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CNA
a day ago
- Health
- CNA
Commentary: Singapore's journey from cybersecurity to cybermaturity
SINGAPORE: Seven years ago, Singaporeans were shocked when a cyberattack resulted in the theft of personal data belonging to about 1.5 million SingHealth patients, including then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Yet, 2018 seems almost like a different age when it comes to cyberthreats. Last June, a ransomware attack on a service provider to the United Kingdom's National Health Service disrupted operations in some hospitals, resulting in thousands of postponed surgeries and appointments. The hackers published almost 400GB of patient data on the dark web subsequently. In February the same year, a ransomware attack in the United States compromised the data of about 190 million people and disrupted insurance processing that left patients the choice of delaying treatment if they could not pay out of pocket. Halfway through 2025, there is no end in sight for the proliferation of this type of attack. A wave of attacks against prominent British retailers began in late April, with Marks & Spencer losing £1 billion (US$1.35 billion) in market value and another £300 million in lost profit expected. In the 10 years since Singapore's Cyber Security Agency (CSA) was set up in April 2015, technology has evolved considerably, and with it has come an expansion of the threat surface. Enterprises are increasingly moving to the cloud, where attackers now exploit weak identity and access management. Malicious actors have also taken to scams, fuelled by AI-generated content and deepfakes. Some target software supply chains or phish employees; others engage in hacktivism. By sheer scale and scope, the lines between cybercrime and cyberthreats to national security have blurred. NOT JUST REACTING Singapore has not confined itself to reacting to an evolving threat environment. It has shored up defences and increased awareness, within government and the private sector, through the creation of Singapore's first Cybersecurity Strategy, the Cybersecurity Act and the Safe Cyberspace Masterplan. These ensure that organisations, particularly in the private sector, have the incentives and tools to implement cybersecurity measures and manage risks before any attacks occur. Amid the increasing use of AI in cyberattacks, CSA launched in 2024 a comprehensive framework for organisations to manage cybersecurity risks throughout the AI system lifecycle. Its SG Cyber Safe programme offers resources such as toolkits and certification schemes like Cyber Trust marks to guide businesses in implementing cybersecurity measures. Cyber diplomacy is also a key aspect, since malicious cyber activity and cybercrime knows no borders. Protecting the digital sovereignty of our country is just as important as safeguarding physical boundaries. Singapore recognises that having a seat at the table to discuss on the dos and don'ts of state cyber activity, is critical for a small state. When, in 2018, the United Nations Group of Government Experts (GGE) was undermined by disagreements between rival blocs, Singapore led ASEAN states to adopt the GGE's voluntary norms of state behaviour in cyberspace. This took place during the Singapore International Cyber Week, which has itself become the key node for regional cyber discussions. Singapore's Ambassador to the United Nations, Burhan Gafoor, has garnered praise for his chairing of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on cybersecurity and information technology. Singapore has also been a responsible stakeholder when it comes to cyber capacity building, establishing the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in 2019. REALISTIC APPRAISAL OF THE ROAD AHEAD In considering strategies Singapore can pursue, we should not be under any illusions about what can be done. Some cyber practitioners have pushed for 'attributing' cyberattacks, believing that calling out malicious conduct may prevent recurrences. For example, US lawmakers have blamed the Salt Typhoon attacks on US telecommunications infrastructure on Chinese groups. While large states with well-resourced cyber offensive capabilities may take this view, Singapore's position is somewhat different. Observers would have noticed that there was no official attribution of the actor behind the cyberattacks against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2014, nor on SingHealth in 2018. In the latter case, it was made known that a state-backed advanced persistent threat was most likely responsible, but this is as far as the authorities went. This is a space where the threat actors can cover their tracks through technical means, and even our close partners may probe our cyber defences or attempt to exfiltrate valuable information (especially if they feel they can get away with it without being caught). In any case, a small state cannot afford to take the aggressive posture that others do, threatening retaliatory measures in response to every incident. One major challenge is also in identifying and grooming the next generation of cyber defenders, when there is already currently a shortage of cybersecurity professionals in Singapore as is the case globally. FROM SECURITY TO RESILIENCE What more can be done? Cybermaturity requires a mindset shift that recognises cybersecurity as a critical national and personal priority. With CSA as the overall guide, more agencies will need, increasingly, to have skin in the game when it comes to covering digital threats. This process has already started. When one falls victim to online scams or ransomware, one generally thinks to call the police, not the