Mar 7, 2012

Singapore - MOH outlines Healthcare 2020 Masterplan


SINGAPORE: Public sector healthcare workers can look forward to pay increases costing some S$200 million. This will be fully funded by the government.

On average, doctors will see an increase in their total remuneration of about 20 per cent by 2014. This will be rolled out in phases over the next two years. 

Under Phase 1, which will start from April, doctors will receive pay increases depending on their job level. Dentists' pay will also be similarly adjusted.

Nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals will see a one-time increase in their base pay of about four to 17 per cent, from April 2012.

The pay increases were announced by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking during the Committee of Supply debates on the Health Ministry's estimates in Parliament, Mr Gan said the pay increases are to ensure salaries of healthcare professionals are kept competitive.

Mr Gan added that his ministry will continue to expand capacity in the healthcare system, by adding 3,700 hospital beds and increasing the local intake of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists and dentists.

By 2030, one in five Singaporean residents will be aged 65 and above. This is a threefold increase to 960,000 elderly from about 350,000 today. Therefore, healthcare services will need to grow in tandem with an ageing population.

Mr Gan said: "Around the world, many governments are struggling to contain rising costs and Singapore too is not spared from the effects of the global healthcare inflation. We thus need to constantly innovate, to stay cost-effective in how we deliver care, to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for everyone."

Mr Gan outlined the Healthcare 2020 Masterplan as a response to these challenges.

He said: "Healthcare 2020 will focus on three strategic objectives - enhancing accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare for our people. This means that Singaporeans will receive healthcare when we need it; our healthcare services will be of good quality and effective and Singaporeans will be able to afford such services."

Under the masterplan, 3,700 more hospital beds will be added by 2020, comprising 1,900 acute hospital beds and 1,800 community hospital beds.

In the west of Singapore, 1,100 beds will be added at the new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital by 2014 and Jurong Community Hospital by 2015. In the northeast, there will be 1,400 beds at the new Sengkang General Hospital, which is slated to open in 2018, and its sister community hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital.

In the east, the combined bed capacity at Changi General Hospital and St Andrews Community Hospital will increase by more than 25 per cent with the construction of a new integrated building. It will yield some 250 acute and community hospital beds and will be ready by 2014.

In the north and central regions, the new Yishun and Outram community hospitals will add 800 beds. The new Yishun community hospital next to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital will be ready by 2015 while the Outram community hospital in 2020.

Specialist outpatient capacity will also be ramped up with the new NUH Medical Centre in 2013. It will house the National University Cancer Institute and increase capacity for day surgery and specialist outpatient clinics. The new National Heart Centre building at Outram is also expected to be ready by 2013, with a more than threefold increase in capacity.

This infrastructural expansion will require about 50 per cent or about 20,000 more healthcare professionals by 2020. To meet this demand, the Health Ministry will boost the intake of locally-trained doctors. 

Together with the new Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine to be opened next year, the supply of locally-trained doctors will be boosted from 330 to 500 a year across the three medical schools.

The dentistry annual intake will also rise from about 48 to 80. And to train more nurses and pharmacists, the ministry intends to expand annual intakes for nursing from 1,700 to 2,700 as well as for pharmacy from 160 to 240.

Mr Gan added that foreign-trained professionals - both Singaporeans and foreigners - are needed to supplement the workforce.

Since 2010, 89 pre-employment grants have been given out to Singaporean medical students studying overseas. And to attract overseas-trained Singaporeans, the pre-employment grant will be extended to Singaporean students studying dentistry overseas.

To better supplement the public sector resources, the Health Ministry will explore more ways to tap on private sector capacity. 

For example, it will lease beds from Parkway East Hospital for Changi General Hospital. These patients will continue to be managed by CGH's doctors and pay subsidised fees.

The Health Ministry will also sign a memorandum of understanding with Raffles Hospital for it to take on some subsidised patient-load.


-CNA/ac 



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