Ministry of Finance (Singapore)’s Post

Innovation is the way to go.

The struggle of being sick without the means to pay for treatment is a harsh reality! This pressing issue was discussed at the first UCHP Executive Symposium. It's disheartening to realize that 45% of medical expenses come directly from patients' pockets! This is significantly higher compared to other neighboring countries. As a result, many Filipinos avoid check-ups due to the fear of hefty bills. Together, we brainstormed solutions to this problem. Experts and thought leaders from the government and private sectors collaborated to alleviate the financial burden of healthcare. The support from the Department of Health, Department of Budget and Management, House of Representatives, and Senate brings hope for substantial changes in our healthcare system. This marks the beginning of building a healthier Philippines for everyone! #UniversalHealthCare #PatientEngagement #HealthPolicy #BetterHealthCare #UCHP

🔒 Ensuring Informed Patient Consent at Croissance Africa🔒 At Croissance Africa, we prioritize the ethical responsibility of ensuring that every patient is fully informed before participating in any clinical trial. Our informed consent process is guided by the highest standards, such as ICMR and ICH guidelines, ensuring transparency and patient safety at every step. Key elements of our consent process: ✅ Clear explanation of the study's purpose, risks, and benefits. ✅ Ongoing communication throughout the study to maintain consent. ✅ Involvement of family members and healthcare personnel when necessary. ✅ Safeguarding confidentiality and voluntary participation. We are committed to making sure our participants feel empowered, respected, and protected throughout their journey in clinical research. #PatientSafety #ClinicalTrials #InformedConsent #CroissanceAfrica #EthicalResearch #HealthcareInnovation

**** The Union Conference for Lung Health in Bali till the 17th November. As the founder of a digital platform where hospitals, medical associations, NGOs and life sciences companies can run effective training programs for healthcare professionals in LMICs, I am particularly interested in learning and exchanging ideas on approaches that deliver the best results. **** Attending the conference on lung health and TB, particularly the sessions on capacity building of HCPs, digital tools and adherence programs, I would like to share my thoughts and some learnings: The session on how TB training of HCPs in the Netherlands works, reinforces that approaches in developed countries cannot be adopted in developing countries. An HCP in the Netherlands might only encounter three TB cases per year and does not have enough training. There is also not much interest among HCPs to learn. Therefore, TB training in the Netherlands is mainly face-to-face. We cannot adopt such an approach in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam where the TB burden is much higher. Traveling to major cities for training can easily take days. Research on effectiveness of digital platforms mostly neglect nuances in implementation and features. A digital adherence reminder by SMS is not the same as a reminder through Zalo in Vietnam or Viber in Myanmar, which are popular messaging channels in these countries. In Myanmar, people typically don't read SMS, but they check their Viber messages. The effectiveness of digital tools cannot be thrown into one basket. Day to day, we observe how a small change in the messaging flow can have a big impact on user retention and conversion. Patients are increasingly using private facilities for healthcare. So, you can't force them to go to public facilities for TB treatment. Instead, national programs should be designed to bring TB treatment to private facilities. Therefore, it is important to train the private sector workforce effectively. What are the incentives for a private sector HCP to receive training? An interesting remark I heard in one session was that you need to be pragmatic when onboarding a private facility to participate. If you want a private hospital to sign an MOU, things might quickly escalate to the board of directors and all becomes more complicated and lengthy. You might just get started by approaching private facilities, building relationships and asking them to submit a report form without an MOU. After some time of gaining experience, formalization can still follow. I am looking forward to more insights and talking to more people. #UnionConf24 #EndTB #DigitalHealth

