Increasing Test Laboratories' and GPs' Data Submission in National Electronic Health Record

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider (i) requiring all laboratories to participate in the National Electronic Health Record system to upload patients' test results and (ii) providing trained personnel to general practitioners to encourage and assist them to participate in the system.

Data contribution to the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) is currently voluntary for all private healthcare licensees and the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been reaching out to healthcare providers to encourage participation. To enhance patient safety and continuity of care, MOH is looking to mandate under the new Healthcare Services Bill that all licensed healthcare providers, including clinical laboratories, contribute data to NEHR.

In the meantime, public consultations are ongoing. Dedicated teams have been set up and trained to engage various groups of licensees, including laboratories, hospitals and general practitioners (GPs), to better understand their concerns and needs, and provide relevant support and assistance. We are also working with information technology providers supporting clinical laboratories, hospitals and GPs to enable connections with NEHR.