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Technology set to change face of medical care

Radical changes born of necessity, such as telehealth, may become long-lasting fixtures

Alexandra Hospital senior physiotherapist Tan Ee Leng demonstrating a wrist-stretching exercise during a virtual consultation with a patient last year. In the wake of the widespread adoption of video-conferencing tools like Zoom since the pandemic st
Alexandra Hospital senior physiotherapist Tan Ee Leng demonstrating a wrist-stretching exercise during a virtual consultation with a patient last year. In the wake of the widespread adoption of video-conferencing tools like Zoom since the pandemic started, the nascent field of telehealth has become mainstream. PHOTO: ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL
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More than for any other sector, Covid-19 has been a trial by fire for the healthcare industry.

As SingHealth's deputy group chief executive of medical and clinical services Fong Kok Yong puts it, the ongoing pandemic is a black swan event, or a severe and unexpected event that caught everyone off guard, forcing the sector to learn, adapt and respond to rapidly changing circumstances.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 16, 2021, with the headline Technology set to change face of medical care. Subscribe