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As competition for migrant nurses hots up, Singapore should be worried
Many nurses are skipping Singapore altogether, instead of treating it as a stepping stone to other destinations.
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While Singapore can attract healthcare workers from overseas, it suffers from an outflow of nurses seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Yasmin Y. Ortiga
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There is a story I often hear from Singaporeans worried about the country’s healthcare workers. It starts with the acknowledgement that few locals are willing to take on nursing jobs. Despite state efforts to raise wages and improve work conditions, migrants remain a vital part of the nation’s health workforce. The problem is that many foreign nurses eventually remigrate, mostly to places that offer higher wages and clear pathways to citizenship. In the end, Singapore continuously recruits new migrants to replace those who leave.
The beginning of this story is still true. But the ending is likely to change. A lot.
