Speech by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Eastern Health Alliance Scientific Meeting

Mr Gan Kim Yong
Minister for Health

Mr Gerard Ee
Chairman of the Eastern Health Alliance

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        It is indeed my pleasure to be with you today at the opening of the Eastern Health Alliance Scientific Meeting, and to launch the Eastern Health Alliance Centre for Innovation and the Changi Simulation Institute.

        Singapore has invested in and facilitated research and development for decades. Our country has been transformed by innovation in many sectors such as energy resilience, environmental sustainability and urban systems, all of which have improved the lives of people and contributed to the growth of our economy. Our healthcare sector has also benefitted from innovation. New drugs and diagnostic and therapeutic equipment developed from medical research have led to breakthroughs in treatments for many diseases.

        Nevertheless, the hospital can be a complex and bewildering environment for patients, who are often confused in the treatment process when they are passed from one department to another. If the hospital is delivering the best possible treatment but the patients’ experience is unpleasant, patients may not follow through with treatment. We therefore need new and sustained efforts to produce innovations in healthcare delivery. 

        Innovation in healthcare delivery requires our healthcare providers to place the patient at the centre of every process and every service. This mind-set must permeate everyone up and down the delivery system. All our healthcare assistants, nurses and doctors must be involved in contributing ideas towards the improvement of processes and systems to enhance patient experience. Some of these ideas will test conventional thinking but the system must be prepared to change and consider new ways of doing things.

        Our healthcare sector must also engage in multi-disciplinary collaboration and work with industry and academia partners to tap on the diverse knowledge and expertise from other sectors. Solutions cannot be found in a clinical lab or by healthcare professionals alone.  Healthcare professionals worldwide have partnered industries, entrepreneurs and academics to develop new ideas to deliver quality and affordable healthcare.

        I am therefore pleased to launch this morning, the Eastern Health Alliance Centre for Innovation.  This centre will bring together industry partners, educational institutions and healthcare stakeholders to collaborate in the development of solutions for the prevention and management of diseases and chronic health conditions. It is a demonstration of commitment by the Eastern Health Alliance to embrace innovation to transform healthcare delivery.   

        I am also happy to note that the Eastern Health Alliance is now part of the collaboration between A*STAR and Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT). Based in Boston, CIMIT has partnered A*STAR to accelerate the introduction of technologies to improve patient care and build a strong sustainable Medical Technology industry in Singapore. By participating in the collaboration, Eastern Health Alliance will be able to tap on the technological innovations of CIMIT for its projects and eventually scale up the applications to the national level.

        The theme for your Scientific Meeting “Partnering to Innovate” reflects the collaborative approach that the Eastern Health Alliance takes towards innovation. Over these two days, you will have many discussions about healthcare innovation in your areas of specialisation. I hope you will gain fresh perspectives to problems and seed collaborations to create solutions that enhance our clinical care and healthcare delivery. 

        The efforts of the Eastern Health Alliance to bring together public healthcare and voluntary welfare organisations across the healthcare delivery system to collaborate and co-create solutions for the benefit of patients are commendable. As our population ages and demand for healthcare grows, all our healthcare providers must innovate to deliver quality, accessible and affordable healthcare for Singaporeans. I wish all of you a fruitful meeting and every success in your mission to transform healthcare delivery for your patients through innovative solutions.   

        Thank you.