Kanwaljit Soin

Who is Kanwaljit Soin?

Dr Kanwaljit Soin is a consultant orthopaedic & hand surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore.

She studied in Tanjong Katong Girls' School for her secondary education and Victoria School for her pre-university education, and received her MBBS Hons in 1966 when she graduated top of her class. She obtained her Master of Medicine in 1970 from the University of Singapore, and she is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. Dr Soin was also the recipient of a Colombo Plan Scholarship to train in hand surgery in Australia in 1972.

Dr Soin was AWARE President from 1991 to 1993, and became the first female Nominated Member of Parliament of Singapore from 1992 to 1996. In 1992, she became the second person to win the "Woman of the Year" award in Singapore. Soin’s greatest contribution to Singapore was her work resulting in the introduction of Personal Protection Orders for victims of domestic abuse.

In 2000 she was presented the “Women Who Make a Difference Award” by the International Women’s Forum, Washington D.C.

In 2006, Dr Soin was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations Development Fund for Women Singapore for consistently excelling in her job and for her selfless contribution to society, especially towards the less advantaged.