Delivery of healthcare must change as population ages: NHG chief

The way healthcare is provided needs to change in order to maintain quality care as the population ages, said Professor Philip Choo, group chief executive of the National Healthcare Group (NHG).

To do this, the group has identified several major shifts to better care for an ageing society, as older people tend to suffer from chronic ailments that will push up demand for services.

These include having a single care plan for each person that will serve him, regardless of whether he is seeing a specialist or primary care doctor, or is in hospital.

In line with the proposed launch of the Healthier SG initiative in June 2023, NHG has set up committees led by clinical leaders to establish programmes for preventive health and integrated care, with clear intended outcomes.

Giving the opening address at NHG's 20th Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress, Prof Choo spoke about the need for accountable care for the 1.5 million people under the group's care.

This requires NHG to work closely with partners, including general practitioners, to promote health-seeking behaviours.

NHG is also reinventing the use of data to gauge what motivations and attitudes work best to change behaviour, so that it can come up with targeted interventions for different segments of the population, Prof Choo said.

The two-day congress, which was attended by about 1,350 people at the Singapore Expo, also looked at changes to the workforce and how technology can impact healthcare.

Mr Abel Ang, head of Advanced MedTech Holdings, said the use of technology in healthcare should serve a real purpose and not be used for its own sake. In fact, its use should be "invisible", he added.

Dr Ng Yih Yng, former chief medical officer at the Singapore Civil Defence Force who is now at NHG, gave the example of a resuscitation device that is used in ambulances.

As it can function continuously, it is able to free up two paramedics who would otherwise need to take turns keeping the patient alive on the way to hospital.

Dr Tan Jit Seng, founder of Lotus Eldercare, said telemonitoring and telemedicine for homebound patients can be very useful. Their vital signs can be synced to a computer, and they can do simple consultations over the phone.

Dr Rasu Shrestha, executive vice-president of Atrium Health in the United States, who spoke from there, said the pandemic saw the emergence of "hospital at home" where Covid-19 patients can be monitored remotely.

He said this can be replicated for other conditions, and that it is 20 per cent to 24 per cent less costly and frees up hospital beds. Salma Khalik