Centralised SAF, public healthcare medical records by 2028 for better transfer of care

SINGAPORE – By 2028, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel’s medical records will be centralised for all three public health clusters here, allowing more seamless transfer of care.

The SAF’s records system will be integrated with the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) system currently used in the National Healthcare Group and National University Health System clusters.

NGEMR will also be rolled out to SingHealth by 2028.

Health technology agency Synapxe and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) signed an agreement in September for the integration of SAF medical centres’ systems with NGEMR.

This was announced on Oct 24 by Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the SAF Medical Corps and SingHealth at the new Central Manpower Base in Hillview.

Among other things, the agreement will enhance the integration of medical informatics systems, including the NGEMR, as well as advance training and capability development in both organisations.

Mr Choo said “a wall” had stood between world-class medical care inside both military camps and public hospitals. With two separate repositories of medical information, doctors may not have the full picture, potentially resulting in duplicated tests and delayed treatments.

With the integration of the SAF medical systems with NGEMR, a single health record for every service personnel is accessible by both the medic in the field and specialists at the hospital, Mr Choo said.

“It means the doctor at any public healthcare institution like SingHealth will see what the SAF medical officer saw. They will know their treatments, the history, the allergies, all of it instantly. It means better care, safer care, and faster care.”

The NGEMR system will give SAF’s medical staff access to a service personnel’s consolidated laboratory results, imaging reports and clinicians’ notes from various public healthcare providers connected to the system.

“This will enable a more efficient and well-informed care management, avoid the need for repeat tests, speed up referrals and cut costs,” Synapxe and DSTA said.

“Medical records, which include test results and diagnoses, and clinician notes can be accessed directly within NGEMR, instead of waiting for hospitals to issue separate reports.”

Brigadier-General (Dr) Lee Wei Ting, chief of the SAF Medical Corps, said that while the SAF medical system is already connected to other healthcare providers through the National Electronic Health Record, it includes only basic information, such as diagnosis and medication.

The vast majority of health records remains within individual institutions, he said.

With the integration, there will be a single health record for every service personnel that is accessible to their medic in the field and their specialists at the hospital.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Under the current system, when someone is transferred from the SAF to the public healthcare sector, SAF medical officers must give the hospital a record of the treatment in a physical memo or e-mail.

Information from the hospital would have to be relayed back similarly.

“It is extremely time-consuming and very inefficient. Takes a lot of time on the doctor’s part, and during the process of record transfer, sometimes the memo may get misplaced,” he said, adding that while there has been improvement over the years, the situation is not seamless.

The integration with NGEMR would make care transfer more seamless, (BG) (Dr) Lee said, resolving this “administrative friction”.

Professor Ng Wai Hoe, SingHealth group chief executive officer, described a serviceman’s treatment under the current system as “a cocoon” requiring multiple entries and re-entries into different medical systems.

Once the medical systems are integrated, a serviceman would have one medical record before, during, and after enlistment that follows him throughout his whole life, Prof Ng said.

The agreement will also open up opportunities for the SAF Medical Corps to explore informal training tracks and attachments with SingHealth, he added.

This will be in addition to formal training programmes at SingHealth, including medical residencies and nursing degrees, that SAF personnel are enrolled in.

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