MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Health (a) if he will give the number of medical practitioners registered in Singapore each year from 1971 to date under sections 9(l)(c) and 9(3) of the Medical Registration Act; (b) how many of them are still working in Singapore and (c) of those still in Singapore how many are in (i) Government hospitals; (ii) private hospitals; and (iii) private general practice.

Mr Howe Yoon Chong: The numbers of medical practitioners registered each year, from 1971 to date, under sections 9(l)(c) and 9(3) of the Medical Registration Act, are given in the Appendix below.

Of the 131 medical practitioners registered under section 9(l)(c) of the Act, 69 are still working in Singapore. 49 are in Government hospitals, 17 in private practice, 2 in the Singapore Armed Forces, and 1 in the Singapore Family Planning and Population Board.

A total of 374 medical practitioners were registered under section 9(3) of the Act since 1973. These were either medical experts who came to impart their skills to our doctors, or medical trainees or scientists who came for research or postgraduate study. At present, 21 are still in Singapore, and all of them are in the Government hospitals.

Appendix DOCTORS REGISTERED UNDER SECTIONS 9(l)(C) AND 9(3) OF THE MEDICAL REGISTRATION ACT YEAR SECTION 9(1)(C) SECTION 9(3) ______________________________________________________________ 1971 1 ) ) Not ) Available 1972 3 ) 1973 13 8 1974 10 26 1975 9 24 1976 7 15 1977 13 57 1978 11 42 1979 11 28 1980 8 40 1981 12 41 1982 14 30 1983 11 41 1984 8 22 ______________________________________________________________ TOTAL 131 374 ______________________________________________________________