The Ministry of Health (MOH) is on track to grow the healthcare workforce by 20,000 between 2011 and 2020, said Minister of State for Health Chee Hong Tat in Parliament on Tuesday (Mar 1).
Mr Chee said latest data shows the doctor-to-population ratio in 2014 was 21 doctors per 10,000 population, while the nurse-to-population ratio stood at 69 nurses per 10,000 population.
The Minister of State added that MOH is looking to attract Singaporeans to work in the healthcare industry, such as through improving the work environment and bringing back Singaporeans who have studied abroad.
“Part of the efforts we’ve been working on and we’ll continue to do is to work closely with the hospitals, healthcare institutions and also our unions to look at how we can improve the work environment to allow healthcare workers to work till a later age,” said Mr Chee.
“We’re also looking at supporting mid-career professionals who are interested to become healthcare workers. We will fund the cost of their training, and provide them with training allowances during their studies to help defray their living expenses. And upon completing their training, they will also receive a career transition bonus,” he added.
news source & image credits: channelnewsasia.com
