Projected Expenditure for Next Generation Electronic Medical Record System and Impact on Healthcare Costs

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the total projected expenditure for implementing the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) system to provide a single patient record across all public healthcare clusters; (b) how does the Ministry assess its impact on overall public healthcare costs; and (c) what measures are implemented to ensure that the NGEMR system (i) delivers value for money and (ii) does not increase overall healthcare costs for patients.

The phased roll-out of the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) at the National University Health System and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) was completed in July 2024, while that for SingHealth will take place from late 2026 to 2028. In total, the Government would have invested $1.5 billion over 10 years to develop and implement NGEMR for the whole public healthcare sector.

NGEMR is a strategic investment with very significant benefits. More than 100 legacy information technology (IT) systems and the associated costs will be phased out. For patients who receive care at different public healthcare institutions, detailed medical records and doctors' notes on their care will be readily accessible by their doctors in the different institutions, which will improve the coordination of care for the patient. This benefit is now already realised for patients that seek care from both the National University Hospital Singapore and NHG clusters. NGEMR will also enable public healthcare institutions to utilise various analytical and operational IT tools in the system, that is available currently and in future, to enhance workflow, raise efficiency and improve health outcomes.