Manpower Crunch for Critical Healthcare Roles Such As Radiographers and Pharmacists

22 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Health (a) whether there is a manpower crunch for critical healthcare roles within the hospitals in Singapore, for example radiographers and pharmacists; (b) if so, what are the reasons behind the crunch; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to meet the manpower needs in these areas.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: In general, with an ageing population and higher patient load post COVID-19 pandemic, there is a general healthcare capacity crunch around the world, including in Singapore. It is both in terms of physical facilities, like hospital beds and stepdown care and also manpower, including nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals.

To overcome manpower shortages, the Ministry implements a range of measures. This includes expanding our local training pipelines, introducing recruitment incentives, keeping remuneration competitive to reduce attrition, developing upgrading pathways for in-service staff or mid-careerists and augmenting our workforce with suitable foreign manpower, as well as redesigning healthcare job roles to make the work more meaningful. To improve working conditions in our public healthcare institutions, we have adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards harassment and abuse and implemented measures to improve staff well-being.