SPEECH BY MDM RAHAYU MAHZAM, MINISTER OF STATE, MDDI, AND MOH, AT NHG HEALTH’S ALLIED HEALTH & PHARMACY DAY

Professor Chin Jing Jih, Deputy Group CEO, Clinical & Academic Development, NHG Health

Colleagues, distinguished guests

And most importantly, our allied health professionals, pharmacists and support staff

Introduction

1.     It is indeed my great honour to join all of you today at the inaugural NHG Allied Health and Pharmacy Day. A little bit late, but I’m here and I’m excited to be here.

2.     Looking around, I am seeing a key pillar of our healthcare system – the Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), pharmacists and support staff who work tirelessly to support our patients and residents so that they can live healthier and better lives.

3.     Every day, across our hospitals, polyclinics, community care settings, and homes, you make a tangible difference. Whether it is helping someone regain mobility and strength, supporting mental and social well-being, finding the right diagnosis through scans and tests, or guiding patients on their medications – your expertise and compassion directly shape outcomes and improve quality of life.

4.     As we look to the future of healthcare in Singapore, we want to ensure that professionals like yourselves have every opportunity to grow and excel. That's why MOH is working on a National Allied Health Strategy building a future-ready healthcare workforce by empowering AHP with capabilities to be versatile, innovative and agile to meet the evolving needs.

5.     Similarly, MOH is also committed to support pharmacist’s professional development. The Pharmacist Career Development Pathway that was recently unveiled recognises pharmacists as clinicians first, enabling pharmacists to advance your careers across multiple career tracks under one common clinical foundation. For pharmacy technicians, the new Development Framework for Pharmacy Technicians guides career conversations so that you can chart your developmental paths with better clarity. Through these initiatives, you can advance your expertise in delivering the best possible care to our patients

6.     I am pleased that NHG Health is also dedicated in recognising and developing your people. These efforts enable the NHG Health’s teams to deliver quality care, in line with national directions and initiatives such as right siting care in the community.

Recognising Excellence – Celebrating Our People

7.     This year, we honour the outstanding teams in NHG Health whose dedication and creativity have transformed patient care. These teams succeed because of the contributions of each member.

8.     At the National Skin Centre (NSC), the Inter-Professional Eczema Clinic where dermatologists, clinical pharmacists, and Advanced Practice Nurses work hand in hand to enhance pathways and reduce patient waiting times by 20%. Over at the Institute of Mental Health, the Residential Placement Unit has optimised bed capacity through streamlined processes and community partnerships which achieved 262 discharges from long-stay wards in FY2024. Additionally, Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Amputee Carestream team was able to reduce patients’ hospital length of stay from 87 days to 34 days through a comprehensive redesign of its care model and one rehab implementation.

9.     Each team has exemplified collaboration by breaking down traditional professional boundaries and fostered cross-disciplinary partnerships. By embracing innovation through evidence-based practice and technology integration such as AI-powered tools, tangible outcomes including cost savings, enhanced patient satisfaction, and improved clinical results have been achieved. These outcomes demonstrate how multidisciplinary teams can transform healthcare delivery by leveraging collective expertise, and developing creative solutions that are patient-centred, providing a blueprint for others to envision similar care innovations across healthcare settings.

10. You truly represent the hallmark of healthcare in Singapore: innovation with compassion, collaboration for excellence, and patient-centred care at the heart of everything we do. These are also the attributes we envision tomorrow’s AHP will have.

Future-Ready Healthcare

NHG Allied Health Professionals and Support Staff Career Framework

11. I am heartened to see that NHG Health has made significant strides in advancing, nurturing and recognising both our AHPs and allied health support staff towards the future state through its AHPs and Support Staff Career Framework, launched last year. The Framework has strengthened workforce sustainability, optimised operational efficiency, and ensured cost-effectiveness while safeguarding quality and safety through standardised competencies and appropriate training protocols.

12.  For example, Podiatry Assistants now provide basic foot care services alongside Podiatrists providing wound care for diabetic foot ulcer patients. Social Work Assistants handle financial assistance and discharge planning, while Therapy Assistants conduct group therapy sessions and screen for less complex cases. This upskilling allows AHPs to focus on complex cases whilst improving efficiency and patient access.

13. As part of this ongoing commitment to workforce development, NHG Health is expanding into new frontiers of Allied Health practice. I am pleased to learn that NHG Health will be launching Rehabilitation Health Academic Clinical Programme (Rehability), which is a collaboration between NHG Health, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), and Lien Foundation. I commend this collaboration as AHPs can now work closely with rehab specialists and have the opportunity to excel in rehab care through clinical transformation, research and education.

Innovating Diabetes Care Through Cross Competency Development

14. At NHG Health, meaningful collaboration includes innovative teamwork within the organisation across different healthcare professionals. One such exciting development is the transdisciplinary diabetes care model. Clinical Diabetes Educators (CDEs), comprising pharmacists, dietitians, and nurses, have embraced their expanded scope of practice, providing services from glucose monitoring to insulin injection techniques and titration advice, foot screening and dietary advice. Together with enhanced physiotherapists, podiatrists, and medical social workers, they partner with endocrinology teams to deliver more comprehensive, cost-effective care. Notably, on top of these expanded roles, pharmacist CDEs are able to prescribe medications under collaborative practice agreements after completing the Collaborative Practitioners Prescribing Programme.

15. This innovative care model keeps patient satisfaction high at 98%, with patients benefiting from shorter waiting times. Eye and foot screening rates have improved significantly. Most importantly, HbA1c levels have improved in patients with greater psychosocial needs. What's particularly encouraging is that the CDEs themselves also found 'new light' and 'new inspiration' in their expanded roles, demonstrating how innovative care models can enhance job satisfaction and benefit patient care.

Improving Access to Medication Information and Supply

16. NHG Health is transforming how patients access medication information and services. Today, patients can access over 300 medication counselling videos anytime, anywhere, available in English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. Response has been very positive, with 95% of users agreeing that these videos made access to information easy when they needed it. What makes this especially innovative is the seamless integration. Patients can simply scan a QR code on their medication labels to access relevant videos instantly. This feature is being progressively rolled out across all NHG Health institutions, ensuring consistent access regardless of where patients receive their care.

17. NHG Health is also enhancing medication literacy through NHG Health’s HealthBot, which patients can access via NHG Health websites, the NHG Health App, and even WhatsApp. This provides timely and accurate information exactly when patients need it, directly supporting our Healthier SG initiatives. While patients gain greater autonomy and understanding of their medications, the pharmacists can dedicate more face-to-face time with patients that have complex needs who will benefit most from personalised consultation.

18. The successful onboarding of NHIPS by the majority of NHG Health institutions represents a significant milestone in improving access to medication supply. Progressive adoption of the system by additional institutions across all 3 clusters will eventually enable prescriptions across public healthcare institution to be consolidated into a single common platform. This achievement will enhance medication accessibility by facilitating the cross-filling process and ultimately advance safer, more integrated medication management across Singapore's public healthcare landscape.

Closing – A Shared Purpose

19. Today’s inaugural NHG Allied Health & Pharmacy Day is not just a celebration. It recognises the advances we have made for patient care and the shared purpose that unites us. Thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and heart, as well as for pushing boundaries in care, innovation, and education.

20. To all AHPs, pharmacists and support staff, let us carry this spirit forward, as we shape a more connected, innovative, and compassionate healthcare system – fuelled by passion, and inspired by possibilities.

Thank you.