Take-up Rate for Hospital Clinician Scheme Across Specialties

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 Razak 1,2 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.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 16:

1 Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health what steps are being taken to ensure medical students are adequately informed about the Hospital Clinician Scheme as a career pathway, given that many decide on specialties early and structure their research and electives to strengthen residency prospects.

2 Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what care quality metrics will be tracked under the Hospital Clinician Scheme to safeguard patient outcomes; and (b) what indicators will be monitored to ensure clinician well-being and sustainability as they take on broader responsibilities.