SINGAPORE - Junior doctors and dentists in the public sector are getting higher salaries from Jan 1 following a salary review, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday.

Responding to media queries, an MOH spokesman said house officers, who are fresh graduates, and first-year medical officers can expect their starting salaries to go up by 7 per cent to 13 per cent.

A new allowance for working weekends will also be introduced.

Eligible medical officers who have been in service for up to six years after graduation, and dentists who have worked for up to four years after graduation, can also expect a salary increase based on their years in service and bond period, said the spokesman.

The spokesman said: “The Ministry of Health, together with  MOH Holdings (MOHH) and the public healthcare clusters, regularly review and ensure that the salaries of doctors and dental officers in the public healthcare system are competitive.”

Salaries for doctors and dentists were last raised in 2019.

Jobs portal Indeed lists the average monthly salary of a house officer at MOHH as $4,500, while that of a medical officer is over $6,200.

The spokesman said that a new allowance for weekend rounds in hospitals for all doctors and dentists will also be introduced from Feb 1, ranging from $160 to $275, depending on seniority.

From Feb 1, the emergency department and night float allowance for all doctors across MOHH and public healthcare clusters will also be revised. Night float refers to doctors working night shifts for consecutive days, without daytime shifts.

An earlier review in 2022 led to revised allowance rates for full calls and half calls. Full calls are where doctors could work for more than 24 hours at a time, while half calls are when shifts are extended by five to six hours.

Base salaries for public healthcare nurses were raised by between 5 per cent and 14 per cent in two phases in 2021 and 2022 following a review of their remuneration.