Debated in Parliament on 18 Sep 2023.
Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman asked the Minister for Health (a) what support is provided to nursing homes to implement usage of self-guiding robots to deliver linen and meals to wards; (b) how many nursing homes have successfully adopted this technology; (c) what quantifiable improvements in operational efficiency and patient care have been observed; and (d) how will the wider adoption of such technological solutions be facilitated across nursing homes nationwide.
Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman asked the Minister for Health (a) what support is provided to nursing homes to adopt the usage of hands-free smart glasses by nurses to facilitate real-time transmission of what they see to medical professionals and receive medical advice from them; (b) how have these smart glasses streamlined communication between nurses and senior medical professionals; and (c) how will the wider adoption of such technological solutions be facilitated across nursing homes nationwide.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) support nursing homes (NHs) in the adoption of technology and digital solutions through schemes, such as the Productivity and Digitalisation Uplift Grant (PDU).
Thus far, the PDU has supported 16 NHs in the implementation of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for delivery of items, such as food, linen and other consumables. The use of AMRs has led to at least 10% savings in staff time, allowing them to dedicate more time to direct care provision. AIC has also developed implementation guidelines and streamlined application processes to support more NHs to adopt AMRs.
NHs that would like to use other technologies, such as hands-free smart glasses to enhance productivity and service delivery can apply for funding support under PDU. Thus far, AIC has not received any requests from NHs to support the use of this technology.
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