Career options, incentives for doctors to return to Singapore

MOH's Reply

The Straits Times, 22 February 2016

Career options, incentives for doctors to return to Singapore

Mr Kenny Ching Hwee Seong asked if there were long-term career options for junior doctors, given the rapid expansion of local medical schools and that more junior doctors who were trained abroad are returning to Singapore to practise ("Ensure long-term plans for junior doctors", Feb 13).

With an ageing population, there is an increased need for clinical manpower in the fields of family medicine, geriatric medicine and internal medicine, across primary, community and acute care settings.

Doctors can take up family medicine residency training and practice as consultant family physicians providing holistic and continuing care in the community. They can also take up speciality training to practise as specialists in hospitals.

With the variety of career options available, junior doctors can aspire to have meaningful and rewarding careers in the healthcare sector.

We agree with Mr Ching that we should also attract back Singaporean physicians who are working overseas.

MOH Holdings offers the Pre-Employment Grant (PEG) to attract Singaporeans studying medicine overseas to return to practise locally. In 2014, 181 PEGs were awarded to Singaporean medical students, an increase of almost three times since the inception of the grant in 2010.

MOH Holdings and the public healthcare institutions also organise regular engagements with overseas Singaporean doctors who are interested to explore opportunities back home.

Recruitment incentives, such as relocation allowances and reimbursement for air travel, are offered, besides competitive salary packages.

In addition to recruiting overseas-trained Singaporean doctors, the Ministry of Health also works closely with our public healthcare institutions to ensure that we retain good doctors, through the provision of professional development and career advancement opportunities, recognition for excellence in clinical, teaching, research and leadership work, and a conducive work environment.

We will continue to review and improve our efforts to attract and retain local and overseas-trained Singaporean doctors.

Lim Bee Khim (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Health

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Forum Letter

The Straits Times, 13 February 2016

Ensure long-term plans for junior doctors

There is a difference between Singapore doctors who are trained abroad and those who merely get their medical education abroad ("More S'pore docs trained abroad are coming home"; Monday).

In the medical field, training typically refers to periods of supervised work experience, where doctors, for the first time, take a front-line role in providing clinical care.

These training periods are variably referred to as internships, housemanships, residencies or fellowships - depending on how far the trainee has advanced.

Doctors must complete these training programmes and pass the requisite board exams in order to be certified competent for the independent practice of medicine.

Many of the cases in the programme described in the report appear to be recent medical graduates who are taking up entry-level training positions back in Singapore.

And why should the clarification between "trained" and "educated" matter?

Although there are push factors in the British and Australian markets, where most Singaporeans obtain overseas medical degrees, there must also be enough local demand to create the reported shift.

Therefore, this hiring trend suggests where labour demands lie in our public hospitals, which is at the level of junior, non-specialised doctors who carry out the trenchwork of our wards and clinics, and require supervision.

Two questions surface from this: What are the long-term career options for these junior doctors, and are there overseas Singaporean physicians who are trained abroad and desire to return home?

The first question needs to be seriously addressed, given the aggressive hiring of medical students educated abroad and the rapid expansion of medical schools in Singapore.

Very soon, we could be faced with a glut of medical trainees who have completed the requisite years of basic training and licensing.

It is not feasible for these doctors to remain in junior positions indeterminately, so what options are available to them then?

Does our medical system have the capacity for upward mobility and advancing career aspirations? Is there enough fluidity in the physician hiring market? Are we truly addressing why doctors currently leave the public sector?

We should also investigate if there are trained Singaporean physicians who are practising abroad, and if we should also try to attract them home.

Singapore can benefit much from their diverse experiences and collective knowledge, without incurring the time and costs of more training.

And, as we model ourselves into a hub for medical research and innovation, doctors who are groomed in such traditions overseas can inject ideas and energy into this drive.

Kenny Ching Hwee Seong