Healthcare systems globally are facing sustained inflationary pressure from rising manpower costs, ageing populations, increasing chronic disease burden, medical technology adoption, pharmaceutical expenditure, cybersecurity requirements, infrastructure costs, and higher patient expectations. Singapore is not exempt from these pressures. The key challenge is no longer simply how to spend more on healthcare, but how to redesign the system so that each healthcare dollar creates greater value.

This session, delivered as part of the Master of Health Management and Policy program, will examine why healthcare inflation is structurally difficult to control, particularly when many costs are fixed, shared, or not directly traceable to individual patients. It will explore the limitations of traditional cost-cutting approaches and argue for a more strategic reimagination of healthcare delivery in Singapore.

The talk will discuss how Singapore can move beyond episodic, institution-centric care towards models that are more preventive, digitally enabled, integrated, and value-conscious. Key themes include shifting appropriate care closer to the community, using data and artificial intelligence to improve productivity, redesigning care pathways, strengthening primary care, and balancing access, volume, cost, and outcomes.

Rather than viewing inflationary pressure purely as a financial threat, the session will frame it as a strategic catalyst to rethink how healthcare is organised, delivered, funded, and measured. The objective is to challenge healthcare leaders, clinicians, administrators, and policy students to consider not only how to contain costs, but how to build a more sustainable, resilient, and patient-centred healthcare system for the future.

Following the talk, join us for an information session on our specialised Master’s in Health Management and Policy, where you’ll learn more about the program and curriculum.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the key drivers of healthcare inflation in Singapore and other developed healthcare systems.
• Appreciate why healthcare cost allocation is complex, especially for fixed and shared system-level costs.
• Critically examine the limits of traditional cost-containment strategies.
• Consider how care redesign, digital health, AI, prevention, and primary care can improve healthcare value.
• Reflect on how Singapore can balance affordability, access, quality, innovation, and sustainability.

Who Should Attend?

This session is intended for students and participants of the Master of Health Management and Policy program, particularly those with an interest in healthcare leadership, health policy, healthcare financing, operations, population health, digital health, and system transformation.

It will also be relevant to clinicians, healthcare administrators, policymakers, managers, and professionals who are involved in planning, delivering, evaluating, or financing healthcare services.

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Agenda

6:30pm	Registration and Light Bites
7:00pm	Opening Remarks
7:10pm	Moderated dialogue: Inflationary Pressure: Reimagining Healthcare in Singapore Panelists: Speaker Dr Ang Yee Gary Program Coordinator (Health Management and Policy) University of Newcastle, Australia
7:40pm	Program Sharing on Health Management and Policy
7:50pm	Student Sharing
8:00pm onwards	Close & Networking

Light bites and drinks will be provided.

About The Host

Hosted by Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education (NAIHE), Singapore, a wholly owned entity of the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Registration