AI and 5G harnessed to revolutionise healthcare

Gao Yujia, a professor at the National University Hospital in Singapore, delivered a keynote speech on convergence of 5G and AI in healthcare during the event, themed on empowering digital economy growth in the new era.

Over the past 5–10 years, the world has witnessed an exponential increase in the application of AI in healthcare, according to Yujia.

"Indeed, the AI revolution in healthcare began with simple applications such as medical imaging diagnostics. AI is used to analyse X-ray and MRI scans to significantly reduce reading times for doctors. Meanwhile, early-warning systems in emergency departments adopt AI to improve detection rates and recommend potential interventions,” Yuija said.

The revolution in wearable devices has brought significant changes to health behaviours and health practices, Yujia added. “Data from smartwatches have encouraged people to better take care of their health, surpassing any initiatives to educate and raise health awareness in place over the past decade," Yuija said.

The boom in telehealth during the pandemic marked a major turning point in healthcare innovation. Telehealth has gradually transformed into a primary care option. At the same time, the use of surgical robots has grown, not only within individual hospitals but also through cross-border collaboration. For instance, a surgeon in China can operate a surgical robot to treat a patient in Greece.

The concept of the medical metaverse, including VR/AR and mixed reality, is building momentum, and the technologies are increasingly being applied to simulate environments in three dimensions.

Today, large language models and generative AI are now widely used, but the enormous amount of data they rely on raises a critical question: how to utilise these resources responsibly and sustainably in a highly connected world.

“Another concept is spatial AI, or spatial computing, where AI operates within three-dimensional space rather than only processing two-dimensional or structured data. Through the use of geospatial data to improve spatial awareness, coupled with computer vision–based analysis, we are moving into the next phase of AI integration in healthcare,” Yujia said. “All these advancements in healthcare require solid network infrastructure to support data transmission, data processing, and analysis through cloud computing, enabling AI systems to function in daily clinical practice.”

Meanwhile, the National University Hospital in Singapore has begun deploying 5G within its healthcare system. The 5G network is implemented as a private virtual network, and allows the hospital to leverage public infrastructure while maintaining a secure, enterprise-level private network that can be accessed from anywhere in Singapore.

In practice, the National University Hospital in Singapore now has nationwide 5G coverage. The hospital has also deployed numerous AI applications from physical workstations and moved them to the 5G network.

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