RESIGNATION OF DOCTORS FROM GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Health how many doctors resigned from the service during the period 1st January to 31st July, 1966, and the reasons for their resignations, and whether and what steps have been taken to improve the situation.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: The number of doctors who have resigned from Government service during the first seven months of 1966 is 39. Of these, nine resigned to take up appointment in the University of Singapore - not actually resignations from our point of view, because the University must get staff; three took up appointments in other medical services, for example, to join the Army Medical Corps; two went for further studies overseas; six resigned to go into private practice, but 19 did not give any reasons for their resignation.

I would like to mention, however, that during the same period, 64 doctors were recruited.

It must be accepted that there will always be a number of resignations from service for various reasons. Whilst admitting that the rate of resignation is still high, we should take cognisance of whether the rate of resignation has been reduced in recent years, and this, I am pleased to state, is the case. In 1964, out of an approved establishment of 453 doctors, there were 97 -- almost 100 -- vacancies, but as at 31st July this year, the position is 461 on approved establishment with 37 vacancies or a 60 per cent improvement over that of 1½ years ago. Furthermore, it is confidently expected that all vacancies are likely to be filled by 1967 next year.

As for the steps taken to improve the situation, other than a review of salaries which is to be determined by the Salaries Commission now in session, we have already reorganised the pattern of work for doctors in service, in order to reduce their work-load as much as possible and generally to improve their conditions of work, for example:

(a) In August 1964, the Outpatient Dispensary in Outram Road General Hospital was closed down and the outpatient service decentralised to 26 Outpatient Dispensaries with simultaneous introduction of a token charge of 50 cents per attendance. This firm move has brought about an improved service for the public because waiting time has been drastically cut down as malingerers were weeded out and doctors can now spend more time with their patients. This is reflected in the significant drop in attendances at Government Outpatient Dispensaries from the peak figure of 2.7 million in 1963 to 2.1 million in 1965 (last year).

(b) In December 1964, a nominal charge of $10 for 'C' class patients was introduced in Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital in an endeavour to cut down the excessive number of deliveries at this grossly over-worked hospital and instead to popularise the free domiciliary midwifery service. Added to this was the launching of a massive 5-year family planning campaign through the establishment of the Family Planning and Population Board in January this year with the objective of reducing our present birth rate of 29 per thousand by one-half. I am pleased to state that there are strong indications that our womenfolk are responding whole-heartedly towards family planning in order to have smaller yet happier families. During the last seven months, over 19,000 mothers have been given family planning assistance by the Family Planning and Population Board.

(c) We have also adopted a liberal policy towards employment of doctors with so-called non-registrable degrees as far as the United Kingdom General Medical Council is concerned, so long as there exists a large vacancy situation on our doctor establishment as at present.

This is shown by the number of such doctors now in service:- Appointed prior to June 1959 1 Appointed between June 1959 and September 1963 3 Appointed between October 1963 and present 8 -- Total 12 ==