Forum: Safeguard professional standards and workforce capacity in allied health sector
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I refer to the article “ Allied health professionals to be trained to support patients holistically: Ong Ye Kung
Today, many allied health professionals (AHPs) in the community already adapt across disciplines out of necessity. For instance, a physiotherapist may carry out basic cognitive screening typically administered by an occupational therapist. Such transdisciplinary practice is helpful when staff resources are tight, but these adaptations are carried out within clearly defined limits. We also acknowledge that returning to university for further training reflects the rigour required before an AHP can safely perform the full scope of another profession.
Our concerns lie with the proposed pathway that would allow a practising AHP to return to university for a shorter period, such as two years, to qualify in a different allied health profession. While the idea of dual-trained staff may seem efficient, it raises important questions.
Will AHPs actually want to pursue such conversions? Will heads of department view dual-trained staff as fully competent in both disciplines? Will organisations receive the necessary staffing and budget support to cover service gaps when employees return to school?
We are also concerned that modular learning blocks or short courses are unlikely to adequately prepare someone for the full responsibilities of another regulated profession. Each AHP discipline requires extensive domain knowledge, discipline-specific clinical training, and supervised practice that cannot be meaningfully condensed.
More importantly, enabling AHPs to retrain into another profession does not increase overall workforce numbers. It simply shifts the same limited pool of clinicians from one profession to another. When experienced staff leave their posts to retrain, their teams face reduced manpower, heavier caseloads and potential disruptions to continuity of care. In an already stretched workforce, this may inadvertently contribute to burnout and attrition.
We raise these points with respect for the Health Minister’s intent and with a shared commitment to improving care for Singaporeans. We hope the ministry will engage closely with professional bodies and front-line leaders to co-design solutions that strengthen rather than unintentionally deplete the AHP workforce.
Kwah Li Khim
President, Singapore Physiotherapy Association