CSA. Under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) that came into effect last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs has the powers to deal with online content which facilitate malicious cyber activities. Technological solutions to counter the malicious use of deepfakes are also something that the SPF is working on, with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency. Beyond policies and frameworks, real resilience requires deeper public investment: a cultural change, greater individual responsibility and baseline awareness. CSA surveys consistently show a troubling gap: There is widespread acknowledgement of the importance of cybersecurity, but considerably fewer believe they are personally at risk. Awareness is also low in key areas such as Internet of Things (IoT) security, even as more invest in smart homes. Silos make us vulnerable to threat actors who are using new tools with increasing sophistication and devolution. For the next leg of our cyber journey, it's worth bearing in mind how CSA CEO David Koh sees it: We need to 'assume breach'. This principle encourages not simply vigilance, but the ability to ensure continuity in a compromised environment. This is the digital future we will have to live with – one brimming with promise, and also peril.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme
The dementia prevention community programme will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres by 2029. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme SINGAPORE – About 800 seniors with mild or no cognitive impairment and their caregivers are set to benefit from a dementia prevention community programme which will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres (AACs) by 2029. The IMPRESS-MIND2S programme is funded to the tune of about $3 million by the National Innovation Challenge on Active and Confident Ageing grant. It is slated to be piloted at the NTUC Health active ageing centre in Redhill in August 2025 for a start, with 60 seniors benefiting from the programme. The initiative, launched by healthcare cluster SingHealth, was announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How on May 30 at the SingHealth Community Forum held at Singapore General Hospital. Under the programme, community nurses will use established screening tools like tests to detect those who have mild cognitive impairment and will benefit from the programme. These selected seniors will then receive personalised health coaching to manage dementia risk factors like diet, exercise, stress management and sleep; and have structured physical activity sessions at AACs. Seniors will also use elderly-friendly tablets called SilverPads to play specially designed games to improve their memory and executive function. Their caregivers will also receive education and support – for example, referrals to respite care and caregiver support groups – to lighten caregiver burden. All in, seniors are expected to attend about three sessions at their AACs a week. SingHealth worked with community partners such as Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, Montfort Care, NTUC Health and Alkin Singapore to co-create the programme. Mr Tan pointed out that based on the second Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study, in 2023, one in 11 seniors aged 60 years and above had dementia. 'This goes beyond another health programme: it is a personalised approach to detecting and delaying cognitive decline, working with seniors who have mild or no cognitive impairment, and their caregivers. ' What makes this approach different from others is how it weaves interventions into daily life, with activities designed to naturally fit into seniors' existing routines,' said Mr Tan. Prof Low Lien Leng, director at SingHealth Centre for Population Health Research and Implementation, said that there is strong evidence that if dementia risk factors are controlled and cognitive function is improved, the risk of developing dementia is lowered. But such measures have not been implemented in the community, and the pilot will offer insights on how that can be done while keeping seniors interested and engaged. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Nationwide research study on age-related muscle loss gets $10 million grant in Singapore
Sarcopenia affects nearly one in three Singaporeans aged 60 years or older. It is key to 'bank' muscle health during younger adulthood to help counter muscle loss, said an expert. PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – Researchers here have secured a $10 million grant for a nationwide programme dedicated to addressing the rising problem of sarcopenia, an age-related disease characterised by the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and function. Led by SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, this initiative is Singapore's first large-scale study on sarcopenia, which contributes to frailty and a lower quality of life as one ages. The disease leads to increased risks of falls, lower immunity, poorer recovery after surgery, among other adverse effects, but there are no effective treatments at the moment. If sarcopenia is picked up at all, it is only when people are showing severe symptoms such as loss of muscle mass and strength, said Professor Wang Yibin, director of the cardiovascular and metabolic disorders programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, at a media briefing. 