News

We refer to the letters by Mr Lim Chew ( , Oct 1) and Dr Desmond Wai ( , Oct 6). More than 90 per cent of doctors under MOH Holdings (MOHH) employment are local. Our main source of doctors has always been from our local medical schools, and the annual intake has grown significantly from 350 in 2012, to more than 500 in recent years. Almost all of our junior doctors currently in specialist training are locals. We want to bring back Singaporeans who are studying or practising medicine overseas. We conduct annual recruitment exercises for this purpose in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where the majority of Singaporeans choose to pursue medical studies. Every year, 200 overseas-trained Singapore citizens and Singapore permanent residents register with the Singapore Medical Council as new medical practitioners, and this has been happening for about six years. We share Dr Wai's concern about balancing the workload, well-being and career development of our local junior doctors. The Ministry of Health and MOHH have been working with the healthcare institutions on initiatives to address the feedback on work hours, night calls and working conditions. We are committed to developing pathways for our young doctors to ensure a meaningful career, while supporting the well-being of junior doctors. Executive Director, Healthcare Manpower MOH Holdings