Employment Pass to Attract and Retain Foreign Nurses at Restructured Hospitals
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang’s proposal for an improved Employment Pass to attract and retain foreign nurses at restructured hospitals. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam stated that the Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of Manpower to exercise flexibility under the work pass framework to meet sector demands. She emphasized that the government is ensuring competitive salaries and reviewing work pass conditions, including the possibility of allowing nurses to bring dependants, to address high attrition rates. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to shore up recruitment for both local and foreign healthcare staff to augment the workforce. The Ministry continues to work on these specific flexibility arrangements and policy adjustments to manage the recruitment and retention of the required nursing numbers.
Transcript
26 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can work with the Ministry of Manpower and consider having an improved Employment Pass specifically to attract and retain foreign nurses at our restructured hospitals.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Minister for Health): The healthcare sector, currently, brings in foreign nurses using the Employment Pass or S Pass. MOH has already been working with MOM to exercise appropriate flexibility under the work pass framework to meet the sector's manpower needs.
We also work closely with our public healthcare institutions to shore up recruitment for both local and foreign staff to augment the healthcare workforce, as well as to ensure that salaries remain competitive.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the quick reply. I have two quick clarifications. One, are we reviewing this work pass conditions because we know that there was very high attrition of foreigners. So, if you are going to hire the 4,000 new nurses, of which many are foreigners, and they come and work with the same conditions, I think we are going to have an equally high attrition rate.
Second, specifically, can we look into whether they can bring their dependants because many left because they want to go back to their families. Again, I hope the Senior Parliamentary Secretary can review that and allow some of them to bring their dependants to Singapore as well
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: I thank Mr Louis Ng for the questions. I understand the issues that he has raised and, in fact, these are some common concerns we have heard. We are definitely looking into them.
As I mentioned earlier, MOH is working very closely with MOM on this and we will look at how we can work on the appropriate flexibility arrangements so that we can manage the numbers that we are looking at.
All these issues are, indeed, the matters that we are currently working on and I hope that the Member can share with the nurses who have given him this feedback that this is something that we take seriously and that we will be working on these matters.
1.30 pm
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the Day.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 27 and 29-43 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. The remaining Questions have been postponed to a later Sitting of Parliament or withdrawn.]