'There's not much of a treatment. We don't have drugs, we can only provide them with dietary management and exercise advice. So still, there's a big mystery behind it and that's the main challenge of our project.' Called Mechanistic Investigation and Clinical Innovation for Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Therapy, or Magnet in short, this research project was awarded the $10 million Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant by the National Medical Research Council on May 28. It brings together physicians and scientists from different institutes here who want to investigate why and how sarcopenia is triggered along with ageing or other disease states, and to find new ways of treating it. In the five-year study, Magnet will build a biobank of muscles and serum from 1,000 sarcopenia patients. It already has 500 such samples, collected in the past three years from surgical patients at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) under a programme there led by Clinical Associate Professor Frederick Koh, a colorectal surgeon and a Magnet principal investigator. Professor Teh Bin Tean, the deputy chief executive officer of research at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), said he and Prof Koh had worked together to establish the tissue bank. At NCCS, researchers have been studying cachexia, which is sarcopenia associated with an advanced stage of cancer. About 20 per cent of advanced-stage cancer patients develop it, and it leads to poor health, poor drug response and reduced quality of life, said Prof Teh. Prof Koh said sarcopenia is associated with increased complications from surgery, and increased mortalities. 'In cancer patients... if you have sarcopenia, cancer cells have been shown to come back earlier. So this gives us a connotation that muscle is not just about movement and it's not just about tolerating stress, but it may also play an immune role... which we do not know much about today.' It is still early days when it comes to treatment possibilities. Prof Koh said they have found from earlier studies in SKH and Changi General Hospital (CGH) that the molecule HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) – a metabolite of the amino acid leucine – may be beneficial, but further studies are needed. 'HMB may be one therapeutic agent which has shown some promise in early clinical trials in our experience, and we are expanding on that experience to run a larger study as part of the Magnet project,' he said. The term sarcopenia was coined in 1989 but it was recognised as a disease only in 2016. Recent studies have established the prevalence of sarcopenia, which affects nearly one in three Singaporeans aged 60 years or older. It also affects younger adults with chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes – one in 14 Singaporeans under 60 is estimated to have the muscle-wasting disease. 'For muscles, you need energy, protein and physical activity. So the high-risk group would be people who don't have enough energy, don't have enough protein, and are inactive,' said Associate Professor Samuel Chew, a senior consultant at CGH's geriatric medicine department. 'By the time we are 80, even if we are healthy, we would have lost at least about one-third of our muscle mass,' said Dr Chew. It is hence important to 'bank' muscle health during younger adulthood to help counter muscle loss over time, he added. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Tech spin-off slashes clinical audit time by 90%, signs AI deals with Roche and ST Engineering
Enigma Health CEO Dr Dario Heymann (front left) and Roche Singapore General Manager of Pharmaceuticals Yeoh Ying Ying (front right) with the MOU, witnessed by (standing, from left) SingHealth AI Office Director Assoc Prof Daniel Ting, Minister of State at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam and Swiss Ambassador to Singapore Frank Grutter. STPHOTO: GAVIN FOO SINGAPORE - An artificial intelligence (AI) platform piloted in Singapore has helped to cut the time taken to do labour-intensive clinical audits by as much as 90 per cent. Following the successful pilot, the locally-based company behind the AI platform signed agreements on May 27 to expand its reach and capabilities with biotech giant Roche and engineering firm ST Engineering. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed at the ATxSummit technology conference held at Capella Singapore. Enigma Health, established in 2024, is a health-tech spin-off from SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre. Its flagship product Enigma is an AI platform developed by a team of clinicians and AI scientists. It is a small language model, which when compared with the more commonly known large language model, uses less computing power, works faster, and is usually not connected to the Internet, making it safer in protecting sensitive data. Enigma was piloted at SingHealth institutions, including at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine ( Prism ). At SNEC, the pilot took place from January to June 2024. Enigma was used to conduct clinical audits for cataract surgeries. Clinical audits are mandatory processes to check if healthcare was delivered well by comparing cases and results to expected standards. During the pilot, Enigma analysed over 7,000 cataract surgeries and 1.2 million data points like consultation notes, clinical summaries, diagnosis entries, physical examination notes and visual acuity test results. It slashed the time needed to complete the audit from 528 hours, if it were done traditionally by administrators, to just seven hours. The risk of human error was also significantly reduced. Associate Professor Daniel Ting, who is the director of SingHealth's AI Office, said that the AI model also freed up valuable time for healthcare professionals to focus on patient care, especially when there is a manpower crunch in the sector. 