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Recent Healthcare Services Trends & Future Developments

Singapore aims to become a world-class healthcare hub in Asia. With growing competition from the region, the sector is rapidly building up its strengths and capabilities.

Transforming Singapore Into Asia’s Healthcare Hub
Investing In An Integrated Healthcare System
Developing Cutting-Edge Healthcare Technologies
Building Healthcare Infrastructure
Growing Our Human Capital
Raising The Standards Of Healthcare In Singapore
Future Regulatory Developments

Transforming Singapore Into Asia’s Healthcare Hub

SingaporeMedicine

In 2003, the SingaporeMedicine was launched to develop Singapore into Asia’s leading destination for healthcare services.
To attract 1 million international visitors through medical tourism annually and create 13,000 jobs by 2012, SingaporeMedicine will focus on:
- developing new capabilities in the healthcare sector
- helping Singapore healthcare businesses expand globally
- promoting Singapore’s integrated healthcare services overseas
- attracting leading medical and research institutions to set up in Singapore
SingaporeMedicine is a multi-agency effort led by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Biomedical Sciences/Clinical Research & Development

S$1.55 billion has been set aside under Phase II of the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Initiative to support the development of Translational Clinical Research (TCR in Singapore and improve the delivery of healthcare by bringing scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside.
This includes funding by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Ministry of Health (MOH), and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Attracted by the presence of excellent research infrastructure, progressive research culture, a diverse pool of global talent and pro-business environment, many world-renowned biomedical experts have established themselves in Singapore, in turn contributing to our research efforts. These include:
- Professor Sir George Radda, noted expert on magnetic resonance in medicine, and Chairman of the Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) as well as Chairman of the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC)
- Professor Sir David Lane, co-discoverer of the tumour suppressor gene p53, and Chief Scientist at A*STAR
- Professor Edison Liu, top breast cancer researcher, and Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)
Through efforts spearheaded by A*STAR, Singapore has built up an extensive collaborative network through:
- joint grant calls, conferences, manpower exchange and research collaborations with global research organisations including Medical Research Council (UK) and RIKEN (Japan), and
- partnerships with industry partners including GlaxoSmithKline and Lilly

Growing The Biomedical Manufacturing Industry

Singapore aims to reach S$25 billion in manufacturing output and employ 15,000 workers by 2015, ensuring a constant supply of quality medicines and medical products for the Asian and global markets.
EDB has been attracting global pharmaceutical and medical technology leaders to set up in Singapore. 11 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as 17 leading global medical technology companies, have invested in 50 commercial-scale manufacturing facilities in Singapore.
These companies include Abbott, Baxter, Becton Dickinson, GlaxoSmithKline and Siemens Medical Instruments.

Investing In An Integrated Healthcare System

With a growing silver population and rise in chronic diseases, the Government is building an integrated healthcare system to provide seamless long-term care for patients.

Common Electronic Medical Record

To make “One Singaporean. One Family Physician. One Electronic Medical Record” a reality, MOH will spend S$176 million over the next 2 years to implement a nationwide Electronic Health Record (EHR).
EHR will link all medical institutions and facilities in the public and private sectors, enabling health professionals and health service providers to better manage patient information and provide seamless medical care.
MOH is working with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) to identify nationwide standards for the integrated database and standardised data definitions/formats for medical records.

Family Physicians For Long-Term Primary Care

MOH plans to build strong partnerships between specialist outpatient clinics (SOCs) and general practitioners (GPs), where patients with stable conditions seek long-term care from their GPs, and are referred back to specialists when their conditions worsen.
MOH has been running several pilots to right-sit more patients to GPs. These include:
- a pilot between Changi General Hospital and GPs in the eastern region of Singapore
- a Wellness Programme pilot in partnership with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) that guides residents to the right health and social services

Collaborative Intermediate And Long-Term Care (ILTC)

In 2008, MOH expanded the Integrated Care Services into the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). Aside from coordinating referrals to ITLC facilities such as nursing homes, AIC now has teams in place to facilitate the movement of aged sick from hospitals to long-term care services.
MOH is also looking at extending drug supply partnerships between hospitals/polyclinics and nursing homes/community hospitals run by Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to more VWOs to help lower the cost of drugs.

Mapping A Mental Care Roadmap

To support the mental wellbeing of Singapore residents, MOH is injecting S$35 million over the next 3 years, on top of the S$88 million announced in 2007, to build networks with community partners such as GPs, schools and social agencies.
New programmes are being developed for the community to work with Government agencies to identify and manage behavioural/emotional problems, adopt mental wellbeing practices at work, and learn about depression and dementia.

Developing Cutting-Edge Healthcare Technologies

As part of the iN2015 plan for the healthcare sector, IDA has invested:
- S$3 million, together with partners like MOH and The Enterprise Challenge (TEC), under the Healthcare Call-for-Collaboration (CFC) to fund healthcare institutions and infocomm partners to develop and trial innovative healthcare solutions
- S$15 million under the Integrated Clinic Management Systems (CMS) Programme to encourage GPs to adopt technology to improve clinical operations and patient care
SPRING Singapore has also rolled out assistance schemes to help health enterprises develop and fund innovation projects.

