Encouraging overseas-trained doctors to return to Singapore

13 August 2012

Question No. 609

Name of person: Ms Tin Pei Ling

Question

             Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what measures is the Ministry taking to encourage Singaporean doctors who are trained overseas to return to Singapore; and (b) in terms of job grade and training experience accreditation, whether the Ministry recognises prior work experience by Singaporean doctors in overseas first world healthcare systems and, if so, how is the recognition given.

Answer

            The Ministry, in partnership with the public healthcare clusters, has put in place several measures to encourage more overseas-trained Singaporean medical doctors to return to Singapore. In July 2010, our public healthcare clusters launched the Pre-Employment Grant (PEG) to attract Singaporeans studying medicine overseas to return to Singapore upon their graduation.  Over the last 2 years, 154 overseas Singaporeans have been awarded the PEG.  At the same time, Singaporeans who are working as doctors overseas and who decide to return to Singapore to work in our public healthcare clusters do enjoy relocation allowances and incentives, as well as reimbursements for their air travel back to Singapore.

            Besides financial incentives, the Ministry has been working closely with our public healthcare institutions to organise joint overseas recruitment activities to directly recruit Singaporeans graduating from medical schools listed in the schedule of our Medical Registration Act. We also help overseas Singaporean medical students secure medical elective placements at our local hospitals during their clinical years to familiarise them with the local practice and facilitate their return back to Singapore eventually.

            The Singapore Medical Council and the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) and Family Physicians Accreditation Board of the Ministry of Health assesses and accredits all qualified overseas doctors including specialists and family physicians who come to work in Singapore. We generally recognise specialist and family physician training of doctors from traditional English speaking developed countries eg. US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and UK to be equivalent to that in Singapore. 

            Returning doctors who wish to join specialist or family medicine training in Singapore will need to first secure a training position. Their overseas training experience can be recognised if it is a structured programme and they can continue their training at the appropriate training year. The Programme Directors for each specialty will assess each case for any upward placements as eligible.  Returning doctors who may have some working experience but were not in a structured training programme overseas will join under the same conditions as our local medical officers who are still not in specialist or family medicine training.

            Variations in practice experience and specialist and family physician training standards exist even in developed countries.  The Singapore Medical Council thus sets the national standards for performance to protect the health and safety of the public, and works with the employing institutions to assess whether the returning doctor is able to perform to the required competencies during an initial prescribed period of conditional registration.