complications.
Contemporary and retrospective records identify important contributions from Dr John Tambyah, Professor Chee Yam Cheng, Matron Lai Yee Khim and Dr Shanta Emmanuel, among others. The evidence does not identify a single individual who conceived and authorised the first hospital podiatry post (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
The history of podiatry in Singapore has more than one starting point. Nineteenth and twentieth century newspapers document people offering chiropody, but do not demonstrate a continuous professional service. The development of modern hospital podiatry is more clearly documented in 1993, when Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) recruited Tye Lee Tze within a multidisciplinary programme responding to diabetes and its lower limb complications.
Contemporary and retrospective records identify important contributions from Dr John Tambyah, Professor Chee Yam Cheng, Matron Lai Yee Khim and Dr Shanta Emmanuel, among others. The evidence does not identify a single individual who conceived and authorised the first hospital podiatry post (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
Key dates in the available record
- 2 November 1861: The Straits Times refers to a visiting “Surgeon Chiropodist” treating corns and bunions in Singapore (The Straits Times, 1861).
- 25 April 1934: A Malaya Tribune advertisement offers consultation with a chiropodist at the Capitol Building (Malaya Tribune, 1934).
- 7 July 1973: A New Nation advertisement again offers chiropody for foot problems (New Nation, 1973).
- February 1993: TTSH recruits Tye Lee Tze for its diabetes related foot care service. The Podiatry Association Singapore gives 7 February as the appointment date (Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
- 1993 or 1994: Accounts published by the Podiatry Association Singapore differ on the informal beginning of the professional group (Podiatry Association Singapore, n.d.-a; n.d.-b).
- 21 April 1997: The association says it was formally registered as a society (Podiatry Association Singapore, n.d.-b).
- June 1998: Tye announces in SMA News that he has left TTSH and established a private podiatry practice (Tye, 1998).
- 25 January 2002: Nailtech & Chiropody Centre, associated with Rosalie Q. Tio, is registered as a business; an independent, undated guide identifies Tio as a practitioner there (RecordOwl, n.d.-b; Feet First, n.d.).
- 21 February 2004: The Foot Practice Pte. Ltd. is incorporated; a 2011 newspaper article subsequently identifies Malia Ho as its principal podiatrist (SGP Business, n.d.; The Sunday Times, 2011).
- 2005: Family Podiatry Centre begins in Malaysia (founder’s first-hand account below).
- 30 December 2011: My FootDr (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. is incorporated; this business date alone does not establish when the clinic first saw patients (RecordOwl, n.d.-a).
- 2012: Family Podiatry Centre expands its existing brand into Singapore (founder’s first-hand account below).
Early chiropody: evidence of treatment, not continuity
An 1861 notice in The Straits Times describes a practitioner staying at the Hotel de l’Esperance as a “Surgeon Chiropodist” and associates him with treatment of corns and bunions. It is the earliest example identified in the newspaper sources reviewed for this article (The Straits Times, 1861). The record establishes a presence in Singapore at that time. It does not show a sustained practice, a local training pathway or a hospital department.
A 1934 advertisement places a chiropodist at a shoe store in the Capitol Building, and another advertisement offers chiropody in 1973 (Malaya Tribune, 1934; New Nation, 1973). Such notices are useful primary evidence that foot treatment was advertised. They are limited evidence for professional qualifications, treatment standards or the number of practitioners. The gaps between these records also prevent us from tracing a continuous line from colonial chiropody to the podiatry departments established much later.
The historical distinction matters. Calling Tye Singapore's first modern hospital podiatrist is consistent with the sources reviewed here. Calling him the first person ever to offer specialist foot care in Singapore would conflict with the earlier newspaper records.
Diabetes care and the establishment of hospital podiatry
The evidence for the early 1990s places podiatry in the context of diabetes care. In the Podiatry Association Singapore's 2019 historical account, Dr Shanta Emmanuel is described as recognising the burden of lower limb complications and incorporating podiatry into a broader plan for diabetes management. The account says she studied diabetes services in Australia through a Ministry of Health development programme and sought advice from Professor Paul Zimmet. In the accompanying film, she recalls seeing the effects of amputation on patients (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019). These are retrospective sources. They explain the stated rationale for developing foot care, but they are not a contemporaneous record of the approval of TTSH's first podiatry position.
The appointment itself is corroborated more specifically. The association dates Tye's appointment to 7 February 1993. A separate account published in a 2011 Singapore Medical Association eulogy recalls TTSH recruiting him in February 1993 as part of its multidisciplinary diabetes programme (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019; Gwee, 2011). The day of the month comes from the association; the eulogy confirms the month and clinical context.
