SINGAPORE — In an effort to encourage Singaporeans to take greater ownership of their own health and enhance health literacy here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Promotion Board today (Oct 18) launched an online portal that gives users secured access to personal health records and a repository of health and wellness articles.

HealthHub allows users who log in with their SingPass to view their hospital discharge summaries, laboratory test results for chronic diseases and screening records for the past six months. It also displays the user’s future medical appointments, but it does not send push notifications nor allows users to change appointment dates — features the MOH and HPB aim to introduce in future.

Launching the portal at the Healthy Lifestyle Festival SG roadshow in Jurong, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said HealthHub is part of the Republic’s drive towards being a Smart Nation and a milestone under his ministry’s Health IT Masterplan. “Technology can connect healthcare institutions with one another to provide continuity of care for patients. Technology can also...help empower citizens with information to better manage their health status,” he said.

HealthHub draws records from databases such as the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR), National Immunisation Registry and School Health System. Those with children below the age of 21 can also view their immunisation and dental health records, and school health assessment results on the portal. In future, seniors may also be able to authorise their adult children to access their records.

Currently, records with private healthcare institutions, such as hospitals and general practitioners, are not reflected on the portal. The ministry has limited access to data from these sources, said MOH Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Associate Professor Low Cheng Ooi, in a media briefing with reporters ahead of the launch.

“There are very limited private organisations contributing to the NEHR...We would like to see, eventually, everybody contributing to NEHR, as part of the ‘one patient, one record’ philosophy. And over time, that will enrich what goes into HealthHub as well,” said Prof Low, adding that none of the private hospitals are presently contributing to the NEHR. Private healthcare groups contacted by TODAY could not respond as of press time. 

HealthHub also curates health and wellness articles from a wide range of topics, including chronic diseases, mental health, nutrition and physical activity. Users can personalise their profiles to receive content recommendations tailored according to their areas of interest.

HealthHub also houses a directory of health-related facilities and services – such as clinics, hospitals, retail pharmacies – and lifestyle amenities, like gymnasiums and “healthier eateries”.

To encourage active use of the portal, Healthpoints will be awarded when users register for the app, complete their profile, and share articles and events. Each Healthpoint can be exchanged for one NTUC LinkPoint. 

HealthHub will be enhanced in phases over the next few years, with new features released every three to six months based on users’ feedback. Said Prof Low: “This will enable the HealthHub team to introduce relevant content in the subsequent releases, so that HealthHub becomes increasingly useful to Singaporeans, enabling them to take greater ownership of their own health and wellness.”

Mr Padmanathan Jumbunathan, an IT director, said he travels about once every two months for work, and said the portal would help him keep track of the health records of his two sons, aged eight and ten. “I think the most useful part is to (be able to) know about my kids’ health, their upcoming appointments and health screenings. When I am traveling abroad, at least I can know what is going on…Sometimes kids get check-ups in the schools and may not tell us, so at least we can go into this portal and check,” said the 45-year-old.

Users can access the portal at www.healthhub.sg or download it as mobile application on the Android and iOS platforms.