WP’s Gerald Giam: Rather than relying on foreign doctors, better to facilitate the return of SG doctors who graduated from foreign universities

After MOH Holdings (MOHH) said earlier this month that it is seeking to hire doctors from overseas, Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam said that it may be more advantageous to facilitate the return of Singaporean doctors who graduated overseas.

MOHH said that it had been looking for doctors to help ease the workload of local physicians, and is looking to hire 180 junior doctors from India in the next three years.

Recruitment was ongoing in “countries with qualified doctors” such as the UK and Australia, in addition to India.

“These doctors would only be granted conditional registration for clinical practice under strict supervision. Priority is given to locals who graduate from medical schools recognised by the Singapore Medical Council,” TODAY quotes MOHH as saying.

Mr Giam (Aljunied GRC) said, “Rather than rely on the recruitment of foreign doctors, it might be better to facilitate the return of Singaporean doctors who graduated from foreign universities.”

On Oct 20, he posed a question to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung whether there are plans to raise the number of Pre-Employment Grants (PEG), in order to attract more Singaporean doctors to return home to serve in the healthcare sector.

The PEG is a “discretionary recruitment scheme to encourage Singaporean students studying medicine overseas to work as a house/medical officer in our public healthcare clusters after they graduate,” the grant’s website says.

“Singaporean students studying in an overseas medical school recognised by the Singapore Medical Council can apply for the Pre-Employment Grant (PEG) midway through their course. The grant covers up to 60 per cent of the remaining years of tuition fees, capped at $50,000 per year, up to a maximum sum of $150,000.”

“We are encouraging Singaporeans who study medicine in recognised overseas universities to return home to contribute to our healthcare system,” Mr Ong said, adding that an average of 120 students have been granted the PEG each year, with a median grant of around $80,000 per student over two years.

Those who receive the grant are required to serve in public healthcare for at least three to four years.

And while Mr Giam pointed out in a blog post that the Health Minister “did not commit to an increase in PEGs,” Mr Ong said that “the number and percentage of successful applicants vary from year to year, depending on each year’s applicant pool and hiring demand among the public healthcare institutions.” /TISG

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