Effectiveness of Efforts to Attract and Retain Singaporean Medical Students Studying Abroad to Work in Singapore

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health with regard to the increasing number of foreign doctors in public hospitals and polyclinics (a) whether there is success in efforts to attract Singaporean medical students studying abroad to return to work in Singapore; (b) whether there is success in retaining those who returned to Singapore beyond the three to four years which they are required to serve in a public hospital; and (c) what further measures is the Government considering to reverse the shortage of Singaporean medical staff.

To meet our medical manpower needs, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has steadily ramped up intakes of our medical schools by 40%, from 354 in 2012 to 500 in 2018. Our medical schools will remain our primary source of new doctors.

An average of about 200 overseas-trained local doctors returned each year in the last three years, more than double that in 2010. As our local pipeline has grown significantly over the years, we expect our need to recruit overseas-trained doctors to moderate and stabilise in the coming years.

Of those who returned and registered with Singapore Medical Council between 2010 and 2012, more than nine in 10 continued to practise in Singapore even after five years and about four in five stayed in the public sector for five years or more.

Our public healthcare institutions will continue to provide a conducive work environment for all healthcare staff by improving work processes for doctors and adopting technology to streamline workload. We are also providing more training and development opportunities for career progression. Our healthcare staff, including doctors, also have a wide range of opportunities to work in different institutions and settings within the healthcare sector.

Beside doctors, we are also stepping up recruitment and retention efforts for other healthcare professionals like nurses. Over the years, we have increased salaries and broadened opportunities for nurses, including providing greater autonomy in their roles, and increasing opportunities and funding support for training. The intakes of our local nursing courses have also increased significantly from around 1,500 in 2012 to more than 2,100 in 2018.

MOH will continue to review our manpower strategies based on projected future healthcare needs, taking into consideration the changing healthcare context, and ensure we have adequate manpower supplies.