Take-up Rate for Hospital Clinician Scheme Across Specialties
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Dr Hamid Razak’s inquiry into the take-up rate of the Hospital Clinician (HC) Scheme and the measures supporting the long-term career development and retention of doctors on this track. Minister Ong Ye Kung stated that there are currently around 150 HCs deployed across various departments, serving as principal doctors with broad-based competencies rather than being tied to specific specialties. To enhance the scheme's attractiveness, the Ministry of Health has introduced a new apex grade and is reviewing remuneration to ensure parity with doctors in the specialist and consultant family physician tracks. Minister Ong Ye Kung highlighted that monitoring patient outcomes informs the evolution of the care team model, while the Ministry works with medical schools to promote the HC track through clinical rotations and career talks. These initiatives aim to encourage medical students and junior doctors to consider the HC scheme as a viable career pathway alongside traditional residency and the recognized specialty of Family Medicine.
Transcript
16 Dr Hamid Razak asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) how the Hospital Clinician Scheme is being taken up across different specialties; and (b) what measures are in place to support retention and long-term career development of doctors on this track.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The response will also address similar questions filed by Dr Hamid Razak1,2 for a future Sitting.
Under the new care team model introduced this year, the public healthcare sector has three main medical career tracks: Family Physicians, Hospital Clinicians (HCs) and Specialists. HCs are trained in broad-based competencies to coordinate care across specialties and serve as principal doctors. They are on a separate career track and not tied to specific specialties.
To date, we have around 150 HCs deployed across various departments such as medicine, surgery, paediatrics and emergency medicine within public healthcare institutions based on service needs.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reviewed the HC scheme to make it more attractive. This includes a new apex grade with professional development opportunities comparable to doctors in the specialist and consultant family physician tracks. We are also reviewing the remuneration of HCs, to ensure it is commensurate with doctors in the other career tracks who take on similar roles.
Public hospitals track the care outcomes of patients closely, including readmission rates, infection rates, occurrence of adverse events and average length of stay. We track this across settings and disease groups. In fact, it was through monitoring patient outcomes and understanding of the needs of an ageing patient profile, that we decided it is time to take a decisive step to evolve the care team model, with the help of HCs.
MOH works with the three local medical schools to update students on the medical career tracks in the public healthcare sector. Medical students undergo clinical rotations as part of their curriculum, where they have the opportunity to practise alongside doctors across family physician, HC and specialist tracks. There are also career guidance talks and an annual careers day organised for medical students and junior doctors, in addition to career counselling provided by faculty and mentors.
Indeed, many students are still inclined to take up residency, but we hope that with the revised HC scheme and the recognition of Family Medicine as a specialty, students will seriously consider all three medical career tracks.