Janil Puthucheary on supporting healthcare
The Government is committed to developing a well-integrated and reliable IT system to connect healthcare providers, community partners and residents, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (May 10), he said one key system will be the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system, which is a common platform that captures selected patient health information from healthcare providers and allows them to view these health records for patient care. He told the House that the NEHR has been subjected to cybersecurity reviews, infrastructure vulnerability scans and application penetration tests. Most of the key enhancements to NEHR have been completed, with one to be completed tentatively by 2025, he said. The Government has started to onboard more healthcare providers to contribute to the NEHR, by extending the Early Contribution Incentive scheme to general practitioners, private hospitals, radiological laboratories and clinical laboratories to support them in data contribution. With the Health Information Bill (HIB), it will become mandatory for them to contribute patients’ data to NEHR. Dr Janil said the Government has been extensively consulting on issues surrounding data privacy and sharing. It intends to table the HIB to Parliament sometime this year. But as this is a very significant Bill, more time is needed to engage stakeholders and the public, he said. Dr Janil said the Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament in the first half of 2024. Turning to efforts to move upstream and increase mental health awareness and support in society, Dr Janil said the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being will be releasing a short report of the findings from its consultations in due course. One of the recommendations is to implement a tiered care model for mental healthcare delivery. This is a framework that matches the level of care to the degree of the mental health need. He said the National Mental Health Competency Training Framework Workgroup is developing a training framework to guide mental health practitioners in developing the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver quality and effective care by all practitioners. He said the taskforce is looking into designating a number of service modalities ranging from hotline, text and in-person services to digital resources to ensure sufficient avenues of first-stop touchpoints. Dr Janil stressed the need for individuals to take active steps to lead healthier lives and minimise the risk of falling ill, even as the Government builds a supportive environment to help them.
The Government is committed to developing a well-integrated and reliable IT system to connect healthcare providers, community partners and residents, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (May 10), he said one key system will be the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system, which is a common platform that captures selected patient health information from healthcare providers and allows them to view these health records for patient care. He told the House that the NEHR has been subjected to cybersecurity reviews, infrastructure vulnerability scans and application penetration tests. Most of the key enhancements to NEHR have been completed, with one to be completed tentatively by 2025, he said. The Government has started to onboard more healthcare providers to contribute to the NEHR, by extending the Early Contribution Incentive scheme to general practitioners, private hospitals, radiological laboratories and clinical laboratories to support them in data contribution. With the Health Information Bill (HIB), it will become mandatory for them to contribute patients’ data to NEHR. Dr Janil said the Government has been extensively consulting on issues surrounding data privacy and sharing. It intends to table the HIB to Parliament sometime this year. But as this is a very significant Bill, more time is needed to engage stakeholders and the public, he said. Dr Janil said the Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament in the first half of 2024. Turning to efforts to move upstream and increase mental health awareness and support in society, Dr Janil said the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being will be releasing a short report of the findings from its consultations in due course. One of the recommendations is to implement a tiered care model for mental healthcare delivery. This is a framework that matches the level of care to the degree of the mental health need. He said the National Mental Health Competency Training Framework Workgroup is developing a training framework to guide mental health practitioners in developing the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver quality and effective care by all practitioners. He said the taskforce is looking into designating a number of service modalities ranging from hotline, text and in-person services to digital resources to ensure sufficient avenues of first-stop touchpoints. Dr Janil stressed the need for individuals to take active steps to lead healthier lives and minimise the risk of falling ill, even as the Government builds a supportive environment to help them.
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