'Instead of hiring more people to come in, this is a very good technology for us to use to leverage on existing manpower, and transform their job scope,' said Prof Ting. With the MOUs signed, the small language model can help in other healthcare use cases in clinical trials and building AI-powered healthcare apps. Under the MOU with Roche, the AI model will be able to help accelerate clinical trial recruitment. Engima Health CEO Dario Heymann said that the AI model will be able to go through a large database of patients to highlight the ones who are eligible for clinical trials based on certain exclusion or inclusion criteria. 'When you look at a clinical trial, 40 per cent of the cost is actually on the recruitment side. If you take away some of the time it takes to recruit a certain patient cohort, you can save a lot of money. You can also bring the drug earlier to market, and give care to a patient significantly earlier,' said Dr Heymann. In its collaboration with ST Engineering, Enigma Health's small language model will be integrated with the AGIL@Genie Studio, which is a platform to build apps. This will better allow those with no coding experience to build better and more precise AI-powered healthcare apps – they can simply type in their instructions. Announcing the collaborations, Minister of State at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information Ms Rahayu Mahzam said that healthcare transformation requires collective effort and shared expertise. 'No single institution can tackle the complexity of healthcare AI alone. We need to collaborate across sectors and stakeholders, between the public and private sectors,' said Ms Rahayu. 'Collectively, these efforts to solve real problems, scale responsibly, and collaborate widely enables Singapore to leverage on AI to augment human expertise in healthcare, thereby delivering better outcomes for Singapore and Singaporeans.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SingHealth and Philips sign MOU to advance digital-first healthcare to future-proof care delivery
New partnership set to accelerate digital healthcare transformation in Singapore, with a focus on co-designing and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and predictive data management to improve patient care by 2028 Projects under this partnership aim to: o Streamline imaging data workflows by developing a standardized data architecture for better diagnostics and patient outcomes; ando Optimize ICU capacity and workflow efficiency by leveraging advanced monitoring and AI tools to help healthcare staff direct care to the right patient at the right time. SINGAPORE, Feb. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and SingHealth, Singapore's largest public healthcare cluster, today announced a strategic partnership to enhance healthcare delivery through deploying innovative technologies and accelerating the digital transformation of the healthcare landscape in Singapore. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) inked between the two organizations signifies a significant step towards building a robust and standardized data architecture for SingHealth. By leveraging Philips state-of-the-art healthcare technologies, the partnership strives to enable seamless digital workflows and improve clinical decision-making. This allows care teams to enhance human interaction with patients, deepen connections and improve outcomes. This will advance SingHealth's goal to deliver care in a more patient-centric manner through a digital-first strategy. "We are privileged to partner with SingHealth on this venture to accelerate the digital transformation of healthcare delivery in Singapore," said Hung Choong Hwang, Country Manager, Philips Singapore. "By combining our technological expertise with SingHealth's clinical excellence, we aim to set new benchmarks in healthcare innovation, quality and resilience, in line with our vision of delivering better care for more people." Under the terms of the MOU, Philips and SingHealth will set up dedicated teams to drive three key projects over the course of three years, focused on integrating imaging data with AI, predictive data management to enable actionable insights and optimizing ICU capacities by boosting monitoring and patient assessment capabilities. As projects under the MOU progress, its potential scope may widen beyond these initial three projects to include other additional areas of collaboration where synergies and opportunities are identified by both parties. Enhancing healthcare delivery with a digital-first approach through three key projects 1. Getting the right information seamlessly to the right expert: Integrated imaging with AI embedded into workflows This project will automate and streamline Enterprise Digital Image workflows, including acquisition, storage, distribution, retrieval and archival processes. By centralizing and modernizing the architecture for Radiology, Pathology, and other images for clinical practice, the project aims to standardize clinical access and enhance electronic medical records connectivity. Starting with Radiology, the project will also explore innovations such as the use of embedded AI to automate and integrate workflows. 2. Supporting staff with clinical decision-making: Next-generation predictive enterprise data management Next-generation data analytics will be deployed to provide real-time, actionable insights to sharpen clinical decision-making. With fully-integrated live stream clinical data as a foundation, the goal is to implement advanced device interface models and introduce programmable AI and visualization layers to support clinical care and enterprise storage. This capability, implemented at scale across the cluster, will be a springboard enabling SingHealth to develop more pioneering innovations in this space globally. 