LMS, MD, MS, FRCOG, FACS
12 August 1907 –12 May 1981
From humble origins, Professor Benjamin Henry Sheares, with self-discipline and a commitment to excel, became an eminent Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. He also became Singapore’s second President on 2 January 1971, and held the office of President until his death in 1981.
Served as Assistant Medical Officer at Sepoy Lines General Hospital (now Singapore General Hospital) and became the first Singaporean to specialise in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Senior Assistant to the Professor of Midwifery, King Edward VII College of Medicine.
War and Post-war years Working under difficult conditions, Prof Sheares pioneered many improvements in the management of Obstetrical and Gynaecological patients, and also improved the services and facilities at Kandang Kerbau Hospital so that maternal and neonatal mortality were markedly reduced.
In May 1947, he proceeded to London for postgraduate study, and in January 1948, Prof Sheares was the first Singapore Obstetrician to qualify as Member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (UK).
In January 1951, Prof Sheares became the first Singaporean to be appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Malaya and Singapore, a post usually reserved for colonials. He was first in Singapore to use the lower segment method of performing Caesarian Section. In 1960, he pioneered the gynaecological surgery for the treatment of vaginal agenesis, also known internationally as the Sheares’ Operation. Despite criticism from his peers, he was a strong advocator of voluntary sterilisation and family planning. He was also active in the Family Planning Association.
During his three terms, spanning one decade, as President of the Republic of Singapore, Prof Sheares discharged his duties with distinction and quiet dignity. The Benjamin Sheares Bridge, which opened in 1982, was named after him.
