Media OutReach
NUH Puts Patients’ Priorities First Through Appropriate Care
This pioneering initiative by the hospital can cut unnecessary interventions, optimise health outcomes and deliver sustainable care
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 October 2025 – Imagine your next specialist’s appointment at a hospital being a true partnership. Instead of being prescribed a care plan outright, your doctor seeks your feedback, discusses your progress and treatment goals, and co-designs a plan that fits your needs and preferences – which in some patients may mean reducing medication or cutting out unnecessary tests.
This is Appropriate Care (Apt Care) at the National University Hospital (NUH). It is about delivering evidence and value-based, patient-centred care that maximises health outcomes and quality of life, while eliminating inefficiencies and managing resources sustainably.
As part of National University Health System (NUHS)’s Apt Care programme, NUH launched its Apt Care campaign in March last year with a clear purpose: to reinforce a culture of prioritising patient outcomes and value.
Enhancing end-of-life cancer care
One of the key NUH Apt Care initiatives was a collaboration with the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), to introduce an appropriate care end-of-life pathway to cancer patients. Launched in October last year, the programme uses a multidisciplinary approach involving clinicians, nurses, and pharmacists to enhance end-of-life care. The goal is to help patients live as well as possible by reducing unnecessary medication and interventions, allowing them to focus on comfort and quality of life.
When a suitable patient is identified, their care team reviews the care plan to focus on the patient’s comfort and overall well-being. This tailored plan could involve reducing non-essential medications, re-evaluating the number of unnecessary outpatient appointments, and cutting down or discontinuing invasive procedures like blood glucose monitoring (BGM) pricks.
Between October 2024 and August 2025, 108 patients were enrolled in the programme which saw significant benefits:
- Average of 11 fewer vital sign checks and four fewer BGM episodes per patient, with some saving up to 81 vital sign checks and 52 BGM episodes during their hospital stay, leading to less disruption to the patients’ rest.
- Average savings of $60 per patient, with some saving up to $740, for the reduction in BGM tests.
- Average of two fewer outpatient appointments and three reduced oral medications per patient, reducing treatment burden.
Adj A/Prof Samuel Ow, Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology-Oncology, NCIS, and the project lead of the end-of-life programme, noted that feedback has been positive. “Patients have reported less pain and discomfort as a result of cutting down on non-essential procedures. By limiting consultations to only key ones, patients gain more time to spend meaningfully with their loved ones.”
He added: “Our clinical staff have also benefited. The time freed up through streamlining tests and procedures allows them to devote more attention to their patients’ most critical needs. Our nurses have also reported greater job satisfaction from being empowered to customise care plans that truly prioritise the needs and well-being of our end-of-life patients.”
Smarter glucose testing for inpatients
Another initiative at NUH targets unnecessary point-of-care blood glucose monitoring (BGM) for inpatients. A similar initiative was first implemented at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in 2018 and at Alexandra Hospital in 2023, with best practices being adapted to each hospital’s workflows.
Piloted in two wards in September 2024 and now expanded, a new standardised workflow with clear criteria was introduced to empower nurses to safely reduce the frequency of BGM finger pricks in clinically stable patients.
Over the past three months, 87 patients in the programme had their average daily BGM finger pricks halved from four to two, without any significant increase in rates of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
According to the project lead, Dr Ada Teo, Associate Consultant, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, NUH: “This initiative is a true win-win. By focusing on the right frequency of glucose testing, we can still rely on meaningful data to make informed assessments for our patients’ care plans. Patients who participated reported an improved treatment experience, as it reduced discomfort, pain, and their out-of-pocket costs.”
She added: “Our nurses felt the impact too – a recent survey of 78 nurses found that around 85 per cent of them expressed confidence in following the new workflow. Encouragingly, around 87 per cent felt empowered to reduce unnecessary testing with this project in place. Introducing a clear, evidence-based workflow can help to minimise unnecessary monitoring, allowing for more appropriate distribution of resources to facilitate patient-centred care.”
