Singapore: Private hospitals to contribute health information of patients to the National Electronic Health Record

19 Nov 2024    2 minute read
Sectors Healthcare & Life Sciences

In brief

On 9 November 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that all nine private hospitals in Singapore have committed to contributing health information of their patients to the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR). 

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In more detail

The NEHR, which was established in 2011, functions as a centralized repository for critical health data, such as diagnoses, medications, allergies, and radiological and laboratory reports. This system enables healthcare providers to access a unified set of essential patient information, thereby minimizing the need for patients to repeatedly share their medical history with different healthcare providers or undergo redundant tests.

Currently, primary care providers, including polyclinics and private general practitioner clinics participating in Healthier SG (a national initiative aimed at encouraging proactive health management among Singaporeans), utilize the NEHR, covering nearly 70% of the primary care sector. Public hospitals, which manage 90% of the acute hospital workload in Singapore, are also integrated with the NEHR.

All private hospitals have now fully committed to contribute their patients' health information to the NEHR and to collaborate with the MOH and Synapxe to ensure their hospital management systems are prepared to integrate with the NEHR and contribute health information by 2025.

This would facilitate nationwide participation in the NEHR through the Health Information Bill (HIB). This bill aims to maximize the advantages of a centralized data system and is expected to be enacted in Parliament next year. Additionally, the HIB will create a framework to ensure the secure collection, access, use and sharing of health information throughout the healthcare ecosystem.

You may view our past alerts on the upcoming HIB here: March 2023 alert; December 2023 alert; and August 2024 alert.

Key takeaways

The commitment of all private hospitals to contribute to the NEHR marks a significant step toward more integrated and seamless healthcare delivery in Singapore. The NEHR system, with its robust data security measures, will ensure that patient information is protected while facilitating better continuity of care. The upcoming HIB will further strengthen the framework for health data sharing, ensuring that the benefits of a centralized data system are fully realized.

 

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Contact Information
Andy Leck
Principal
Singapore / Yangon
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andy.leck@bakermckenzie.com
Ren Jun Lim
Principal
Singapore
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ren.jun.lim@bakermckenzie.com

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