PUBLISHED ONAugust 01, 2026 12:40 AMBYSean LerEven as technology becomes an increasingly important partner in healthcare — with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools playing a role in patient care — what patients need from nurses will never change even as their role evolve, said Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How.
"That is the heart of nursing," he said at NHG Health's Nurses' Day celebrations on Wednesday (July 29).
He grew up watching his mother who worked as a nurse for over 50 years.
The senior minister of state said that he had initially thought that she was "simply looking after patients".
"Only later did I realise she was also giving countless families hope and confidence during some of the most difficult moments in their lives," he said, adding that he also grew to understand that nursing was not just a job for his mother.
"It was part of who she was. She spoke about her patients with warmth and compassion. She celebrated their recoveries. She worried about those who were struggling.
"Even after a difficult day, she carried with her a deep sense of responsibility for the people she cared for," Tan recounted.
Turning to the present, the senior minister of state noted that Singapore now faces a different challenge, it is becoming a super-aged society with people living longer.
But that also means more people are living with chronic conditions which present not just healthcare challenges, but societal ones too, he said.
"More families are balancing work while caring for ageing parents, even as they raise children of their own. Many caregivers shoulder these responsibilities quietly, often under tremendous strain...
"If we are to help Singaporeans live not just longer, but healthier and more fulfilling lives, healthcare cannot remain centred only around hospitals."
This means that care must now be delivered closer to home, in the communities, and alongside families. And that will change what it means to be a nurse, Tan said.
Beyond caring for patients at the beside, nurses now help residents in the community stay healthy, while supporting initiatives such as healthy ageing and chronic conditions management.
They also work with caregivers and bring preventive care closer to communities.
And as healthcare evolves, he said nurses must be supported to succeed, saying: "We cannot simply ask nurses to do more."
This means they are empowered to lead, innovate and shape the future of healthcare.
To do this, the senior minister of state said that Singapore must continue to invest in nursing as a profession by strengthening career pathways, expanding opportunities for specialisation and advancing practice.
Alongside these, they must also be developed as leaders and supported in their lifelong learning endeavours to that every nurse can continue to grow through their career, Tan added.
He said that technology can never replace compassion, judgement and the reassurance that only a nurse can provide.
"Patients may not remember every treatment they received. But they remember how they were cared for.
"They remember the nurse who listened. The nurse who explained. The nurse who gave them confidence. The nurse who treated them not simply as a patient, but as a fellow human being."
Referring to the Covid-19 period, Tan noted that nurses continued to show up at work despite the uncertainties and the risks to themselves and their loved ones.
"Covid reminded Singapore that while medicine and technology are essential, healthcare ultimately depends on people.
"People with courage. People with compassion. People whom we trust with our lives and with the lives of those we love. Singapore will never forget what our nurses did during those years."
Summing up his speech, Tan said: "Healthcare will continue to evolve. The role of nurses will continue to evolve. But what patients need from nurses will never change. And to me that is the heart of nursing."
Nurses' Day is officially celebrated in Singapore on Aug 1.
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