Today-Oct 3
Singapore has been recruiting doctors from overseas to ease the “heavy workload” of the ones here, and to supplement its healthcare capacity needs, MOH Holdings (MOHH) said. The holding company of Singapore’s public healthcare clusters said in response to TODAY’s queries that it is seeking to hire 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years. Last month, an image of a Sept 6 tender to appoint a recruitment agency in Singapore to handle the project made its rounds online.
Confirming that the tender is authentic, MOHH said that it was “recruiting from countries with qualified doctors” such as Australia and Britain as well, and not just India. It also said that it was looking for candidates who graduated from medical schools listed in the Medical Registration Act. Several online users earlier questioned MOHH’s decision to “import” Indian doctors, with some expressing their worries about fake certification. Others asked why Singapore could not simply increase the intake of students in medical schools here instead. The tender also drew concern within the medical fraternity here. In a post on social media late last month, Associate Professor Jeremy Lim from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said that developed countries such as Singapore recruiting health professionals from overseas creates a concern that “the rich world hires away scarce resources from less well-staffed countries”. MOHH added that it recruits about 700 junior doctors each year, 90 per cent of whom are Singapore residents who were either trained in Singapore’s medical schools or returning Singaporeans who graduated from recognized overseas medical schools. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-recruiting-doctors-india-2009391
