Singapore, Singapore is planning to recruit 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years. According to the report, the target is to recruit 60 medical officers from India every year from 2022 to 2024 under the tender that ends on October 10. There is also a possibility of extending this scheme till 2025.
According to MOH Holdings (MOHH), a company affiliated with Singapore’s public health institutions, Singapore is recruiting doctors from overseas to meet the needs of its health sector and reduce workload. Confirming the tender, the company said that doctors are being recruited not only from India but also from Australia and the UK.
According to the company, they are looking for people who have graduated from medical schools listed in the Medical Registration Act. “These doctors will be allowed conditional registration for ‘clinical practice’ (treatment) under strict rules,” the company said.
According to the company, “Preference is given to local graduates from medical schools recognized by the Singapore Medical Council.” However, the medical community has raised concerns about this tender. Many people have raised questions about Isco on social media. Some raised questions on the recruitment of doctors from India and some raised concerns over fake certification. Others asked why Singapore couldn’t increase the number of students in the country’s medical schools instead.
Jeremy Lim, associate professor at the Saw Swee Hawk School of Public Health, said in a post on social media late last month that developed countries such as Singapore recruit health professionals from abroad, it is a matter of concern. MAHH said it recruits around 700 junior doctors every year. Of these, 90 percent are residents of Singapore who either attend medical schools in Singapore or have returned to the country after graduating from recognized medical schools abroad. There has been a shortage of doctors in the country in the last few years.
Channel News Asia quoted a company spokesperson as saying that between 2012 and 2019, medical schools in Singapore increased the enrollment of students by 45 percent. It was 350 in 2012 and 510 in 2019. An additional 40 students were admitted in 2020 and 2021 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
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Tags: doctor, India, Singapore
First Published: October 04, 2022, 09:57 IST
