Letters | Lessons for Hong Kong in how Singapore tackled its doctor shortage
- Singapore gives out overseas training scholarships, recognises certain foreign medical qualifications, and does not require further exams and internships for foreign doctors to practise
Both Singapore and Hong Kong face a shortage of doctors. Yet from 2008 to 2017, Singapore raised its ratio of doctors from 1.6 per 1,000 residents to 2.4, against Hong Kong’s 1.8 to 1.9. What can we learn from Singapore?
Singapore is brave and decisive. From 2007 to 2016, Singapore imported more than 500 doctors on average annually (including permanent residents) against Hong Kong’s 25. As of 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, Singapore had 5,873 foreign-trained doctors, 60 per cent of whom were foreigners and permanent residents.
In Singapore, the government takes the lead. The Healthcare 2020 Master Plan, launched in 2012, sets out a clear policy to meet the shortfall, including measures to attract medically trained Singaporeans overseas to return.
The Singapore Ministry of Health and the Medical Council have endorsed 158 foreign medical institutions which produce quality doctors. To register and start practising, these doctors need not go through repeated examinations and an internship. This effectively augments local supply. Since residents who receive handsome government grants to train overseas must return to serve in public hospitals for three years, they are a reliable source of medical staff.
