Private hospitals' patient records to be added to national repository

By early 2025, new legislation that mandates contribution is expected to be passed: Ong

- Shabana Begum

By 2025, all nine private hospitals in Singapore will contribute their patients' health records to a national repository, to help doctors decide on the most efficient treatment for patients and weed out unnecessary repeat tests.

This existing repository - called the National Electronic Health Record, or NEHR - consolidates each patient's diagnoses, medications, laboratory test results and drug allergies.

While all public hospitals, which handle 90 per cent of the country's hospital workload, are already contributing to the NEHR, private hospitals are not yet on board.

Announcing the expansion of the NEHR on Nov 9, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said: "Patients, especially those with chronic or complex conditions, often visit multiple clinicians. Historically, electronic medical records were siloed within individual healthcare providers. This has led to care fragmentation."

But with a centralised data repository, errors can be minimised, added the minister.

"Once it's recorded that you have a drug allergy, you reduce the chance of a doctor giving you a drug you might be allergic to. We can also remove frustrating repeated testing."

Mr Ong was speaking at the 20th anniversary of the Singapore Population Health Studies, where he also announced how healthcare is becoming more personalised for patients.