These range from positions for doctors, nurses, to pharmacists and other allied healthcare professionals.

Singaporeans alone will not be enough to fill these jobs.

'Foreign talent and foreign workers are greatly welcomed,' said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday.

Speaking at the National University Hospital and its healthcare union's national day observance ceremony, Mr Khaw said many more workers are needed to provide the level of care that will be needed in the coming years.

Demand for healthcare will go up, as the population increases and ages. Singapore's population is likely to grow from the current 4.5 million to 5.5 million by 2020.

The number of elderly will also increase, putting a strain on medical facilities. By 2020, expected to number of people aged 65 and older will exceed more than half a million.

On top of that, the public is demanding better care, and this means a higher staff to patient ratio.

Said Mr Khaw: 'The budget is there, the political will is strong. We just need to get the bodies.'

Mr Khaw also spelt out three healthcare strategies Singapore is pursuing - clinical research, improving long-term care and moving towards more sophisticated care.

'Our teaching hospitals are participants in the global search for better treatments, quicker diagnoses and more effective disease prevention strategies,' he said.

This calls for more jobs at a higher skill level, which will, hopefully, translate into better and more cost-effective care for patients.

To make it easier for patients, primary and long-term care is being integrated. To the patients, it will appear like one system, as he is moved from an expensive hospital bed to a cheaper nursing home or community hospital.

This is a major undertaking, the minister said, since it involves players from various sectors - government, private and charity. It also needs a national electronic health record, so patient care can be seamless.

The goal: Patients get competent care at the lowest cost in the right place.

And to meet the higher demands from more discerning patients, Singapore needs a diversity of expertise.

He said the allied healthcare sector, such as radiology, psychologists, counsellors, therapists and administrators have been largely neglected in the past.

This will be rectified. There will be scholarships for Singaporeans interested in pursuing studies in these areas.

In the interim, foreigners will be recruited to plug the gaps.

All this means that the cost of healthcare will have to go up, from the current 4 per cent of gross domestic product.

The Government will increase its subsidy, but patients will also have to pay more if they want a higher level of healthcare services.

Said Mr Khaw: 'With Medisave, MediShield and Medifund, all Singaporeans will still find essential healthcare services within their means. This is our promise.'