See: Private Healthcare – Industry & Capability Development Programmes & Assistance

Building Healthcare Infrastructure

To support the booming medical travel sector and maintain 2007’s standard of care in 2020, we will need more hospital beds, clinics and healthcare facilities.
S$4 billion over the next 5 years has been allocated to build healthcare infrastructure from primary care to community hospitals. Upcoming projects include:
- general hospitals (e.g. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun, Jurong General Hospital)
- private hospital by the Parkway Group as well as the Communicable Diseases Centre at Novena
- National University Heart Centre and National University Cancer Institute at Kent Ridge
- National Heart Centre and Singapore General Hospital Pathology Building at Outram
- Farrer Park Mediplex comprising 200 specialist medical suites, a 230-bed hospital and a 260-room 4-star hotel
Working closely with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and private sector operators, MOH plans to expand nursing home capacity by 50% over the next 10 years from 9,200 to 14,000 beds by:
- inviting private nursing home operators to bid for the provision of subsidised beds in a pilot project
- helping nursing homes with expiring land leases move to larger facilities
- reserving more land sites to build nursing homes
- setting up 5 new nursing homes over the next 2 years

Growing Our Human Capital

A well-trained and competent workforce, paired with our reputation for clinical excellence and reliability, sets us apart from competitors in Malaysia, Thailand and India.
In 2009, S$299 million has been set aside to train and recruit healthcare workers. Over the next 2 years, MOH will help hospitals recruit 4,500 more nurses, doctors and allied health professionals.
Moves to develop our human capital include:
- setting up dedicated training centres for healthcare
- offering programmes to train healthcare assistants, nurses, therapists and radiographers
- extending full funding to train ILTC professionals in areas such as geriatrics and palliative care
- increasing the number of scholarships for pharmacists and allied health professionals
- stepping up recruitment efforts overseas
- launching research awards to attract young biomedical researchersSee: Training and Skills Upgrading Programmes & Assistance for Private Healthcare
To expand the pool of medical expertise, MOH has also increased the number of medical institutions whose degrees would be recognised in Singapore – making it easier for foreign practitioners to work here.

Raising The Standards Of Healthcare In Singapore

Ranked 6th best in the world by the World Health Organisation for its healthcare system, Singapore also has the most number of Joint Commission International (JCI)-accredited hospitals in Asia.

Regulation Of Medical Practices, Professionals & Products

To safeguard patients, MOH mapped out new rules to complement existing licensing/registration requirements of healthcare facilities and professionals, including:
- regulation of aesthetic procedures in November 2008
- introduction of a regulatory framework for liposuction in November 2008
- compulsory registration of dental specialists and oral health therapists with the Singapore Dental Council from January 2008
In 2007, medical devices including in vitro diagnostic medical devices became the first health product to be regulated under the Health Products Act 2007, when the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) established the Health Products (Medical Devices) Regulations on 1 November 2007.
2 out of 3 implementation phases have been completed to date. The Regulations include compulsory registration of medical devices, import/manufacturing/wholesale licences, mandatory records of import and supply, and notification of safety corrective actions such as product recalls to HSA.
From 1 May 2010, unlicensed dealers must register before they can deal with medical devices and register Class B, C and D devices. From 1 May 2011, un-exempted Class A devices must also be registered.

See: Health Products Regulation on HSA’s website

Transparency In Healthcare

To help patients make better informed medical choices, the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Guidelines were revised in April 2008. Key changes include:
- providing itemised billing for all charges
- issuing prescriptions if patients choose to purchase medicines from a pharmacy
MOH is also exploring how it can adapt global models such as United States’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare to push for transparency in quality of care.
To help improve patient care, MOH is developing a national performance measurement framework for hospitals to compare how their specialties perform against other institutions locally and globally.

Future Regulatory Developments

Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) (HOTA) Bill 2009

In 2008 alone, 563 people were waiting for new kidneys, 9 for new livers, 25 for new corneas, and 3 for new hearts. HOTA was amended in 2009 to extend its coverage so that more people can benefit from organ transplants.
When HOTA 2009 is fully implemented, recipients with medically incompatible donors will be allowed to exchange donors, while the age limit for cadaveric organ donations will no longer be capped at 60 years.
Living donors will also be reimbursed in line with international and local ethical practices, and penalties for organ trading syndicates and middlemen will be increased. MOH will work with transplant ethics committees to introduce these guidelines in stages.

Proposed Amendments To Medical Registration Act (MRA)

As demand for medical manpower grows, there is a greater need to update the medical registration process to address new issues in professional conduct and healthcare standards.
MOH has held a public consultation to gather feedback on the proposed MRA amendments. When the revised MRA takes effect, it is likely to:
- set up a new Register of Family Physicians and Family Physicians Accreditation Board to recognise and train family physicians
- allow the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) to define additional sub-specialties in medicine
- allow the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) to impose specific requirements and restrictions on the registration and termination of doctors
- strengthen professional self-regulation, streamline disciplinary proceedings and provide additional avenues to resolve complaints against doctors

Related Press Releases

Related Official Speeches

This information is correct as of 19 May 2009.

Last updated on 27 May 2009
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