In the last 50 years, the Singapore Health System has undergone several major transformation and has built one of the most efficient health systems in the world, adding some 10 years to our average lifespan to our population. Our hospitals - staff and care delivery, offer a high level of care that is easily accessible to the public, is of high quality and safety, and is affordable to every Singaporean.

However with rapidly aging population, the resultant cumulative age-related disability and multidisease morbidity will put a significant strain on our traditional model of hospitals being the last bastion of care for all health problems.

Worldwide, hospitals have come under siege post-COVID and are also struggling to define their role in the 21st century. What is clear is that building more hospitals and doing more of what we are doing is not going to be the solution. We will need to be more dynamic and adaptive in leveraging on new opportunities made possible by technology, building of wider health ecosystem and redefining traditional care models to achieve premise neutral, appropriate care in place and in time. This will require hospitals to shed their sole role as tertiary or even secondary institution where major diseases are managed but function as a node in the healthcare network that mobilises all our assets at our disposal to improve health.

Care transformation is not just about coping, cutting cost or sustainability. Implemented effectively, the quality of life, value of care will improve alongside the health and aspirations of our staff and population.