Alexandra Hospital leans on automation for expansion

Technology could support nonclinical tasks such as logistics and documentation.

Singapore’s Alexandra Hospital plans to use automation to prepare for a fourfold increase in bed capacity by 2028, betting that technology can protect care quality as scale and staffing pressures intensify.

CEO Margaret Lee Kwee Hiang said automation would support the hospital’s care model, which keeps patients in the same bed and under the same team as their needs change.

“We aim to conserve the limited time we have and devote it to meaningful, high‑quality human interactions for patient recovery,” she told Healthcare Asia via Zoom.

Lee said automation could support nonclinical tasks, such as logistics and documentation, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care rather than routine work.

The plan aligns with Alexandra Hospital’s redevelopment, which began in 2024 and is due for completion by the end of 2028. Bed capacity will rise to about 1,300 from 300, with the expanded campus adding emergency services, operating theatres, and critical care units.

Workforce strain is reinforcing the push towards automation, as healthcare staff manage longer patient life expectancy and a growing chronic disease burden.

Lee said clinicians would need to build capabilities in artificial intelligence and digital tools to sustain care delivery at scale.

The hospital, which is under the National University Health System, also plans to broaden its clinical scope. It seeks to expand surgical services and add more specialised care as capacity grows, Lee said, marking a shift beyond its focus on general medical care.