Leading homegrown financial services company Singlife has announced a partnership with NHG Health to improve customers’ access to specialist care and explore new care models that support better health outcomes, recovery and healthcare sustainability in Singapore.
Under the collaboration, NHG Health will join Singlife Care Collab, Singlife’s one-stop health services hub connecting its customers to trusted healthcare providers, providing timely and appropriate care so that they are supported across every stage of their health journey.
Strategic Focus on Digestive Health
Through NHG Health’s network, Singlife’s Integrated Shield customers have access to specialist digestive care across Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Woodlands Hospital. This includes Woodlands Hospital’s newly opened Digestive Health Centre, which provides comprehensive services such as gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery, to support patients through a more seamless journey from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and continued care. As part of the collaboration, both parties will explore initiatives to further enhance such patient journeys.
This focus on digestive health reflects the significant burden of gastrointestinal conditions in Singapore. Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and women here, with close to 13,000 new cases diagnosed between 2019 and 2023, according to the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2023. Digestive scopes, which diagnose and, in some cases, treat digestive health conditions, are among Singlife’s top hospitalisation claims by volume, accounting for close to 20% of Singlife Shield claims.
Supporting Better Recovery Through Value-Based Care
The collaboration will also explore appropriate, value-based care models that place greater emphasis on patient outcomes and recovery, while promoting greater consistency and value in healthcare delivery.
These efforts will draw on NHG Health’s experience with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) – an evidence-based approach that supports patients from consultation, surgery and discharge through to rehabilitation – which has contributed to shorter hospital stays, fewer complications and sustained cost savings.
This focus on supporting patients across the care journey complements Singlife’s wider call for a more holistic approach to healthcare planning. In August, it released a ‘Closing the Recovery Gap’ report, which highlighted that the recovery phase should not be overlooked when planning for the uncertainties that critical illness brings.
Singlife and NHG Health will also work towards bundled and fixed-rate models for selected procedures such as total knee replacement surgery, to support better outcomes and more effective use of healthcare resources.
Helen Shen, Group Head of Products, Singlife, said, “We started Singlife Care Collab as we recognised that customers need more than insurance coverage during life’s biggest challenges. They need guidance, support and trusted partners to help them navigate the path ahead. Today, we are delighted to welcome NHG Health onboard Care Collab. By bringing together our strengths – NHG Health’s deep clinical expertise and experience in developing innovative care models, and Singlife’s understanding of the health challenges customers face – we are charting a better way towards a more sustainable healthcare system that benefits patients, communities and the wider healthcare system.”
Adjunct Associate Professor Joe Hau, Chief Executive Officer of Woodlands Hospital, said, “At NHG Health, our goal is to make quality specialist care more accessible and affordable for the communities we serve. Our partnership with Singlife brings together clinical expertise and financing perspectives to better support patients throughout their health journey. Healthcare sustainability is a shared responsibility, and partnerships like this can make a meaningful difference. By advancing value-based care and focusing on what matters most to patients, we can improve outcomes while building a more sustainable health system – one where insurers, healthcare providers and patients work together to deliver lasting, system-wide impact.”
This partnership builds on a cooperative relationship between Singlife and NHG Health. Since 2024, they have partnered to promote shared learning and develop initiatives in areas such as population health, integrated care and healthcare innovation to drive system transformation.
