There are some notable key players in the smart health niche in Singapore, these include IHiS (Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), Test-at-Home and CLR8 Technologies. We shall examine some of these in this article.
Singapore’s reputation as a healthcare and wellness hub is well-deserved. In 2000, World Health Organization ranked it #6 as the country with the best overall healthcare system, only trailing France, Spain, Japan, Austria, and Oman.
And it’s not just about the quality of hospitals and clinics. Singapore is also home to many innovative health tech startups changing how we think about and manage our health.
Unlike most other countries, where public hospitals have no say in their management decisions, in Singapore, public hospitals actively collaborate with startups to test and implement new technologies.
They even compete with each other for patients, resulting in higher quality and more affordable services for everyone.
General hospitals have multiple functions and are not only places for the sick and injured.
They also provide preventive, primary, secondary, and tertiary care. They represent multi-disciplinary acute inpatient and outpatient care, which can be general or specialised.
For example, some general hospitals in Singapore offer cancer treatment, while others focus on cardiology or infectious diseases.
The Heath Ecosystem in Singapore
Those overseeing and funding Singapore’s public health sector can be broken down into four main groups: the Ministry of Health (MOH), Medisave, MediShield Life, and MediFund.
The MOH is responsible for the development and regulation of healthcare in Singapore.
It sets policies, provides funding, and oversees the management of public hospitals and clinics.
Medisave is a national savings scheme that allows Singaporeans to set aside money for their and their family’s future medical needs.
MediShield Life is a basic health insurance plan covering all Singaporeans.
It helps pay for large hospital bills and selected outpatient treatments and provides financial protection for those with pre-existing conditions.
MediFund is a safety net that helps Singaporeans with limited means pay for their medical expenses.
The healthcare system employs a mix of financing systems, including nationalised life insurance schemes, deductions from the compulsory savings plan, out-of-pocket payments, and Central Provident Fund contributions.
That allows for a certain degree of risk-pooling and cost-sharing, which helps to keep overall costs down.
27 Healthcare Players in Singapore
Healthcare startups are nothing new.
In the past decade, we’ve seen a surge in digital health startups using technology to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and convenient.
These startups consist of apps, wearables, and devices that help us track and manage our health and connect us with doctors and other health specialists.
Here are 70 healthcare notable players in Singapore making a difference in how we think about and manage our health. Here are 27 of these:
#1. Test-at-Home
Test at Home is a biotechnology startup based in Singapore and India that provides at-home medical tests for infectious diseases.
The company was founded in 2020 to accelerateand simplify the diagnosis of infectious diseases.
Test at Home’s technology enables users to get accurate results within minutes without the need for laboratory or trained personnel.
The company uses biochemistry and biomechanics to collect samples, non-invasively, from a person’s body.
These samples are then analysed using proprietary algorithms to provide accurate and actionable results.
#2. CLR8 Technologies
CLR8 is a medical tech company that innovates and develops wearable applications and sensors to enable remote physiotherapy.
The company was founded in 2016 to empower patients to take control of their health and well-being.
The company leverages the latest IoT innovations to increase patient engagement and compliance with physiotherapy programmes.
CLR8’s wearable devices collect data on a patient’s range of motion, force, and endurance.
This data is then transmitted to a smartphone app, where it can be used to track progress and recovery.
#3. Acumen Research Laboratories (ARL)
Dr. Ong Siew Hwa founded Acumen Research Laboratories (ARL) in 2010.
The company is a leading provider of medical diagnostic services in Singapore.
AcuSept test can detect infections and sepsis in under five hours.
The company also distributes the Unyvero platform (Curetis, GmbH) to rapidly and accurately detect pathogens and antibiotic resistance markers in blood cultures, pneumonia, tissue infections, and intra-abdominal infections.
Acumen also provides a full range of general clinical laboratory services.
#4. Neurostyle
Neurostyle is a Singapore-based startup dedicated to designing, developing, producing, and supplying neurological diagnostic, rehabilitation, and monitoring devices. Strategically located in the heart of the Asia Pacific region, Neurostyle strives to bring the latest and most advanced medical technologies within the reach of healthcare professionals and patients in this part of the world.
The company is known for collaborating with dedicated research teams from Singapore’s Top research institutions to research centres overseas to bring the latest and most advanced technologies to Asia.
Some of their products include a Somnormal Mico-current stimulator (for treating insomnia), a smart intraoperative neuromonitoring system (for protecting patients during surgery), an ambulatory EEG system (for long-term EEG monitoring), and many more.
