NHG Health and ST Engineering have signed a five-year Master Collaboration Agreement (MCA) to co-develop and implement patient-centred engineering solutions aimed at enhancing care delivery for 1.5 million residents in Central and North Singapore.
Building on existing collaborations, the partnership will deliver several transformative initiatives under the new agreement.
The first is the development of a next-generation C3 (Command, Control and Communication) centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) by 2030.
The current C3 system, which was developed in collaboration with Synapxe, has improved patient flow and resource coordination across TTSH and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Under the MCA, a more advanced, predictive version of the C3 system will be explored to enable smarter, cluster-wide care orchestration.
The second initiative targets manpower optimisation. NHG Health will work with ST Engineering to automate workflows and improve manpower scheduling across its cluster to deliver timely and value-based care.
At Woodlands Health, for example, autonomous mobile robots developed by ST Engineering already conduct 400 trips daily, delivering food and linen. They are estimated to save around 100 man-hours a day, freeing up staff for better clinical care.
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Thirdly, NHG Health will trial two smart energy solutions developed by ST Engineering. The Airbitat Energy Recovery System, a deep cooling technology, is expected to cut energy use by up to 30% compared to conventional systems.
NHG Health will also evaluate ST Engineering’s AGIL Smart Energy Building suite, which offers centralised carbon tracking and intelligent energy management.
Additionally, an Engineering Sandbox will be established at NHG Health’s Centre for Healthcare Innovation. This testbed aims to accelerate the co-development of healthcare solutions by bringing together engineers, clinicians, and operations staff to address pain points, improve productivity, and ensure patient safety.
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The sandbox will also support pilot trials, accelerate feedback loops, and de-risk emerging technologies before large-scale deployment.
"This partnership… allows us to infuse our deep clinical expertise with [ST Engineering’s] advanced engineering and IT integration capabilities, creating powerful synergies that will directly translate into tangible improvements, enhanced patient flow, optimised resource utilisation, reduced environmental impact, and an elevated overall patient experience. This is about using technology strategically to deliver smarter, more seamless healthcare, for our patients and staff,” says Professor Joe Sim, group chief executive officer of NHG Health.
Vincent Chong, ST Engineering’s group president and CEO: “This strategic partnership is built on our shared commitment to transform healthcare through technology. Together, we will be co-developing smart systems that enhance operational efficiency and support better care outcomes across the healthcare ecosystem.”