3. Enhancing patient care with Smart ICU: Optimizing capacity based on patient acuity New clinical decision support tools and advanced monitoring equipment will be used to optimize ICU capacity and enhance efficiency and care quality. A unified monitoring system, aligned with clinical workflows such as alarm assessments, will be established. The infrastructure will be co-designed to achieve interoperability, ensure cloud and cybersecurity alignment, and support clinical workflow assessments. Additionally, AI-powered models and algorithms will be jointly developed to monitor developments in patients' conditions, optimize alarm management, and deliver clinical parameter dashboards and avatars. Partnerships key to future-proofing healthcare delivery with innovation One of the key challenges in the complexities of the healthcare system is the ability to access and integrate different data sources to form a cohesive patient story. Accurate and timely access to data at critical points in a patient's journey is key in the digital transformation of the healthcare system. According to the Singapore FHI 2024 report findings, more than one-third (37%) of healthcare leaders surveyed are looking to external partnerships to use data analytics for more informed decision-making. Please refer to Annex for more info on Singapore findings of the Philips Future Health Index (FHI) 2024 report. Philips has previously partnered SingHealth in the implementation of an iECG initiative to transform the delivery of cardiovascular care in Singapore. Philips also partnered Singapore General Hospital to advance its medical imaging capabilities. "We believe in harnessing the power of strategic partnerships to address the unique healthcare needs of the Asia Pacific. By conducting thorough reviews of current capacities, processes and workflows, and thoughtfully integrating advanced technologies in a way that best supports staff, we are dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes and efficiency across this diverse and dynamic region," said Jasper Westerink, Acting Managing Director, Philips APAC. "I'm excited about how our upcoming projects will positively impact patient care and digital healthcare innovation in the region, especially since SingHealth is Singapore's largest healthcare group and has a track record of setting standards of excellence in patient-centred clinical care, and since Singapore is a key medical hub." Mr Lawrence Loke, Group Chief Information Officer, SingHealth, said, "This collaboration between SingHealth and Philips is a big stride forward in accelerating healthcare innovation in Singapore. By combining our deep and broad range of clinical expertise with Philips' cutting-edge technology, we are prioritizing the needs of our patients in reimagining healthcare delivery. From 'Smart ICUs' to AI-driven diagnostics, our singular goal is to enhance patient outcomes and experiences. In our efforts to pilot transformative care models, we hope that our patients will receive personalized, timely and accessible care that is focused on achieving the best outcomes possible for them." As a key medical hub in the Asia Pacific, partnerships like these position Singapore well in leading the charge to pioneer and deploy next-generation healthcare technologies, driving efficiency, better care, and more accessible health services for more people across the region. [1] About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips' patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2023 sales of EUR 18.2 billion and employs approximately 69,700 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at Annex Addressing healthcare system challenges: Workforce, data and workflow optimization With Singapore's population set to become "super-aged" by 2026, and 21% of its population over the age of 65, the healthcare system faces mounting pressures.[1] According to the Singapore findings of the Philips Future Health Index (FHI) 2024 report, nearly two-thirds (65%) of healthcare leaders report that workforce shortages are leading to staff having less time with patients, higher patient-to-staff ratios and/or an increase in clinical errors. These challenges highlight the urgent need to augment clinical manpower and address growing patient workloads and demands on Singapore's health services. In addition to workforce shortages, healthcare leaders identified workflow prioritization as a key area for automation, which can help healthcare professionals better manage high patient volumes without compromising on care quality. For instance, automated initial screening of medical images can help prioritize cases and direct them to the right sub-specialty radiologist. Similarly, automated triaging systems can assist emergency department staff, improving efficiency and reducing strain on personnel. Philips FHI 2024 report also revealed that 84% of Singapore's healthcare leaders face data integration challenges, which hamper their ability to deliver timely, high-quality care. The inability to fully utilize data has wide-ranging effects, from financial and operational concerns to limiting coordination between clinicians and reducing their time spent with patients. Overcoming barriers to integrate data accessibly across clinical operations, human resources, and financials for reporting is therefore critical for continuous improvement, better decision-making and better patient empowerment. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Royal Philips Sign in to access your portfolio
