132 healthcare scholarships given out to strengthen pipeline of professionals

SINGAPORE – A total of 132 healthcare scholarships were awarded this year to students who have a strong calling to serve in Singapore’s public healthcare sector.

This is

more than the 108 healthcare scholarships awarded in 2024,

but fewer than the 161 scholarships given out in 2023. The scholarships are given out yearly by MOH Holdings (MOHH) – the holding company of Singapore’s three public healthcare clusters – to strengthen the country’s pipeline of healthcare professionals.

Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, conferred the awards at the Healthcare Scholarships Award Ceremony 2025, on July 30 at Raffles City Convention Centre.

The scholarships are for health science and healthcare-related studies. There are several types, including the Healthcare Merit Award for those pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing, pharmacy or various allied health disciplines.

Scholars will be bonded for four years, or six if they had studied overseas.

In 2025, there were two awards in the discipline of medicine, 17 in pharmacy, 18 in clinical psychology, 19 in nursing, 23 in physiotherapy, and over 40 in other allied health fields, such as speech therapy, diagnostic radiography, occupational therapy and dietetics.

There were also four recipients in medical social work, with the remaining recipients studying business, accountancy, information technology, engineering and social science.

Mr Ong said they will be joining a public healthcare sector that is transforming to meet the challenge of a fast-ageing population.

The health ministry has implemented preventive care programmes to promote healthier living and is leveraging technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) or precision medicine.

These efforts will usher in a fundamental shift in delivering healthcare – from treating illnesses to sustaining wellness, from delivering healthcare in clinics and hospitals to doing so in communities and in our homes, he said.

In his speech, Mr Ong cited three past recipients. One of them, Ms Charlynne Nerva, started work as an enrolled nurse at Changi General Hospital. She then obtained a diploma in nursing, before pursuing a nursing degree on a Healthcare Merit scholarship.

She is now an assistant nurse clinician with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and part of a team there that focuses on improvement projects, including the development of a pictorial guide manual for medical devices to aid new nurses and nursing students.

Mr Ong said: “Healthcare is ultimately about people and the human touch. A kind word, a listening ear, a consistent presence remains irreplaceable, regardless of how advanced AI technology is.”