Singapore is adapting a basic artificial intelligence (AI) model to local healthcare needs under a national initiative initially focused on cardiometabolic conditions and eye diseases.
In the future, the AI will be integrated into the country's electronic medical records system.
Announcing the Singapore Medical Foundation AI Model initiative Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the AI models would be trained using clinical data and local guidelines.
The Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, which leads the initiative, said Singapore's healthcare system is facing increasing pressure from an aging population, a growing burden of chronic diseases, and an overstretched healthcare workforce.
The majority of AI foundation models used in the healthcare system are trained on data from Western populations, limiting their accuracy and relevance in Singapore's clinical setting, the consortium said.
Formed in 2025, SIMFONI initially focused on developing clinical decision support tools for cardiometabolic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, in primary care, as well as multimodal AI models to improve the diagnosis and management of eye diseases such as cataracts, retinal diseases, and glaucoma.
The consortium said cardiometabolic conditions represent one of the largest chronic disease burdens in Singapore's primary care system.
