$37.9M initiative to help Singaporeans age well

A platform that integrates large language models, behavioural science and real-world data to build apps that deliver personalised interventions will be created. Such interventions include resilience-building support for anxiety, depression and stress in young people.

The third focus area is rehabilitation and recovery, such as the use of technology for upper limb rehabilitation following a stroke.

The programme is the second phase of the Future Health Technologies initiative.

The first phase, which began in 2020 and ended in March, yielded innovations such as a cognitive screening tool to detect early signs of dementia and an app that uses a chatbot to coach users in areas such as healthy eating, stress management and physical activity.

NRF is investing $30.5 million in the programme, with ETH Zurich, NHG Health and NTU contributing the rest of the funding.

The second phase is aimed at accelerating clinical translation, said Assistant Professor Bryan Tan, co-director of the FHT2 programme.

“We’re looking to adopt many of these promising technologies into our health system and have patients directly benefit from these technological advances,” said Prof Tan, who is also co-chair of the Musculoskeletal Integrated Care Workgroup at NHG Health.

FHT2 was launched during a scientific congress at Woodlands Hospital on March 28, as part of healthcare cluster NHG Health’s Musculoskeletal Day 2026.

At the event, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung noted the efforts to improve community health services in Woodlands, such as by enhancing services at 11 community health posts found at active ageing centres in the town.

Such services include providing support to residents with diabetes and asthma, as well as those who have low-risk results in colonoscopy screenings, he said.

If successful, the enhancements will be extended to other areas under NHG Health, and eventually to other health clusters, said Mr Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.

“Our objective is to make healthy living a natural part of everyday life,” he said.

Mr Ong had previously said that three towns in the north of Singapore – Yishun, Sembawang and Woodlands – have a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses.

For example, the prevalence of diabetes in the north is 10.5 per cent compared with the national average of 8.8 per cent, based on Health Ministry data. The prevalence of hypertension in the region is 35.9 per cent, compared with the national average of 33 per cent.

During the event, NHG Health also unveiled a prototype of “health pods”, which will be installed at the community health posts.

These will provide dedicated spaces for one-on-one consultations with a community nurse and a booth where residents can have teleconsultations with dietitians, pharmacists or nurses.