SECOND MEDICAL SCHOOL

SECOND MEDICAL SCHOOL: * * *

41.

Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Education in view of the overwhelming and increasing number of high quality and eligible applicants to the medical school every year, whether there are plans to start a second medical school in Singapore (excluding Duke-NUS Medical School which is a graduate medical school programme).

Dr Ng Eng Hen: Our investment in medical talent should be driven primarily by Singapore’s health-care needs, and not only by the number of eligible applicants to the medical school. To keep pace with needs from an ageing population for example, MOE in consultation with MOH had decided to increase the annual medical intake of the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine from 250 to 260 for Academic Year (AY) 2008. There are plans to gradually increase this further to 300 in AY2011. The Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School will also have an intake of 50 students a year at steady state to augment our medical manpower needs. It would also be in Singapore’s interests to ensure a good spread of talent across all disciplines at the tertiary-level to benefit other sectors in our economy.

MOH is currently studying Singapore’s medium and long-term health-care needs carefully and their implications on demand for medical manpower. MOE will work with MOH to determine how we can meet the projected demand for medical manpower. If necessary, we will study various options, including that of establishing another medical school in Singapore.

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