We have indeed weathered a challenging FY2022 that culminated with the nation reverting to DORSCON Green status in February 2023. Despite the resumption of Business-As-Usual (BAU) activities and the reopening of our borders, NHG has remained steadfast in our mission to deliver quality care to our patients and residents, while simultaneously maintaining our vigilance in swiftly managing periodic surges in COVID-19 cases. A big “Thank You” to every individual across the NHG Family for walking on this tightrope of managing COVID-19 infections as an endemic disease, as well as ensuring the successful implementation of fresh healthcare initiatives to transform care for our patients and residents we serve.
The nation’s new preventive care strategy, Healthier SG, is a decisive and transformative shift in our healthcare system that will improve the health of the population through active engagement. It also resonates strongly with NHG Cares, our expanded mission to drive better health for our population in the wider community. We embarked on this care transformation several years ago with our River of Life framework. As the Regional Health Manager for 1.5 million residents in Central and North Singapore, I am thus excited that all our hard work in preventive care is taking shape to enable quality of life for all. It is our hope that NHG Cares serves as a comprehensive unifying platform for our population health care plans.
We have been making good progress to address the health and social care needs of residents, leveraging technology to deliver concierge-style customer care services, as well as facilitating General Practitioners’ (GPs) onboarding and residents’ enrolment to Healthier SG. I am excited about the many developments taking place and am grateful for all the committed partnerships formed to build Healthier, Happier Communities Together.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), together with its research network partners, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Changi General Hospital (CGH), and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), set up the Singapore Severe Asthma Registry (SSAR) in April 2022. SSAR is the first multicentre, large-scale registry of severe asthma patients in Singapore that doubles as a database of evidence of treatment effectiveness and safety, to improve treatment outcomes for severe asthma condition. The data collected is analysed against other international registries that will help enhance our global perspective and understanding of the condition in the Singapore context.
To cope with increasing cases of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), the Urology department of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) introduced the Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapy (MIST)-REZUM Therapy between 2021 and 2022. Patients who received the treatment avoided medication for side effects and the need for frequent clinical follow-up. The MIST treatment is also ideal for patients who are unfit for general anaesthesia as it can be performed under local anaesthesia.
Since 2020, Woodlands Health (WH) has been piloting Pre-Hospital initiatives that alleviate the burden on hospitals’ Emergency Departments (EDs) and cultivate the right health-seeking behaviour among patients with the implementation of its GPFirst and NurseFirst programmes, as well as its Urgent Care Centre (UCC). In September 2022, WH launched Direct Access, a pilot service that allowed its primary care partners to directly refer patients for gastroscopy and investigations like eye screenings to be done at Admiralty Medical Centre. Direct Access brought previously inaccessible services into the community, thereby lessening the waiting time for diagnosis and treatment for patients.
It has been well established that good mental health precedes good physical well-being. Research has shown that a person who is mentally healthier tends to have better health outcomes. As Singapore’s only tertiary psychiatric care institution, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) plays an important role in maintaining the nation’s mental health. To boost the population’s mental health, IMH has moved upstream towards a preventive care approach via community-based initiatives designed to improve access and facilitate early intervention. To this end, IMH has launched a national training curriculum to boost the capability of youth community mental health service providers in Singapore. From 2023 to 2024, IMH aims to standardise this national training curriculum to conduct mental screening and assessment for youths who have mild to moderate mental health conditions. This project is a follow-up from a 2020 collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to train the Youth Community Outreach teams (CREST-Youth) and Youth Integrated Teams (YITs).
IMH has also paved the way forward to help hospitals better streamline care processes, as well as optimise utilisation of healthcare resources and elevate skillsets of clinicians, to manage challenging mental conditions. In December 2022, IMH signed a memorandum of understanding with Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) to enhance SKH’s capabilities in managing and boosting mental resilience among youth and the elderly. Additionally, concerted efforts have been made to care for the mental well-being of our nation’s healthcare professionals. Since 2021, IMH has developed a series of e-module programmes on mental health literacy designed for our fellow colleagues in healthcare. They will be made accessible to community partners, volunteer groups, and healthcare organisations in 2024.
NHG and our Institutions have to continually engage our community, build capacity and capability, strengthen preventive care at the Primary Care level as the first line of defence against illness, and integrate health and social care so that we can holistically address the needs of the population we serve.”
Prof Philip Choo, GROUP CEO, NHGI am excited that we have made further inroads into the communities with NHG’s Health Kampung, our ‘marketplace’ of community programmes curated to wrap care around our residents more comprehensively. Unveiled at the NHG Population Health Collective (POPCollect) Annual Workplan Seminar 2023, Health Kampung offers more than 1,000 programmes in one menu.
