New technology introduced to improve healthcare productivity

SINGAPORE — Mobile dental units and patient tracking devices are just some of the new projects that tap on technology to improve Singapore’s healthcare productivity, revealed the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) at the National Seminar on Productivity in Healthcare this morning (Oct 9).

The mobile dental units, to be rolled out next year, will bring healthcare closer to the doorsteps of the elderly and the disabled, cutting down on manpower needed to send the elderly to hospitals or clinics.

Meanwhile, patient tracking devices are already on trial at St Luke’s Eldercare Serangoon. The devices help to save time wasted by manual attendance-taking and reduce manpower needed to guard doors so clients do not wander off the compound.

All manpower costs saved are eventually channeled into other ways to provide better care and help for the patients, clients and elderly.

At the seminar, Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong recognised that Singapore has “done reasonably well” in meeting one of Singapore’s key healthcare objectives — to deliver quality yet affordable care — but expressed the need to step up efforts to meet the increasing demand of healthcare with the aging population.

Emphasising on quality and efficiency, he said: “Productivity is the ability to do more with the same or do the same with less, better still, have more with less”.