Today’s announcement by the Albanese Government of $80.8 million in funding for clinical trials and a centralised approach to clinical trials known as One Stop Shop is welcomed by industry as a significant step towards improving access to medicines for all Australians. Australia is recognised globally as a preferred location for companies to conduct clinical trials thanks to our excellent healthcare facilities, researchers, a diverse population, and strong legal frameworks with robust IP protections. Currently there are different processes and systems for clinical trials in each state and territory and within area health services. This creates inefficiencies and makes it difficult for patients and doctors to know what options are available, which is why a national approach is needed. Harmonising these processes will ensure patients get access to the latest medical therapies and Australia remains globally competitive as an R&D destination, benefiting both Australian patients and the economy. Clinical trials are a vital step in developing innovative new medicines. They provide early access for some patients and a broader benefit to the whole economy. The next step is to ensure our reimbursement system keeps pace with the rapid advances in innovation to provide all patients with these new medicines as quickly as possible. #StrongerPBS #clinicaltrials #innovation #researchanddevelopment Elizabeth de Somer Dr Anna Lavelle AM FTSE GAICD

VIETNAM AIMS TO BECOME THE HEALTHCARE HUB OF THE ASEAN REGION 🇻🇳 Aging population, growing middle class, increasing burden of chronic diseases, plus the fact that Vietnamese people spend about 2 billion dollars each year on healthcare abroad, have made the Vietnamese healthcare sector urgently "think of ways" to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, meet the needs of the people and attract this money back to Vietnam, aiming to become the healthcare hub of the ASEAN region. 🇻🇳 The proposed solutions are: training high-quality medical human resources, investing in good infrastructure, developing specialized healthcare, medical tourism combining modern medicine and traditional medicine, promoting digital transformation, research, development, innovation, simplifying administrative procedures related to medical examination and treatment activities, competitive medical costs, etc. 🇻🇳 In addition, the Government is encouraging public hospitals as well as private hospitals develop into specialized medical centers, including hospitals that are on par with the region and the world. The Ministry of Health has developed a project "High-quality medical examination and treatment to attract foreigners and those who can afford medical examination and treatment in Vietnam". According to this project, the domestic medical system will serve many subjects. Source: Tuoi Tre Online #healthcare #medicaldevice #Vietnamhealthcare #Viettradelink

🌟 Explore the Challenges for Foreign Investors in Vietnam's Private Hospital Sector! 🌟 In the context of Vietnam's rapidly developing healthcare market, foreign investors are facing numerous challenges when entering the private hospital sector. From legal issues to cultural factors, this article will help you gain a better understanding of the difficulties and opportunities in this promising field. 👉 Read more to grasp detailed information: #Viettradelink #VietnamHealthcare #ForeignInvestment #PrivateHospitals #HealthcareSector #InvestmentChallenges #VietTradelink

🤝 In the last two days EAHP President-elect Nenad Miljković participated in the launch of the Critical Medicines Alliance. EAHP was the first European healthcare professionals organisation analysing the issue of medicines shortage, more than ten years ago. 💡 This Alliance constitutes a step forward in addressing medicines shortage and patients needs. EAHP is ready to get involved and will make all possible efforts to ensure a fruitful collaboration with the other interested parties in the interest of patients and public health. #EU2024BE #EAHP #CriticalMedicinesAlliance Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024

Was anyone else thrilled to see that the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) has launched Clinical Trials Singapore (CTSG), a portal designed to make clinical trials more accessible to the public? 🙋 The new platform allows patients to find relevant trials, understand the requirements, and discuss options with their doctors. Similar platforms have long existed in the US, UK, and other countries, and are quite useful for those looking to join a clinical trial. By focusing on patient education and ease of access, Singapore will hopefully help more people benefit from potentially life-saving therapies, and help sponsors and CROs more easily reach their enrollment goals. It’s exciting to see such progress in making clinical trials more accessible. Here's to hoping more countries follow suit! #ClinicalTrials #PatientEducation #HealthcareAccess #Singapore

Australians are waiting longer and longer for access to new medicines, the latest report from Amgen shows. Between January 2021 and April 2024, Australian patients waited an average 591 days after a medicine was registered by the TGA for it to be publicly funded through the PBS. Some medicines recommended for public funding still struggle, Amgen finding the average wait time for these medicines is now 38 months - and growing. Medicines Australia is campaigning for the Patient Access Gap to be reduced to #60days, but at 591 days and growing, the gap is going in the wrong direction. Can Australia achieve 60 days? #patientscantwait #patientaccessgap #HTA #measurewhatmatters