Commentary: MaNaDr Clinic scrutiny is an opportunity for telemedicine to prove itself

Under the upcoming Health Information Bill, it is proposed that both public and private sector patient information including consultation dates, diagnoses and medicines prescribed be automatically entered into the central National Electronic Health Record. With consult data captured centrally for both in-person and telemedicine, much richer analyses can be conducted to compare the different modalities for patient care outcomes.

Finally, there have been calls for an honour-based sick leave system, at least for a specific number of days. In 2022, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung shared his hope that such a model becomes “a more prevalent practice”, noting also that consulting simply for MCs is “not the best use of the doctor’s precious time and resources”.

As we move forward, should doctors continue to be tasked by society to police sick leave on behalf of employers? Or are there changes in workplace culture and attitudes that could be more fruitful?

“Never waste a good crisis” as the saying goes. Singapore has the opportunity to undertake a root and branch review of telemedicine in the context of how it is today and how it should be tomorrow.

Singapore does not have geographic access issues the way that much larger countries with dispersed populations may have, and telemedicine’s use case in expanding access may be more tightly circumscribed. On the other hand, we have reliable, high speed internet access and with advancements in video analytics and artificial intelligence, perhaps coupled with smart phone-enabled diagnostics, telemedicine platforms may soon be able to assess vital signs and conduct even “physical examinations” virtually.

It would be a pity to dismiss or downplay telemedicine now, when we have an opportunity to promote it in settings of greatest value. 

Dr Jeremy Lim is a medical doctor and public health specialist. He is author of Myth or Magic – The Singapore Healthcare System. Koh Lin Pin is an incoming medical student at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.