Accessible from our NHG Cares call centre, website, and mobile app, Health Kampung comprises programmes offered by NHG, community partners, and national agencies, designed to activate residents towards healthier living. This initiative aligns with Healthier SG and our NHG Cares mission to build up a Community of Care (CoC) in every neighbourhood across Central and North Singapore. By enhancing access beyond physical touchpoints, NHG hopes that residents will be further empowered to select activities close to where they live, to make their daily routines healthier.
On the ground, TTSH, as the anchor hospital in the Central region of Singapore, has extended its health programmes to Jalan Kayu Community Health Club, which officially opened its doors in February 2023. TTSH’s central network of health and social care providers conduct health talks and group coaching sessions at the health club, targeting residents with high health risks. We are excited to be part of this pilot community project that aims to bring preventive health and chronic disease management to the neighbourhood. At Yishun Health, a volunteer-led community dance programme, Dance UP, was initiated in February 2022 to support residents above 50 years old. Professionally-developed choreography taught by volunteers keeps the activity accessible and attuned to the abilities of participants. In 2023, WH stepped up its efforts in moving care upstream to strengthen its network of partners that form CoCs. It established six Community Health Posts (CHPs) nestled at Active Ageing Centres in the north-western region. Managed by WH’s multidisciplinary Community Health Team (CHT) comprising community nurses, health coaches, and care coordinators, each CHP serves as a touchpoint within the neighbourhood to support residents in managing their health.
We have also taken steps to make community programmes more accessible to residents digitally. Our NHG Cares app offers a one-stop digital solution to facilitate the health and social needs of the residents and patients we serve. Health Kampung, as mentioned, is accessible through the app. Residents can view and sign up for activities that are organised near their homes. Together with our partners, plans are underway to further enhance Health Kampung with new features that enable residents to join interest groups and invite friends to participate. Besides Health Kampung, the NHG Cares app also hosts a membership programme for our enrolled residents, and a rich library of health resources that residents can use to keep fit and stay healthy. There are also specialist patient care apps for them to personally monitor their own health, or for discharged patients to recover safely at home. As of October 2023, the NHG Cares app has been downloaded more than 23,500 times, and more than 11,200 users have registered for Health Kampung through the app. For our partners, we are developing the NHG Cares Partners e-Portal, which will allow them to update their programmes in Health Kampung in real-time, and monitor sign-ups and attendances. This e-Portal is a key channel for NHG to share information with partners on the needs of the population residing around their facilities so that collectively, we can plan programmes and services that better serve residents’ needs.
On the operational back end, we have been working diligently in the harmonisation of the National Billing System (NBS), the National Harmonised Integrated Pharmacy System (NHIPS), and the Next-Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) system. Together, these three systems — also known as the Big Three National Systems — aim to consolidate clinical records, research data, patient management, billing, accounting, and pharmacy services. The successful integrated digital roll-out of these systems will lay the foundation for NHG to drive sustainable models of care that will effectively improve health services for our patients, residents, and caregivers.
After more than three years of battling COVID-19, I am happy that we were able to bond as One NHG and let our hair down during the NHG Dinner and Dance in March 2022. It was the first such celebration in a while where all of us could mingle and interact in-person. The night saw 68 staff receiving their Long Service Awards, in recognition of their contributions to NHG.
As part of our internal efforts to enhance staff experience digitally, iConnect was successfully launched in January 2023 to replace its predecessor, iHR. All NHG personnel are now able to attend to human resource-related matters more seamlessly, anytime, anywhere, through their mobile functionalities.
We have come a long way since our early days of episodic hospital-centric care. Today, NHG and our Institutions continue to meaningfully engage our community and build its capacity and capability, strengthen preventive care at the Primary Care level as the first line of defence against illness, and integrate health and social care so that we can holistically address the needs of the population we serve. As we pivot from a transactional model of care to one that is longitudinal- and relationship-based, we would have to constantly re-evaluate ourselves with these questions: How do we maintain the health of our defined population? How do we teach them to be healthy? How do we encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle habits? How do we look after them beyond our doors? The answers would inevitably require our healthcare workers to build and improve capabilities, take up more responsibilities, and work with more teams and community partners.
Despite the challenges we face, I am confident that if we extend our health programmes into schools and workplaces, leverage digital health for younger residents, strengthen community care in every neighbourhood, as well as continue our quest to make healthcare more resident-centric, we would indeed realise our vision of Adding Years of Healthy Life for a Healthier SG.
