In Singapore, FHIR is becoming a key standard for exchanging healthcare data. It is already used for several important use cases, and adoption is expected to grow strongly in the coming years.

Awareness of FHIR in the local IT industry is still limited. However, interest is rising, especially as AI and machine learning create new demand for structured health data.

Singapore mainly uses the FHIR REST API approach to exchange data between systems. Other exchange methods, like FHIR Messaging and FHIR Documents, are not in use.

Rules and Support

Singapore does not yet have strict rules in place for FHIR adoption:

  • There is no regulation that requires the use of standards in electronic health data exchange.
  • FHIR is not formally mandated by any national rule.
  • There are no government funds specifically available to support FHIR adoption.
  • Funding and resources for FHIR work are limited.

This means FHIR adoption in Singapore is currently driven more by need and innovation than by regulation.

National Setup

The national setup for FHIR in Singapore is still developing:

  • There is no dedicated national organization responsible for health data standards.
  • A base/core FHIR implementation guide for Singapore is currently under development.
  • There is no national FHIR terminology server, and no plans to build one yet.
  • There is no known activity around the FHIR Community Process (FCP), and none is expected in the next 2–3 years.

Active Use Cases

FHIR work in Singapore is focused on sharing individual resources between systems rather than full message or document exchanges.

Key points include:

  • The main exchange method is the FHIR REST API.
  • SQL on FHIR (a way to query FHIR data using SQL) is also being used.
  • Tools like SMART on FHIR, CDS Hooks, and CQL on FHIR are used in a limited way.
  • National FHIR standards for specific use cases (like prescriptions, referrals, or imaging) are not yet developed.

Who's Using FHIR

The main organizations adopting FHIR in Singapore are:

  • Care providers
  • EHR (electronic health record) system vendors
  • App developers
  • Government agencies

The main reasons for adopting FHIR are:

  • Improving health outcomes
  • Improving care workflows
  • Giving patients better access to their data
  • Supporting innovation

Both open source and proprietary FHIR software are used, with a fairly balanced mix.

Success Stories and Challenges

A standout success story in Singapore is Healthier SG, the national preventive care program. FHIR has helped this initiative by:

  • Lowering costs
  • Improving access to information
  • Improving care workflows

AI and FHIR

AI and machine learning are strongly helping FHIR efforts in Singapore. They are increasing interest in FHIR and structured data as a foundation for AI applications. There is strong disagreement with the idea that AI removes the need for structured data — high-quality FHIR data is seen as essential.

Main Challenges

  • Changes in political direction can affect FHIR adoption plans.
  • Limited awareness of FHIR in the local IT industry.
  • Limited funding to support broader adoption.

Future Plans

Last year's progress matched expectations, with the key achievement being the development of a national FHIR data model.

Looking ahead:

  • Continued work on the national FHIR data model
  • Future national systems data exchange projects using FHIR
  • Strong expectation that FHIR will deliver real benefits within the next three years, including cost savings, better care coordination, and a stronger digital health ecosystem

Contributors

  • Victor Chai, Synapxe Pte Ltd (Lead of Synapxe FHIR work group)

The above summary is based on the answers to the State of FHIR Survey 2026, organized by Firely and HL7 International.