DOCTORS and nurses from global emergency care provider International SOS will be trained in Singapore from next year.

International SOS, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) formed this alliance by signing an agreement on Tuesday to share Singapore's best medical practices with medical professionals working in remote locations.

The trio have developed the 'Programme in General and Emergency Medical Care' (PGEMC), customised for medical personnel from International SOS, who work in remote locations where acccess to re-training is limited.

The four-year programme will be conducted mainly via e-learning, allowing these medical professionals to remain working in their present environments while also upgrading their knowledge and skills.

They will have to return to Singapore yearly for a two-week period of practical training attachments at SGH and assessments, and also undergo a clinical research module under the supervision of Duke-NUS academics.

Duke University and Duke-NUS will be accrediting the programme, which will take in its first batch of 50 students in February. The annual intake is expected to rise to 250 students over the next three years.