$200m boost for AI, genomics at public healthcare institutions

Singapore's public healthcare institutions will receive $200 million of funding support from the Government to better use artificial intelligence (AI) tools and genomics data to ramp up preventive care for patients.

- Zhaki Abdullah

The Ministry of Health (MOH) will invest the sum over five years. The amount, which will be injected into the MOH Health Innovation Fund, is separate from the Government's investments in research and innovation through the Research, Innovation and Enterprise initiative, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, announcing the move.

“MOH will identify proven and impactful technology, or use cases, and scale them up into system-wide national projects,” he said, adding that making an impact with technology requires going beyond innovations by individual institutions, and some “centralised push” may be necessary.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress at the Singapore Expo on Oct 10, Mr Ong said the convergence of genomics, AI and a focus on preventive care would have a profound impact on healthcare. And healthcare innovation can reach its fullest potential only when people are protected against major risks, he added.

Three healthcare tech initiatives are in the works over the next year or two.

By mid-2025, MOH will launch a national genetic testing programme for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a hereditary condition which affects the body's ability to process cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease.

By the end of that year, automated record updating will also be implemented throughout the public healthcare system.

And, if the use of AI in the reading of breast cancer screenings is proven effective, it will be progressively rolled out from end-2025.

Noting that AI can help healthcare providers improve patient outcomes and deliver healthcare more efficiently, MOH said it plans to scale up the use of generative AI tools (gen AI) to automate tasks such as documentation and summarising medical records.