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Singapore plans to employ 180 doctors from India

Singapore plans to employ 180 doctors from India

Singapore plans to employ 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years, a decision that has many people scratching their heads

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Singapore plans to employ 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years, a decision that has many people scratching their heads.

A tender set to close on October 10 seeks the recruitment of 60 medical officers from India every year from 2022 to 2024, with the option of extending the plan to 2025.

Singapore has been recruiting doctors from other countries to help with the "heavy workload" and to supplement its healthcare capacity needs, according to MOH Holdings (MOHH), a business that represents Singapore's public healthcare institutions.

In confirming the offer, the company told the reporters that it was not just hiring doctors from India, but also from Australia and the United Kingdom and it is searching for people who have graduated from one of the medical schools listed in the Medical Registration Act.

Several internet users have already questioned the idea of "importing" Indian physicians, with some concerned about false certification.

Others questioned why Singapore could not just expand the number of students enrolled in medical institutions here.

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 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".

The MOHH said it recruits about 700 junior doctors each year, 90 percent of whom are Singapore residents, who were either trained in Singapore’s medical schools or returning Singaporeans who graduated from recognised overseas medical schools.

The country has boosted its internal pipeline of physicians over the years, with medical schools increasing their total admission by 45 percent between 2012 and 2019, according to the report.

Singapore's medical schools boosted their total enrollment by 45 percent between 2012 and 2019, according to reports.

40 extra students will be enrolled in 2020 and 2021 to accommodate individuals whose foreign studies were hampered by the Covid epidemic.

Edited By: Puja Mahanta
Published On: Oct 04, 2022