The eulogy reproduces Matron Lai Yee Khim's account of the programme. She describes Dr John Tambyah's guidance and Professor Chee Yam Cheng's leadership, and credits Tambyah with substantial support in recruiting the podiatrist. A message from Tye reproduced in the same article also acknowledges Tambyah's assistance and introductions (Gwee, 2011). This provides stronger evidence for Tambyah's recruitment role than a later general claim that one practitioner alone initiated podiatry in Singapore.
The association additionally credits Dr Emmanuel, Dr Judy Lim, Dr Loh Keh Chuan and Professor Fong Kok Yong, together with Tambyah, Chee, Matron Lai and Tye, for supporting the early TTSH Diabetes Centre (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019). Their specific responsibilities in the decision to establish the post are not all documented by the available material. In particular, the records reviewed here do not identify who proposed the position, allocated its budget or granted final approval. We therefore distinguish the clinical rationale, the institutional programme, the recruitment support and the podiatrist's subsequent clinical work.
TTSH's present day podiatry service continues to describe a prominent role in preventing lower extremity amputations and also provides wound, biomechanical, sports, nail and skin care (NHG Health, 2026). Its current scope illustrates the profession's later expansion; it should not be assumed that every present service was provided in 1993.
Building a professional network
The establishment of one hospital post did not complete the development of the profession. The association's accounts place the formation of its predecessor, the Singapore Podiatry Group, in either 1993 or 1994. Its organisational profile gives 21 April 1997 for formal registration as a society (Podiatry Association Singapore, n.d.-a; n.d.-b). The one year discrepancy in the early date should remain visible until contemporary minutes or registration records resolve it.
The association also describes a diabetes footcare nurses course introduced while Emmanuel directed government polyclinics and coordinated by Matron Lai Yee Khim. It lists podiatrists who taught from TTSH, Singapore General Hospital, Toa Payoh Hospital, National University Hospital and private practice: Tye Lee Tze, Virginia Bower, Helen Crawford, Matthew Cichero, Adam Jorgensen, Daryl Du Preez, Jill Walsh and Ina Farrely (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019). This account demonstrates collaboration across institutions and the spread of foot assessment skills. It does not independently establish when each department or private practice opened.
The growth of independent practice
A contemporary announcement provides a clear marker for one transition into private care. In the June 1998 issue of SMA News, Tye notified medical colleagues that he had resigned as TTSH's senior podiatrist and established The Podiatry Centre at Tanglin Place. The notice lists custom foot orthoses, diabetic foot assessments and general podiatry (Tye, 1998). It establishes his move at that time. It does not prove that his clinic was Singapore's first private podiatry service.
Rosalie Q. Tio also belongs in the early private practice record. A listing that reproduces Singapore business registration information dates Nailtech & Chiropody Centre to 25 January 2002 and identifies chiropody/podiatry as its activity (RecordOwl, n.d.-b). An undated independent guide identifies Tio as the chiropodist seeing patients at that centre in Tanglin Shopping Centre. Its statement that she had been in Singapore for eight years cannot establish a calendar year without a reliable publication date (Feet First, n.d.). Her contribution should not disappear simply because an exact first consultation date has not been established.
The independent sector grew beyond these two names. The Foot Practice Pte. Ltd. was incorporated on 21 February 2004, according to a reproduction of its registration particulars (SGP Business, n.d.). A contemporary Sunday Times report identifies Malia Ho as principal podiatrist at The Foot Practice in April 2011 (The Sunday Times, 2011). That report establishes her clinical role at the time; it does not identify the practice's founder.
Helen Crawford appears among the podiatrists teaching the cross-institution diabetes footcare nurses course described by the association, illustrating how practitioners also contributed beyond their individual workplaces (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019). Further contemporary records are needed before dating her private practice or assigning the founding of a named clinic to her.
Helen Crawford appears among the podiatrists teaching the cross-institution diabetes footcare nurses course described by the association, illustrating how practitioners also contributed beyond their individual workplaces (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019). Further contemporary records are needed before dating her private practice or assigning the founding of a named clinic to her.
Another identifiable company, My FootDr (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., was incorporated on 30 December 2011 (RecordOwl, n.d.-a). The company registration supports that date, but does not by itself establish a February 2012 clinical opening or independently verify who founded the practice. Taken together, these milestones show a developing independent field rather than a single transition from one hospital clinician to one private clinic. The business dates reproduced in commercial directories should ultimately be checked against original ACRA extracts; incorporation is not synonymous with the first patient consultation.
Family Podiatry Centre is part of this later history. I founded the Family Podiatry Centre brand in Malaysia in 2005 and expanded it into Singapore in 2012. Singapore subsequently became the main branch. This account is based on my direct involvement as founder. The Singapore operation was an extension of the existing Malaysian brand.
Our clinical development included in-house computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) of custom orthotics and the use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy. These expanded the scope of what our practice could prescribe and provide. Claims that we were the first in Singapore to introduce either method would require independently dated comparisons with other providers; the available evidence does not establish that priority.
