Singapore’s Ministry of Health to press private doctors to submit info for national healthcare database

By Kelly Ng

Six years after a national database of patients’ medical history was started in Singapore to make visits to the doctor even safer and more efficient, few doctors in private practice (three per cent) are submitting data, causing a “huge gap” in records.

To address the problem, the authorities will table legislation next year to mandate all doctors to do so, or face financial penalties or suspension.

Announcing the move at a conference to discuss innovations in healthcare, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said: “Patients will benefit from the NEHR (National Electronic Health Records System) when their doctors and care teams are able to access their key medical history when necessary and, work across settings to provide them with coordinated, holistic and safer care. This is particularly important during emergencies.”

He cited how officers at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s emergency department were able to prescribe the appropriate treatment to an unconscious patient with the NEHR at its fingertips.

And with Singapore’s population ageing, more patients may be consulting multiple doctors for varying needs, so having an extensive database of patients’ medical history can help make care safer, said the authorities. It will also help doctors seeing patients who are unable to articulate their conditions comprehensively and help them cut duplicate tests.