Support for Pharmacists and Allied Healthcare Workers to Ease into Industry

38 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Health what more can be done to support pharmacists and other allied healthcare workers to ease the demanding nature of the industry.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: We have increased the number of pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) over the years. From 2019 to 2023, the number of registered pharmacists increased by 20%, from approximately 3,400 to approximately 4,100. Registered AHPs increased by 25%, from approximately 6,000 in 2019 to approximately 7,500.

Within the public healthcare clusters, we are also innovating and streamlining processes to manage the workload of pharmacists and AHPs. For instance, the National Central Fill Pharmacy system resulted in the redesigning of the supply chain and the roles of pharmacy staff, with routine non-clinical and logistical processing outsourced to a third-party vendor.

We have also developed the National One-Rehab Framework to provide clearer protocols for care delivery by AHPs, including resource allocation and tracking of common end-to-end rehabilitation clinical outcomes.

Most importantly, we will continue to work with the pharmacy and AHP leadership to find ways to make careers in healthcare attractive and meaningful. With rising healthcare needs and the growth in the community care sector, there are many opportunities to develop an exciting professional development strategy for pharmacists and AHPs.