#5. Forefront Medical
Forefront is a world-renowned medical devices contractor manufacturer with manufacturing stations in Singapore, China, Changzhou, Xiamen, and business development centres in China, Shangai, CT USA, Farmington, and Dublin, CA.
The company specialises in disposable medical devices, diagnostic platforms, and drug delivery systems.
The company strives to be close to its customers for more effective communication and technical assistance.
The company was founded in 2000 and has significantly grown to become one of the top contract manufacturers of the Laryngeal Masks Airway and the technical mastermind with technical design prototyping, assistance, assembly, packaging, and clean-room moulding experience.
Forefront’s product lines include respiratory care, anaesthesia, cardiovascular, general surgery, urology, obstetrics/gynaecology, oncology, ophthalmology, and diagnostics.
#6. Prognoix
Prognoix is a clinically recognised, global provider of enterprise-wide diagnostic technologies for impotence. Driven by machine learning and AI, their AndroCare platform is a first-of-its-kind, cloud-based solution that helps clinicians arrive at an objective and standardised assessment of the cause(s) of impotence.
The company was founded in 2018 to develop objective analysis tools for sexual health and reduce the stigma surrounding sexual dysfunctions.
The AndroCare platform is based on machine learning algorithms trained on a large dataset of patient data.
These algorithms can identify patterns in the data that can be used to arrive at a diagnosis.
#7. Smart Thermograph
Smart Arthritis is a patented marketing tool that helps to increase repeat sales of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen, ibuprofen, and diclofenac) and other analgesics.
Smart arthritis encourages customers to use NSAID remedies to proactively avoid subjective interpretation of pain.
It’s designed to improve brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.
It’s a clinically validated digital health knee arthritis monitoring solution that visualises inflammation levels on a knee joint for 10 seconds. The results are displayed on a Smartphone or tablet application.
Smart arthritis is easy to use, accurate, and non-invasive.
It’s been validated in clinical studies with excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability.
The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Singapore.
#8. FlexoSense
FlexoSense is a Singapore-based health tech startup with co-founders from NUS (National University of Singapore).
The sensors facilitate new experiences in lifestyle, healthcare, robotics, sports, and more.
The company envisions their sensors as an enabler in sensing for healthcare devices, consumer electronics, and robotics.
Their flexible sensor comes embedded within a skin-like elastomer, which can be stretched, flexed, and deformed.
It is also ultra-thin, lightweight, and comfortable to wear for extended periods.
The sensor can measure a variety of biometrics, including heart rate, respiration, hydration, blood pressure, and more.
#9. Supercraft 3D
Supercraft 3D is a Singapore-headquartered additive manufacturing service bureau focusing on healthcare.
The company was founded in 2016 by Maltesh, AVi, and SKP, who saw the potential of 3D printing to transform the healthcare sector.
The company’s mission is to provide medical models for various end users, like educational institutions, surgeons, diagnostic centres, and patients undergoing CMF procedures, to help them plan for their medical procedures.
The company is actively involved in research and development for 3D-printed implants. It has a range of medical models that replace the need for human cadavers in medical learning and pre-operative planning.
#10. AiTreat
AiTreat is a health-tech company HQ in Singapore and was founded in 2015 by a team of engineers, data scientists, and medical doctors.
AiTreat’s mission is to make clinical-grade healthcare solutions that improve the lives of the people who need them.
The company has developed a platform that uses AI to personalise the treatment of chronic diseases.
Their robotic system for soft tissue management is the first of its kind in Asia, aimed at tackling the shortage of skilled massage therapists.
The company is also working on a digital assistant for diabetic patients, providing them with real-time feedback on their condition.
#11. IHiS
Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) [pronounced as i-his] is the technology agency for the public healthcare sector. A multi-award-winning healthcare IT leader, IHiS digitises, connects, and analyses Singapore’s health ecosystem
#12. Biorithm
Biorithm was founded in 2014 by a team of doctors and engineers from NUS (National University of Singapore). The company is headquartered in Singapore.
The company produces a range of maternity products to prevent pregnancy complications and stillbirth through precision and predictive medicine.
Biorithm’s products include:
- Femom Lite: A comprehensive obstetrics remote monitoring system that helps doctors to manage high-risk pregnancies.
