NINE MORE MEDICAL SCHOOLS RECOGNISED

With effect from 1 January 2025, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Singapore Medical Council (SMC) will recognise nine more overseas medical schools. This is part of SMC’s regular review of the list of recognised medical schools to ensure that foreign-trained medical doctors who apply to practise in Singapore have received training that is comparable with Singapore. The additions will allow Singapore to better meet the growing demand for doctors as our population ages, even as we increased the annual local medical school intake from around 400 students in 2013, to over 500 in 2023.

2.               For this review, SMC has recommended nine medical schools from Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom to be added to the Second Schedule of the Medical Registration Act, bringing the total number of recognised overseas medical schools from 103 to 112. SMC has considered various factors, such as the international rankings of schools, whether the language of instruction of the schools is compatible with local practice (i.e. in English), as well as the performance of doctors from these universities. MOH has accepted SMC’s recommendation.

3.               From 2025, aspiring medical students can apply to these 112 medical schools for their overseas studies. Upon graduation, they can return to Singapore to practise. Graduates from these medical schools, regardless of nationality, and including those who have graduated before 2025, can also apply to SMC to practise in Singapore, subject to the fulfilment of SMC’s prevailing requirements.

4.               SMC will continue to assess foreign-trained medical doctors in their initial years through a supervisory framework to ensure high standards of medical practice. The updated and complete list of overseas medical schools can be found in the Second Schedule of the Medical Registration Act 1997 from 1 January 2025.