CHECKS ON AUTHENTICITY OF DOCTORS' DEGREES AND QUALITY OF CANDIDATES

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1449
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 20 OCTOBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Yip Hon Weng
MP for Yio Chu Kang GRC

Question No. 2271

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health in view of only two medical schools in India being on the list of recognised foreign medical schools in Singapore (a) how does the Ministry ensure that only the best candidates are recruited; (b) what checks are done to determine the authenticity of the doctor's degrees; and (c) whether the recruitment agency or MOH Holdings is responsible for these checks.

Answer

During recruitment, only doctors who graduated from the two recognised medical schools with at least three years of work experience in selected hospitals are considered. Applicants are interviewed by a panel of local clinicians to ascertain their clinical competencies; applicants are also required to produce a Certificate of Good Standing from the India National Medical Commission and testimonials from their workplaces. The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) conducts source verification on the applicants' medical qualifications before they are allowed to practise medicine in Singapore.