Growing the healthcare workforce

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Leon Perera

Non-Constituency MP

Question No. 126

To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the current projections in the rate of change in doctor-to-population and nurse-to-population ratios over the next five years; (b) what targets are in place to improve the doctor-to-population and nurse-to-population ratios over the next five years; (c) how does the Ministry intend to meet these targets; and (d) what are the fallback options should the Ministry be unable to meet these targets.

Oral Reply

1.            At the last Parliament Sitting in January, Minister of State Mr Chee Hong Tat had informed Mr Leon Perera that Singapore’s doctor-to-population ratio in 2014 was 21 doctors per 10,000 population, compared to 18 in Hong Kong and Taiwan.  For nurses, we have 69 nurses per 10,000 population compared to 66 in Hong Kong and 60 in Taiwan.  Mr Chee also explained that these ratios could only offer a broad comparison, and we need to be mindful about differences in healthcare demand, clinical practices and operating environments.  A higher staffing ratio does not necessarily equate better quality healthcare or better health outcomes.    

2.            MOH has been expanding the capacity of our healthcare and aged care services in Singapore under the Healthcare 2020 Masterplan.  We are on track to growing the healthcare workforce by 20,000 between 2011 and 2020. So, our staffing ratios will go up. In addition, the government has introduced policy measures like Pioneer Generation Package and Medishield Life to improve healthcare affordability and give Singaporeans greater peace of mind. 

3.            Looking beyond 2020, Singapore will face an increase in projected healthcare demand and also a smaller local workforce due to our ageing population. To keep our healthcare system sustainable, we must step up efforts to help Singaporeans to stay healthy and enable our seniors to age well.  MOH is also working in close collaboration with healthcare institutions, unions and community partners to develop new care models and improve productivity, so that we can continue to provide high quality of care for Singaporeans and a good working environment for our healthcare workers.

4.            We are adopting this tripartite partnership approach to attract and train more Singaporeans to join the healthcare sector, improve productivity in our healthcare institutions, and enable our healthcare workers to continue working till a later age. As Mr Chee explained in the last Sitting, another important area is for all of us to show appreciation and support for our healthcare workers. This will go a long way to motivate our healthcare workers to continue putting in their best effort to serve with care and commitment.