Improved Technologies help Raise Healthcare Standards

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and GE Healthcare have announced medical innovations designed to help healthcare providers deliver faster diagnoses, improved treatment strategies and achieve greater workflow productivity.

Developed during a five-year joint R&D initiative since 2014, the new technologies have combined GE Healthcare’s medical and information technologies and A*STAR’s capabilities in data analytics and high-performance computing, resulting in advancements in imaging diagnostics and patient monitoring. These are in the process of being built into products across a range of different patient care equipment and applications, with some already available in Singapore, the United States, Europe, China and Japan.

One of the new solutions improves the PET scan procedure through a more streamlined digital PET image reconstruction, which has enabled quicker scans and shorter waiting times for patients at hospitals and clinics.

Demand for quality healthcare in Asia is on the rise against the backdrop of an ageing population, a growing middle class and the prevalence of chronic diseases. The MedTech market in Asia is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8%, to become the second largest in the world by 2020*. Medical innovations are therefore increasingly important to elevate the standards of healthcare and deliver greater value to patients.

*Source: www.edb.gov.sg/en/our-industries/medical-technology.htm