- Fetal Monitor: A non-invasive fetal monitor that can be used to detect fetal distress in real-time
Biorithm is also working on a range of other products, including a maternal and child health app and a digital platform to support clinical research in obstetrics.
#13. Credo Dx Biomed
Credo Dx Biomed is a Singapore-based company that develops and commercialises point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technology for the early detection of infectious diseases in humans and animals.
Their nucleic acid diagnostic platform can be used to rapidly detect a range of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi, with minimal training from the user.
Their solution covers sample preparation, detection, and implication through simple workflow and user interface without compromising sensitivity and accuracy.
#14. Leben Care
Leben care is a deep learning AI HealthTech startup operating in ophthalmology.
The company was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Singapore.
The company has developed an AI-powered retinal diagnostics and screening solution. They’re focused on improving the quality of diagnosis across diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.
Their flagship product, Netra.ai, is a cloud-based AI platform that uses deep learning algorithms to automatically detect and grade incidences of blindness by timely identifying the patient’s risk and offering early diagnosis and treatment plans.
#15. Biobot Surgical
Biobot Surgical is a Singapore-based company that develops and commercialises minimally invasive surgical robots.
The company was founded in 2017 by a team of robotic engineers, surgeons, and entrepreneurs.
At the time of writing this, their ISR’obot Mona-Lisa has obtained regulatory approvals in the US (FDA), Europe (CE-Mark), Singapore (HSA), and Australia (TGA).
The Mona Lisa is a single-use, fully disposable surgical robot that provides surgeons with 3D high-definition vision and access to hard-to-reach areas of the body.
It comes with MRI-ultrasound fusion capability and real-time visualisation of the targeted area.
The Mona Lisa strives to be the benchmark in the prognosis and diagnosis of prostate cancer.
#16. SenzeHub
SenzeHub is a HealthTech startup dedicated to helping families care for their loved ones, particularly senior citizens.
They have a wearable device going by the same name, SenzeHub, that determines the user’s location, vitals reading, abnormality, and other crises.
The wearable device is equipped with sensors that can detect a fall, for example, and immediately send an alert to the caregiver’s mobile app.
Other features of the app include:
- A panic button that sends an emergency message to the caregiver’s mobile app with the user’s GPS location
- A medical information page where the user can store their medical information, such as allergies and medications
- An activity tracking page that tracks the user’s daily activities
The company aims to provide peace of mind for caregivers and allow them to monitor their loved one’s health and well-being anywhere at any time.
#17. Roceso
Roceso is a medical device development company specialising in designing and developing robotic technologies to bring independence and self-respect back to patients’ lives by rehabilitating stroke and orthopaedic injuries.
The company was founded in 2016 and has grown to be one of the leading soft robotic companies in the world, with a strong portfolio of patents and an international team of passionate robotic engineers, clinicians, and scientists.
Their robotic solutions provide functional assistance to patients with motor impairments, helping them to regain their independence.
The MedTech startup is responsible for a wearable glove called EsoGlove. This bionic glove assists people with impaired hand function due to conditions such as stroke, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis.
The glove has been designed to give patients the ability to perform daily tasks such as holding a cup, brushing their teeth, and combing their hair.
#18. AITbiotech
AITbiotech is a molecular diagnostics company that develops and commercialises Singapore-branded molecular diagnostics and genome-based solutions for the healthcare and biopharmaceutical industries.
The company was founded in 2006 and has since established a strong presence in Southeast Asia with a wide range of molecular diagnostics products used to detect infectious diseases, cancer, and genetic disorders.
AITbiotech’s flagship product is the abCyclerQd, a point-of-care-testing (PoCT) system suitable for onsite rapid nucleic and detection of a broad range of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
The abCyclerQd is a highly sensitive and specific system that can diagnose infectious diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus.
#19. See-mode
See-mode is a medical technology company backed by some of the leading investors across Asia-Pacific.
It automatically reads and assesses ultrasound images for doctors, freeing up time for them to focus on other important tasks.
Founded in 2017, the technology uses artificial intelligence, computational modelling, and computer vision to detect, measure, and track anatomical landmarks and pathology in real-time.
The company utilises regularly collected ultrasound, magnetic resonance images, and computed tomography of arteries to create a database that clinicians and medical professionals can reference to predict strokes.
The software solutions take images and turn them into 3D renderings so that doctors can see a fuller picture of what is happening inside the body.
The technology is specifically designed to help clinicians and radiologists make more informed decisions about patient care.
