Elizabeth Pan Dai Dee, Assistant Director, Digital & Smart Health Office, Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI), Singapore

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

In my role as the lead of the Digital Enablement and Adoption Unit, our primary focus is on empowering and equipping our healthcare staff with the necessary tools and resources to effectively utilise technologies.  

Our team work diligently to enhance efficiency and productivity without our healthcare organisation, which ultimately leads to improved patient care and outcome. 

We recognise that healthcare professionals often face significant time pressures and administrative burdens.  Our goal is to alleviate these challenges through smart application of technology such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), allowing our healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care. 

In essence, our team’s work in digital enablement serves as a foundation for improved healthcare delivery, building a more responsive and effective healthcare system from the inside out. 

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

This year, the establishment of our Automation Centre of Excellence (CoE) has been a highly impactful project for our organisation. 

With its unique focus on building ‘citizen developers’ within our organization, this initiative goes beyond centralising automation expertise; it empowers our staff to become creators of digital solutions.   

Through training and support, we’re equipping our staff with the skills to develop and implement their own automation solutions, we’re fostering a culture of innovation from the ground up.  

By fostering a culture of innovation from the ground up, we have seen a significant boost in staff engagement with new technologies.  Our staff are actively identifying opportunities for automation and taking ownership of the process.   

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

One unexpected learning I had in 2024 was that people are eager to change and embrace new technologies – they just need to be given the right opportunities and channels to access the help and support they required.   

Through our work in the Automation Centre of Excellence, we found that staff were surprisingly receptive to adopting digital tools.  By empowering them as ‘citizen developers’, we unlocked a surge of creativity and enthusiasm. 

The key lesson was that the desire for change was already present, we just need to create the right enablement framework.  Our staff were eager to enhance their digital skills and drive transformation but required the appropriate resources and support.   

Additionally, being positioned at the intersection of healthcare and technology, I’ve come to realise the endless opportunities for innovation.  By bridging that gap, we can unlock transformative solutions that directly benefit our staff and patients. 

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025? 

I am eager to explore how we can leverage AI to automate tedious tasks, provide intelligent assistance, and empower our healthcare professional with data-driven insights. 

Importantly, as we invest in these in-house AI capabilities, we’ll need to ensure robust governance, security, and ethical frameworks. 

It will be crucial to strike the right balance between innovation and responsible deployment of these transformative technologies. 

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5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.

AI has transformative potential for the public sector, especially in healthcare, by enhancing efficiency, improving patient outcomes, and personalising care. 

By streamlining administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, billing, and data entry, AI allows healthcare professionals to dedicate more time to patient care. 

In clinical settings, AI can analyse vast amounts of patient data to assist in diagnostics, predict disease progression, and personalise treatment plans, ultimately improving patient outcomes and enabling more effective decision-making. 

Despite these advantages, the integration of AI must be approached responsibly, emphasizing the need for robust AI governance.  Ethical considerations, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency, are crucial to maintain trust between patients and healthcare providers. 

Balancing innovation with responsible use of AI will ensure that AI technologies not only enhance patient care but also uphold safety and ethnical standards in healthcare. 

6. What are your priorities for 2025? 

In 2025, my priorities include expanding our Automation Centre of Excellence to foster co-sharing, co-learning, and co-collaboration among healthcare institutions. 

This will involve building partnerships to create a network focused on knowledge sharing and process re-engineering. 

I aim to implement structured learning programs, such as workshops and engagement sessions, while providing access to shared resources that support automation initiatives across institutions. 

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

“Embrace collaboration and maintain a user-centric approach”

Engage with stakeholders, including citizens, staff, other agencies to understand their needs, ensuring solution address real challenges. 

Building partnerships with private entities and academia can enhance knowledge sharing and inspire innovative ideas that may not emerge within a single organisation.   

Additionally, prioritise agility in your processes by adopting iterative development practices that allow for rapid prototyping and feedback loops. 

This approach enables you to adapt solutions based on real-world insights. 

Finally, foster a culture that encourages experimentation and learning from failures, as this environment can help drive meaningful change and improve services for the community you serve. 

8. Who inspires you today? 

I am inspired by my colleagues in healthcare who are dedicated in making a positive impact on patient lives. 

Their passion for improving services and embracing innovation motivates me as an administrator.  I particularly admire those who foster collaboration among diverse teams to tackle challenges and enhance care delivery. 

Their commitment to a patient-centered approach reinforces my belief in compassion and resilience. 

This feature was made possible in partnership with Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI).