Healthcare workers in Singapore from 9 professional bodies to get more help in union tie-up
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Ms K. Thanaletchimi (front row, centre), president of both NTUC and HSEU, and representatives of nine healthcare professional associations in Singapore, signed nine MOUs on Sept 30. The ceremony was witnessed by NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng (back row, centre).
PHOTO: NTUC
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SINGAPORE – Healthcare workers from nine professional associations will have better access to training, development and welfare benefits via a new tie-up with a union.
The Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress, announced the formation of a new Healthcare Professional Community on Sept 30.
The over 9,000 workers and firms from the nine associations will be made members of the community, letting them tap the network and resources of both HSEU and the wider labour movement.
To this end, the HSEU signed nine memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the associations to collaborate under the community.
This marks the first time that HSEU is formally partnering with professional associations representing healthcare workers.
The nine MOUs were signed between Ms K. Thanaletchimi, president of both NTUC and HSEU, and representatives of the nine associations.
The associations are: Association for Oral Health Therapists; Singapore Acupuncture Association; Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists; Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association; Singapore Nurses Association; Singapore Optometric Association (SOA); Singapore Physiotherapy Association; Singapore Psychological Society; and Speech and Language Therapy Singapore.
Under the agreements, HSEU and the nine associations will co-create and facilitate relevant training opportunities for healthcare workers through the Healthcare Academy. The academy is a joint effort by HSEU, NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute and continuing education provider NTUC LearningHub set up in 2018 to ensure sustainable employment for healthcare workers.
“This would enable workers in the private healthcare space and specialised fields, like optometrists, oral health therapists, psychologists and physiotherapists, to have access to similar training opportunities as their counterparts in the public healthcare institutions,” said NTUC and HSEU in a joint statement.
They also said the agreements will deepen the existing collaboration between HSEU and the nine associations in the healthcare sector’s transformation.
“HSEU will also assist and support workers that could be affected in the midst of the healthcare sector transformation, to ensure that no worker is left behind.”
Existing efforts to this end include the Community Eye Health project, which aims to expand the role of optometrists in supporting good clinical outcomes of eye patients in the community setting.
The project originated from a sectoral operations and technology road map the Singapore Optometric Association devised alongside NTUC’s U SME unit.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Nurses Association and the Healthcare Academy are now working on an accelerated training programme for experienced nurses to become recognised healthcare trainers more quickly.
The memorandums were signed in a ceremony at NTUC Centre, with NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng as guest of honour.
