According to a media report, Singapore is preparing to hire 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years, a decision that has drawn criticism from many. Recruiting 60 medical officers from India annually between 2022 and 2024 is the goal of a tender that will end on October 10; there is also the chance that the goal will be extended to 2025.
MOH Holdings (MOHH), a company of Singapore's public healthcare institutions, reported that Singapore has been hiring doctors from abroad to help with the "heavy workload" here and to supplement its healthcare capacity needs.
The company confirmed the tender and stated that it was not only hiring doctors from India but also from Australia and the United Kingdom. The employer stated that it is looking for candidates who have graduated from one of the medical institutions listed in the Medical Registration Act. Only conditional registration for clinical practise under strict supervision will be given to these physicians, it was added.
The company stated that "locals who graduate from medical schools recognised by the Singapore Medical Council are given priority."
A number of online users had previously questioned the choice to "import" Indian doctors, with some of them expressing concerns about fake certification.
Others questioned why Singapore couldn't just increase the number of students enrolled in its medical schools.
The medical community in this area was also concerned about the tender.
Late last month, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Associate Professor Jeremy Lim wrote on social media that the hiring of foreign health professionals by developed nations like Singapore raises concerns that "the rich world hires away scarce resources from less well-staffed countries."
According to the MOHH, it hires 700 junior doctors annually, 90% of whom are citizens of Singapore and either trained in Singapore's medical schools or returned to Singapore after receiving their degrees from reputable foreign medical institutions.
According to the report, medical schools increased their combined intake by 45% from 2012 to 2019 in the country, which has led to an increase in the number of doctors trained domestically.
The company's spokesperson was quoted by Channel News Asia as saying that between 2012 and 2019, the combined intakes at Singapore's medical schools increased by 45%, from 350 in 2012 to approximately 510 in 2019.
In addition, 40 more students were accepted in 2020 and 2021 in order to accommodate those whose overseas studies were interrupted by the Covid pandemic, according to the report.
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