Building a sustainable future in healthcare
Beyond these initiatives, NUH is working with its partners in NUHS to:
- Reduce duplicative test such as glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), which may be duplicated by different care providers looking after the same patient;
- Minimise inappropriate medication for patients; and
- Consolidate appointments, which brings additional benefits of better care coordination
In summing up the Apt Care drive in NUH, Adj A/Prof Amelia Santosa, one of the co-leads of the Apt Care campaign at NUH and also Head and Senior Consultant, Division of Rheumatology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, NUH, said: “We are heartened to see the encouraging reception by both patients and healthcare colleagues from our early initiatives. With an ageing population and increasing number of patients with multiple medical conditions in Singapore, patients accumulate more appointments, medications and tests, which need to be purposefully consolidated. Hence, now more than ever, Apt Care is becoming a more critical concept for healthcare institutions to embrace and incorporate. Our ultimate objective is to continuously find ways to deliver care that is clinically effective and focused on patient-defined outcomes, while at the same time, promote greater healthcare value for everyone involved – from patients and their families to our healthcare staff and the hospital itself.”
Hashtag: #NationalUniversityHospital #NUH #HealthcareInnovation #SustainableHealthcare #CancerCare #ClinicalInnovation
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About the National University Hospital (NUH)
The National University Hospital (NUH) is Singapore’s leading university hospital. While the hospital at Kent Ridge first received its patients on 24 June 1985, our legacy started from 1905, the date of the founding of what is today the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. NUH is the principal teaching hospital of the medical school.
Our unique identity as a university hospital is a key attraction for healthcare professionals who aspire to do more than practise tertiary medical care. We offer an environment where research and teaching are an integral part of medicine, and continue to shape medicine and transform care for the community we care for.
We are an academic medical centre with over 1,200 beds, serving more than one million patients a year with over 50 medical, surgical and dental specialties. NUH is the only public and not-for-profit hospital in Singapore to provide trusted care for adults, women and children under one roof, including the only paediatric kidney and liver transplant programme in the country.
The NUH is a key member of the National University Health System (NUHS), one of three public healthcare clusters in Singapore. For more information, visit www.nuh.com.sg
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This year’s forum is an important supporting event of the 18th Cross-Strait Forum. During the event, nine Fujian-Taiwan financial integration projects were signed, with a total value of RMB 9.1 billion. The projects cover a wide range of financial services across areas including cross-strait industrial cooperation, water supply security for public welfare, capacity upgrades for long-established Taiwan-funded enterprises, technology and innovation industries, and modern agriculture. These initiatives continue to unlock the benefits of financial policies, promote shared access to financial resources for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan-funded enterprises, and inject new momentum into industrial integration between Fujian and Taiwan.
At the forum, the Cross-Strait Wealth and Asset Management Cross-Sector Alliance was officially inaugurated. Supported by Jinyuan Group and jointly proposed by its affiliated financial institutions, the alliance was co-founded by Xiamen International Trust, Jinyuan Uni-President Securities, Yuanxin Yongfeng Fund, Fubon Bank (China), Junlong Life Insurance, and Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, among others. Centered on serving the wealth management and asset management needs of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the alliance aims to build a one-stop service platform covering asset allocation for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan-funded enterprises on the mainland, family trusts and wealth succession planning, pension finance, and healthcare protection solutions.
The forum also unveiled a series of innovative financial achievements related to Taiwan. The banking industry’s first group standard dedicated to Taiwan-related financial services on the mainland, the “Specification for Taiwan-Related Financial Services of Banking Financial Institutions,” was officially released. At the same time, the “Bailufen” Taiwan Compatriot Financial Service Platform was introduced, further enhancing financial services for Taiwan compatriots living in Fujian and supporting the development of Taiwan-funded enterprises.
