Projected Increase in Number of Medical Officers

Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Minister for Health of the expected increase of 20,000 healthcare professionals by 2020, how many will be medical officers and what is the projected increase in medical officers on temporary registration that will be hired by our public healthcare sector until 2020.

Of the expected increase of 20,000 healthcare professionals between 2011 and 2020, as announced in the Healthcare 2020 Masterplan, about 3,600 will be positions for doctors.

Most of the positions will be filled by graduates of the three local medical schools and Singaporeans returning from overseas with recognised medical qualifications. We are expanding our local medical training capacity. In 2012, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School graduated a total of 290 new doctors. With the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine admitting its first intake from 2013, total local output of medical graduates will rise to 500 in the longer term. In addition, 92 overseas trained Singaporean doctors returned and were registered in 2012. MOH will continue its efforts to attract overseas Singaporeans with recognised medical qualifications to return.

Any remaining demand in specific areas is then filled by overseas-trained foreign doctors. Some of them may be temporarily registered, and will be in Singapore for a limited period to help alleviate our immediate clinical service needs.