On the evening of 19 August 2026, over 110 SMA Members gathered at the Lifelong Learning Institute for the "AI in Your Practice: Cutting the Admin, Not the Care" talk, focused on one question many of us are asking: how can we spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients?
In the wake of initiatives such as Healthier SG, patient care has become more comprehensive. Inevitably, documentation load, referrals, follow-ups and National Electronic Health Record submissions have also increased. The session offered a practical look at artificial intelligence (AI) tools that are already live in Singapore clinics and hospitals today. The two speakers gave attendees a grounded overview of current possible AI use cases, from clinical documentation and patient communications to tools supporting chronic disease screening.
Joel Koh, head of AI at One X Group, walked attendees through real deployments across Singapore healthcare settings and shared a simple framework with which to evaluate any AI tool: patient data governance, Personal Data Protection Act compliance and regulatory approval. He also broke down the Ministry of Health's updated AI in Healthcare Guidelines into plain and simple language for doctors and practice managers.
Dr Anthony Li, a public health resident at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, shared his firsthand experience applying AI and machine learning in public health and clinical research. He highlighted how AI can cut administrative time by up to 50%, how to identify the right "first use case" for one's clinic or department, and what responsible adoption looks like in practice.
Then came the lively question and answer session, with attendees asking about data security, workflow integration and how to start small without overwhelming their teams. The session closed with a networking segment, giving GPs, specialists, hospital doctors, clinic owners, practice managers and operations leads a chance to connect and swap ideas.
Thank you to all who joined us. For those who missed it, we appreciate your interest and look forward to seeing you at future SMA events.
Members networking and exchanging ideas over refreshments
Mr Joel Koh sharing real-world AI use cases in Singapore clinics
