Forum: Central coordination can reduce duplication in healthcare AI
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I welcome the setting up of the new National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council to drive transformation in key sectors, including healthcare ( Budget 2026: PM Wong to chair new National AI Council to drive transformation in key sectors
In healthcare, Singapore has three independently run public clusters – SingHealth, National University Health System (NUHS) and NHG Health.
While this structure encourages innovation, it can also result in duplication and higher development costs when similar AI systems are built separately. A case in point is AI voice transcription for clinical documentation. These systems capture conversations during consultations and convert them into structured clinical notes, letting doctors and nurses focus fully on patient interaction instead of typing.
NUHS has developed MediVoice, while SingHealth uses Note Buddy. Both are in daily clinical use. Meanwhile, NHG Health is developing its own solution and considering commercial options.
Rather than parallel development, it may be more cost-effective for the three clusters to jointly develop and refine a shared national platform. Pooling resources would reduce duplication, strengthen governance standards and accelerate improvement. Such a coordinated approach could also allow private healthcare institutions to access nationally developed tools at a lower cost.
The National AI Council has an important opportunity to ensure healthcare AI innovation in Singapore is not only advanced, but also efficient and strategically aligned.
Desmond Wai Chun Tao (Dr)
