Singapore and Bhutan Partner on AI Chest X-Ray Model for Rural Hospitals
SingHealth and the Royal University of Bhutan's Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology will develop an AI model trained on Bhutanese patient data to diagnose lung infections and cancer in rural hospitals. The two-year agreement was announced at a government AI conference in Singapore on May 25.
The collaboration addresses a practical constraint: rural Bhutanese hospitals lack radiological expertise and face geographical barriers to specialist care. An AI-assisted tool could help clinicians detect lung diseases faster and more accurately from chest X-rays.
How the Model Works
SingHealth will adapt MerMED-FM, an existing medical imaging foundation model, using data from Bhutanese patients. This approach captures local disease patterns and population characteristics rather than relying on models trained elsewhere.
MerMED-FM was co-developed by SingHealth's Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre and A*STAR's Institute of High Performance Computing. The model can analyze multiple types of medical images across different specialties.
The tool will roll out across Gelephu Mindfulness City Healthcare Hospitals in Bhutan.
Broader Government AI Investment
Singapore's Ministry of Health has invested approximately $150 million to scale AI technologies into national health projects. Current initiatives include generative AI for automating repetitive administrative tasks, medical imaging AI for breast cancer detection, and exploration of agentic AI applications.
SingHealth and other Singapore health systems are already implementing AI-based chest X-ray analysis software from Lunit through the AimSG programme.
The Singapore government has published guidance including AI in Healthcare Guidelines and Model AI Governance Frameworks to support adoption. Officials emphasize that trust in AI systems is essential for patient safety.
The Bhutan partnership also includes developing guidelines, educational programs, and regulatory frameworks on responsible AI use in healthcare tailored to the country's needs.
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