The retrenched could fill some jobs; Medisave rules may be eased
By
Lee Hui Chieh
The Ministry of Health is now looking to fill 4,500 positions in the public health sector over the next two years, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan (right). -- PHOTO: ZAOBAO
THE Health Ministry will speed up its recruitment plans to help provide jobs to those who may be retrenched in the recession, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Tuesday.
It is now looking to fill 4,500 positions in the public health sector over the next two years, with another 1,700 to follow as soon as possible after that.
These range from jobs for health-care professionals like nurses and pharmacists, to administrative positions for counter staff and telephone operators.
Originally, the plan was to hire the 6,200 people over five years, Mr Khaw said.
But in the light of the recession, the ministry has decided to fast-track its plans to a level that the labour market can support, he said at the opening of the new Queenstown Polyclinic yesterday.
The Health Ministry is the latest public agency to announce plans to alleviate the bite of the worsening economy.
The Home Affairs and Education ministries will recruit 1,000 and 7,500 people this year respectively.
The Education Ministry will also speed up its building programme, and the National Development Ministry will go ahead with key building projects.
The 6,200 people that the Health Ministry wants to hire include 4,700 doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals like physiotherapists, to expand the existing pool of practitioners by 40 per cent.
The remaining 1,500, including administrative staff, would be needed to man Alexandra Hospital, once most of its current staff move to the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital next year.
To help those interested in a mid-career switch to the health-care sector, the Health Ministry and the Workforce Development Agency will subsidise training for 250 people with no prior experience to become nurses or allied health professionals.
It has also doubled the number of scholarships for allied health programmes to 250 this year.
The ministry is prepared to support more mid-career and scholarship applicants, Mr Khaw said.
It has also taken steps to help patients cope during the recession. The budget for Medifund, the medical safety net, has been extended by almost 50 per cent from last year, to $74 million this year.
A programme to give subsidies to needy Singaporeans aged 65 and up for treatment of minor ailments at private general practitioner clinics was expanded this year to cover chronic diseases too.
The ministry is also now looking at how rules governing the use of Medisave may be relaxed further, to help reduce patients' out-of-pocket expenses.
Members of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health welcomed the moves.
The GPC's deputy chairman Lam Pin Min said: 'The acceleration of recruitment will be a win-win solution. It helps alleviate the manpower crunch in the health-care sector and provide career opportunities for those who are retrenched or considering a mid-career switch.'
Madam Halimah Yacob, the GPC's chairman, suggested that Medisave be liberalised even further to cover more types of outpatient treatment, in addition to chronic diseases and serious illnesses like cancer.
Mr Khaw was also asked yesterday to comment on the public's positive feedback to proposed changes to organ transplant laws, which will be introduced in Parliament next week.
He said: 'I'm glad Singaporeans understood the need for the amendments and strongly support them.'
