SingHealth and Singapore Management University (SMU) have launched a new undergraduate programme in healthcare administration.   Commencing in January 2019, the Health Economics and Management (HEM) second major will be open to SMU students in their first or second year of study.

The curriculum, jointly curated by SingHealth and SMU, covers areas such as health Systems and Policy, Applied Analytics in Healthcare Management, and Operations and Supply Chain Management.

As part of the programme, students will undergo a 10-week or six-month internship programme at SingHealth's healthcare institutions.  
Tan Ka Ling, a 1^st year student at SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business, has expressed interest to take up the HEM second major. "The launch of the new programme was to me a promising opportunity to do something meaningful for society with the skills that I will acquire through my course of study.   The chance to be able to make a difference in the lives of people just by 'doing my job', particularly in healthcare, is something I value, and I'm glad that SMU would offer something like this.

Prof Ivy Ng, GCEO, SingHealth, said, "We are excited to partner SMU in this important endeavor to groom the next generation of healthcare administrators, who will play a critical role in shaping the future of healthcare."

The MOU between SingHealth and SMU was signed at the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress 2018, held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.   The annual event is the leading platform in the region for administrators to share best practices in the areas of healthcare management. More than 1,400 people attend the three-day congress from 14-16 August 2018.