What the historical record supports
Hospital and primary care podiatry now encompass diabetic foot care, wounds, biomechanics, musculoskeletal problems and routine skin and nail care, as illustrated by the published services of TTSH, Changi General Hospital and SingHealth Polyclinics (NHG Health, 2026; Changi General Hospital, n.d.; SingHealth Polyclinics, n.d.). HealthHub notes that Singapore does not offer a local university podiatry programme and that many practitioners have trained in Australia or the United Kingdom (HealthHub, n.d.).
The available record supports three conclusions. First, specialist foot treatment was advertised in Singapore by 1861. Second, a modern hospital podiatry service was established at TTSH in 1993 in connection with multidisciplinary diabetes care. Third, its development involved multiple clinicians and institutional supporters, and then an expanding network of hospital and independent practitioners. The original internal decision to establish the TTSH post has not yet been traced to a definitive contemporaneous document (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
An invitation to contribute documentation
We welcome corrections or additions from anyone familiar with the history of chiropody and podiatry in Singapore. Readers with dated hospital records, association minutes, appointment letters, contemporary publications, correspondence or photographs with clear provenance may contact Family Podiatry Centre to request an edit. We will review supporting material, amend the article where warranted and acknowledge contributors with their permission. Records clarifying the creation of the first TTSH post, the association's earliest dates and the development of independent practice would be especially valuable.
What the historical record supports
Hospital and primary care podiatry now encompass diabetic foot care, wounds, biomechanics, musculoskeletal problems and routine skin and nail care, as illustrated by the published services of TTSH, Changi General Hospital and SingHealth Polyclinics (NHG Health, 2026; Changi General Hospital, n.d.; SingHealth Polyclinics, n.d.). HealthHub notes that Singapore does not offer a local university podiatry programme and that many practitioners have trained in Australia or the United Kingdom (HealthHub, n.d.).
The available record supports three conclusions. First, specialist foot treatment was advertised in Singapore by 1861. Second, a modern hospital podiatry service was established at TTSH in 1993 in connection with multidisciplinary diabetes care. Third, its development involved multiple clinicians and institutional supporters, and then an expanding network of hospital and independent practitioners. The original internal decision to establish the TTSH post has not yet been traced to a definitive contemporaneous document (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
The available record supports three conclusions. First, specialist foot treatment was advertised in Singapore by 1861. Second, a modern hospital podiatry service was established at TTSH in 1993 in connection with multidisciplinary diabetes care. Third, its development involved multiple clinicians and institutional supporters, and then an expanding network of hospital and independent practitioners. The original internal decision to establish the TTSH post has not yet been traced to a definitive contemporaneous document (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011; Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
An invitation to contribute documentation
We welcome corrections or additions from anyone familiar with the history of chiropody and podiatry in Singapore. Readers with dated hospital records, association minutes, appointment letters, contemporary publications, correspondence or photographs with clear provenance may contact Family Podiatry Centre to request an edit.
We will review supporting material, amend the article where warranted and acknowledge contributors with their permission. Records clarifying the creation of the first TTSH post, the association's earliest dates and the development of independent practice would be especially valuable.
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Disclaimer: The word "treatment" in this article refers to the care and management of a patient’s health to prevent, cure, or improve a condition. Treatment results vary and do not necessarily indicate a cure. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
About the Author
Mark B. Reyneker, BTech (Podiatry), MSc (Palaeontology) is a podiatrist and Founder & Clinical Director of Family Podiatry Centre, with more than 25 years of clinical experience across South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore. His clinical interests include foot and lower-limb pain, gait and biomechanics, sports-related foot conditions, orthotic therapy and footwear.
Alongside his clinical practice, Mark conducts research into human gait and foot biomechanics. His MSc research at the University of the Witwatersrand investigated human propulsion and the structural properties of the metatarsals. He is also the inventor of A Foot Orthotic, an orthotic technology developed through an international patent family.
We will review supporting material, amend the article where warranted and acknowledge contributors with their permission. Records clarifying the creation of the first TTSH post, the association's earliest dates and the development of independent practice would be especially valuable.
Book An Appointment
Disclaimer: The word "treatment" in this article refers to the care and management of a patient’s health to prevent, cure, or improve a condition. Treatment results vary and do not necessarily indicate a cure. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
About the Author
Mark B. Reyneker, BTech (Podiatry), MSc (Palaeontology) is a podiatrist and Founder & Clinical Director of Family Podiatry Centre, with more than 25 years of clinical experience across South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore. His clinical interests include foot and lower-limb pain, gait and biomechanics, sports-related foot conditions, orthotic therapy and footwear.
Alongside his clinical practice, Mark conducts research into human gait and foot biomechanics. His MSc research at the University of the Witwatersrand investigated human propulsion and the structural properties of the metatarsals. He is also the inventor of A Foot Orthotic, an orthotic technology developed through an international patent family.