#20. Curiox
Curiox Biosystems is a Singaporean biotechnology company committed to enabling accurate biological analysis and assessment through automation.
The company was founded in 2008 and has grown to become one of the leading developers and manufacturers of innovative assay platforms and reagents based on its proprietary droplet microfluidics technology.
Curiox Biosystems’ products are used in various applications such as drug discovery, genomics, and proteomics.
The company’s flagship product is the LAMINAR WASH™ HT2000 SYSTEM. This high-throughput automated microfluidic system allows for gentle laminar cell washing in a format compatible with standard laboratory automation and workflows.
The system has been designed to increase the efficiency of cell-based assays and provide accurate results.
#21. X-Zell Tech
X-Zell Tech is an award-winning MedTech company focussing on the early detection and visualisation of atypical or nonconforming cells from body fluids such as pleural fluid and blood.
The company was founded in 2014 and has developed a portfolio of products that clinicians can use for the early detection of cancer.
Atypical cells do not look like normal cells and can indicate cancer.
X-Zell’s products are designed to help clinicians identify these cells and take necessary action to treat the condition.
The X-Zell platform technology is designed based on four core modules covering the entire spectrum, from cell analysis to blood processing and reporting.
X-Zell combines more than 4000 years of pathological knowledge with state-of-the-art technology to develop products that make a difference in patients’ lives.
#22. Lumiere32
Lumeire32 started as a concept in 2015, bringing in a complete medical supplies ecosystem, including dealers, manufacturers, and clinicians, on a single platform.
The app was launched in early 2016 and had been growing steadily since then.
Lumiere 32 is an m-health startup that provides a one-stop mobile application for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to search and connect with the right medical devices and equipment suppliers.
They bridge the gap between MedTech dealers and clinicians by providing a platform for them to connect and interact with each other.
The app allows clinicians to access product information, special offers, and exclusive deals from medical suppliers.
Lumiere 32 is committed to improving how healthcare professionals source medical supplies and ultimately make a difference in the quality of patient care.
#23. FathomX
FathomX is a digital health AI-based spin-off for breast cancer from the National University of Singapore.
The company was founded in early 2019 to make breast cancer screening accessible and affordable for women.
FathomX has developed an AI-powered device that can detect early signs of breast cancer, even before a lump is palpable.
Their flagship product, FxMammo, is a hand-held breast scanning device that uses low-intensity sound waves to create a 3D image of the breast.
The device can detect abnormalities not visible on a mammogram and is more effective than mammography alone in detecting early-stage breast cancer.
#24. Kinexcs
Kinexcs is a digital health tech company specialising in personal health for fitness enthusiasts and athletes.
The company was founded in early 2019 and has developed a series of products designed to help people live healthier and more active lifestyles.
Their flagship product, Kimia, is a wearable device for the knee that tracks movement and provides real-time feedback to the user.
Kimia is designed to help people with knee injuries recover faster and prevent further injuries from occurring.
#25. SmartFuture
SmartFuture is pushing the boundaries of technology in the healthcare sector by bringing the power of AI and IoT to clinical decision-making.
The company provides white-label, EMR-integrated remote patient monitoring solutions that enable clinicians to monitor their patient’s health status remotely.
They provide an RPM platform with a mobile application, wireless medical device, web portal, and EMR integrations.
Leading hospitals and clinics use SmartFuture’s RPM platform in Singapore, and the company is quickly expanding its footprint globally.
#26. Vela Diagnostics
Vela Dx is a digital health company specialising in integrated molecular diagnostics workflow solutions.
The company was founded in 2011, with a global reach but is headquartered in Singapore.
Vela’s mission is to provide an accurate and timely diagnosis of infectious diseases, cancer, and genetic disorders.
They offer a complete range of molecular diagnostic solutions designed to meet the needs of low-resource and high-resource settings.
Turning laboratory data into actionable insights is crucial for effective disease management and patient care.
That’s where Vela’s expertise lies; they are constantly innovating to make their products more user-friendly and affordable.
#27. Sepsitron
Sepsistron is a health tech developer of a medical diagnostic tool that aids in the early detection of viral, parasitic, bacterial, and fungal pathogens in blood samples.
Sepsistron’s technology uses a combination of biomarkers, electronics, and microfluidics to create a rapid, point-of-care test that can be used in resource-limited settings.
The company was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Singapore.
Sepsistron’s technology has the potential to transform the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and managed globally.