New Allied Health Degree Programmes at Singapore Institute of Technology to Meet Evolving Healthcare Needs of Singaporeans

1                The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will be launching Bachelor of Science with Honours four-year degree programmes in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, diagnostic radiography and radiation therapy, from September 2016. 

2                With Singapore’s ageing population and growing prevalence of chronic conditions, healthcare needs will increase. The training of our allied health professionals (AHPs) will also need to evolve in tandem to equip AHPs with the requisite skills and knowledge to help patients, including the elderly, get better rehabilitation and preventive care. The new degree programmes will provide for a deeper and more seamless integration of knowledge and skills for practice.

3                SIT will start with an initial intake of 235 students across the four degree programmes, before ramping up progressively. The new programmes will expand the range of degree programmes available at SIT and will give our young people a more diverse range of careers to fulfil their aspirations. The additional degree places will also contribute to the increase in the publicly-funded university cohort participation rate to 40% by AY2020 as part of the recommendations made by the Committee on University Expansion Pathways Beyond 2015.

4                With the launch of the new degree programmes, the existing allied health diploma programmes at the Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) will admit its last batch of GCE A-Level students in April 2015. Since 1995, NYP has graduated over 2,200 AHPs.  Many of them have progressed and undertaken higher responsibilities in their careers.  Some have also attained degree qualifications locally and overseas.  

5                This change in training pathway for the four allied health professions is an evolution in our training and professional development plans for our healthcare professionals.  The Allied Health Professions Council and public healthcare institutions will continue to recognise the NYP diploma qualifications for entry to practice. The public healthcare sector will also continue to consider AHPs for career progression based on their work performance, regardless of their entry educational qualifications.  Diploma-trained AHPs will continue to have opportunities to pursue their degrees if they wish to.  The SIT will continue to run its one-year full-time degree programmes for polytechnic graduates in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, diagnostic radiography and radiation therapy in addition to the new four-year degree programmes.  

JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY MINISTRY OF HEALTH, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, NANYANG POLYTECHNIC AND SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

29 NOVEMBER 2014