References
- Changi General Hospital (n.d.) ‘Podiatry’.
Available at: https://www.cgh.com.sg/our-specialties/podiatry (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Gwee, H.M. (2011) ‘Eulogy: Dr J. A. Tambyah’, SMA News, 43(4).
Available at: https://news.sma.org.sg/4304/Eulogy.pdf (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - HealthHub (n.d.) ‘Podiatry’.
Available at: https://www.healthhub.sg/support-and-tools/support-and-care-programmes/podiatry (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Malaya Tribune (1934) ‘Page 9 advertisements’, 25 April. NewspaperSG, National Library Board Singapore.
Available at: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/issue/maltribune19340425-1 (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - New Nation (1973) ‘Advertisements’, 7 July. NewspaperSG, National Library Board Singapore.
Available at: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/issue/newnation19730707-1 (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - NHG Health (2026) ‘TTSH Podiatry’.
Available at: https://www.nhghealth.com.sg/find-care/Service/ttsh-podiatry (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Podiatry Association Singapore (2019) ‘PA(S) Podiatry Day 2019 – Podiatry Beginnings’, 21 April, video and accompanying historical account.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa52LFBRMn0 (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Podiatry Association Singapore (n.d.-a) ‘About PA(S)’.
Available at: https://www.podiatry.org.sg/about/ (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Podiatry Association Singapore (n.d.-b) ‘Podiatry Association (Singapore): About us’, LinkedIn.
Available at: https://sg.linkedin.com/company/podiatry-association-singapore (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - SingHealth Polyclinics (n.d.) ‘Podiatry services’.
Available at: https://polyclinic.singhealth.com.sg/our-clinic-services/allied-health-services/podiatry-services (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - Tye, L.T. (1998) ‘The Podiatry Centre Pte Ltd: Dear colleagues’, SMA News, 30(6), p. 6.
Available at: https://www.sma.org.sg/UploadedImg/1647267693_SMA%20News%20Vol%2030%20No.%206.pdf (Accessed: 25 September 2026). - The Straits Times (1861) ‘Untitled [Mr Levi, surgeon chiropodist]’, 2 November. NewspaperSG, National Library Board Singapore.
Available at: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes18611102-1.2.20 (Accessed: 25 September 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer depends on the meaning of begin. A Singapore newspaper mentioned a visiting chiropodist in 1861, while the modern TTSH hospital podiatry service recruited its first podiatrist in 1993. The earlier notices do not establish continuous practice between those dates (The Straits Times, 1861; Gwee, 2011).
Tye is documented as the podiatrist recruited by TTSH in February 1993 for its new hospital service. Earlier Singapore newspaper records describe people offering chiropody, so “first” should be qualified as referring to the modern hospital podiatry service rather than all specialist foot care in Singapore (The Straits Times, 1861; Malaya Tribune, 1934; Gwee, 2011).
The sources reviewed do not identify a sole decision maker or the document approving the first post. Matron Lai Yee Khim credited Dr John Tambyah's support in recruiting Tye and placed the 1993 multidisciplinary diabetes programme under Tambyah's guidance and Professor Chee Yam Cheng's leadership (Gwee, 2011).
The Podiatry Association Singapore's retrospective account credits Emmanuel with recognising the need to address diabetes complications and incorporating podiatry into a broader diabetes care plan. It does not establish that she alone authorised the TTSH post (Podiatry Association Singapore, 2019).
Foot ulcers and lower limb complications of diabetes required coordinated prevention and treatment. The early TTSH recruitment was described in connection with diabetic foot problems, and the hospital's current podiatry team remains central to its multidisciplinary amputation prevention programme (Gwee, 2011; NHG Health, 2026).
The association's website gives 1993, while its organisational profile says the Singapore Podiatry Group began in 1994. Its profile gives 21 April 1997 for formal registration as a society. The discrepancy in the informal founding date needs contemporary records to resolve (Podiatry Association Singapore, n.d.-a; n.d.-b).
A contemporary SMA News notice documents Tye's establishment of a private practice by June 1998. This is a verified milestone, but the records reviewed here do not establish that his was the first private podiatry practice in Singapore (Tye, 1998).
I founded the Family Podiatry Centre brand in Malaysia in 2005 and expanded that existing brand into Singapore in 2012. Singapore later became its main branch. This chronology is my first-hand account as founder.
Our practice developed in-house CAD/CAM orthotics and used extracorporeal shockwave therapy. We do not claim national priority for either method: establishing who used them first would require independently dated records from other Singapore providers as well as our own.
HealthHub states that Singapore does not currently offer a university podiatry programme. Many podiatrists practising locally have qualified abroad, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom (HealthHub, n.d.).