Hashtag: #StraitsFinancialForum
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Media OutReach
Verdant Rock Receives BBB+ Long-Term Insurer Financial Strength Rating with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings
“The infrastructure and capital markets we are targeting have been systematically underserved over the past decade. Verdant Rock enters this space with an investment grade rating, a strong capital position, the regulatory standing, the technical capability, and the long-term commitment that issuers and their advisers have been unable to find elsewhere.”
— Tolga Uzuner, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Verdant Rock Limited
The Fitch Ratings report can be accessed here:
Fitch Rates Verdant Rock at ‘BBB+’; Outlook Stable
Verdant Rock’s Class 3B registration can be verified via the BMA’s register of regulated entities (search “Verdant Rock”): https://www.bma.bm/regulated-entities
Notes to editors: For the May 2026 licensing announcement, see https://bernews.com/2026/05/walkers-supports-verdant-rock-licensing/
This announcement is (i) for information only; (ii) not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security, insurance product, or financial guarantee; and (iii) not for distribution in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results, and Verdant Rock undertakes no obligation to update them. A credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security and may be subject to revision, suspension or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency.
Hashtag: #VerdantRock
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
ABOUT VERDANT ROCK
Verdant Rock Limited is a Bermuda-based insurance company, regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, providing Basel III and Solvency II compliant financial guarantees in emerging markets, designed to qualify as eligible credit protection under Basel and major insurance solvency regimes, for the benefit of institutions globally.
Online viewers praised the translation quality, with comments including “The quality of this real-time translation is amazing,” “The translation is incredibly fast,” and “The live speech recognition quality is surprisingly good.” Some viewers assumed the subtitles came from NVIDIA’s official translation team.
The achievement demonstrates how Taiwan’s media industry is adapting to AI-driven transformation. TVBS is positioning itself as a leader in integrating proprietary AI development with real-world broadcast applications. The company completed optimization and deployment of the system in just nine days — a process that traditionally requires months of dedicated training, according to Andy Yang, manager of TVBS AI Future Technology Department.
Yang explained that the biggest challenge in real-time translation lies in balancing “content accuracy” with “reading fluency” under extremely tight time constraints. Huang’s speaking style is highly improvisational and frequently switches between English, Mandarin and Taiwanese, while audience applause and cheering often occur simultaneously.
Applying standard off-the-shelf translation software in such an environment would likely result in sentence segmentation errors and unclear semantic interpretation, Yang said. Rather than pursuing “zero-latency” translation at all costs, TVBS designed a subtitle presentation mechanism specifically tailored to the keynote format.
Prior to the event, the TVBS team conducted extensive cross-platform testing on multiple AI translation models, evaluating latency and error rates. By introducing a carefully calibrated broadcast delay, the system gained additional time to process semantic meaning and contextual alignment. This approach enabled smoother subtitles matching natural Chinese reading habits, Yang said.
The team also built a dedicated knowledge base for NVIDIA GTC Taipei, compiling AI industry terminology, product names and technical keywords in advance. This significantly improved translation quality and the accuracy of professional content delivery. TVBS’s real-time translation system can be customized based on different broadcasting scenarios, Yang noted.
Yang emphasized that the key to the rapid nine-day deployment was cross-department collaboration. Engineering teams handled hardware tuning and signal integration, while internal technical and content teams managed ongoing model training and refinement. TVBS established a collaborative workflow integrating both technology and editorial expertise.
Through continuous iteration and adjustment, the team incorporated Taiwanese linguistic nuances and natural Chinese phrasing into the system. This enhanced fluency and readability beyond what generic AI models alone could achieve, ultimately shaping what Yang called a distinct “TVBS AI style.” The approach reflects the company’s “3T” philosophy — Truth, Trust and Technology.
In his keynote at the Taipei Music Center, Huang focused on AI infrastructure, next-generation computing platforms and NVIDIA’s latest technological roadmap. GTC Taipei 2026 attracted significant international attention as AI continues to reshape global industries. Through its own transformation journey, TVBS hopes to help lead Taiwan’s media industry into a new era shaped by AI.
Hashtag: #TVBS
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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