epidemic that happened between February to June 2003 while as Senior Minister of State for Health, which put a strain on and tested Singapore's public health resources. Khaw then took over as acting Health Minister from 1 August 2003 before being promoted to a full Minister on 12 August 2004 in the cabinet of the new Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. Minister for Health (2004–2011) Khaw was noted for his role in handling the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) scandal, and made Gerard Ee the new Chairman of the NKF following the resignation of T. T. Durai. Responding to a report by international auditing firm KPMG in Parliament in December 2005, Khaw vowed to punish all wrongdoers in the saga and heavily criticised NKF's "bizarre HR policies". In a parliamentary speech on 9 February 2009, in the context of tackling the rising healthcare costs, Khaw suggested that Singaporeans can consider sending their elderly parents to nursing homes in Johor Bahru in Malaysia, which is a developing country located close to Singapore. This was quoted by news reports and a public outcry ensued. Khaw subsequently clarified that his statement was quoted out of context by the media and his suggestion was only one of the many choices available to Singaporeans. In 2010, Khaw wrote on his blog explaining that his heart bypass surgery had only cost him a mere $8 (SGD) in cash in a class A ward, as the rest of the cost was offset by payments combined from his universal Medishield account and private insurance. This sparked off a debate in the public sphere, with many questioning if an ordinary Singaporean had the means to pay for such high insurance premiums as he did in the first place. Members of the pro-PAP group, Silent No More, defended Khaw's claim and encouraged one another to rebut Internet users who had made jibes at Khaw. Minister for National Development (2011–2015) Following the 2011 general election where the ruling PAP garnered its lowest vote share of 60.1% since independence, Khaw was appointed the Minister for National Development. At a press conference, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed that Khaw had volunteered for this new role as the public was extremely unhappy with the Government's housing policy, and Khaw felt that he had the ability to solve the problem. In his new appointment, Khaw assured the public that he will make housing affordable and