Educational Sponsorships and Training Allowance for Health Professionals

Mrs Lina Chiam asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the current number of educational sponsorships offered to (i) nurses (ii) social workers and (iii) occupational therapists; (b) what is the training allowance for each of these professions; and (c) whether the training allowances will be further raised and, if so, when.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Ministry of Health provides funding for a range of healthcare scholarships and educational sponsorships to develop healthcare professionals and leaders. These scholarships and sponsorships include formal training programmes leading to diplomas, degrees, masters and doctorates as well as skills attachment programmes in renowned overseas centres. The scholarships and sponsorships cover tuition fees, maintenance expenses, miscellaneous training-related costs and salaries.

Over the past five years, the Ministry of Health and the public healthcare sector awarded more than 1,000 healthcare sponsorships to nurses, medical social workers and occupational therapists. In FY2014 alone, there were about 200 such awards.

MOH regularly reviews the scholarships and programmes to ensure that the terms and benefits remain adequate, and the areas of training are aligned with our healthcare needs.