SHORTAGE OF NURSES (Measures to overcome)

Dr Aline K. Wong asked the Acting Minister for Health (a) whether the present salary scale for nurses is a major reason for the shortage of nurses in government hospitals and clinics; and (b) what is his Ministry doing about the salary structure for nurses.

The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Mr Speaker, Sir, the present salary scale for nurses is one of the main reasons for the present shortage of nurses in Government hospitals and clinics.

The salary scale is generally poor. As a result, school leavers with the appropriate qualifications prefer to take up other training courses or seek employment in other professions which offer better remuneration or working conditions.

In recent years, there has been an increased demand for nurses from both the public and private sectors. The number of posts in the public sector has increased by about 1,000 over the last 10 years due to the expansion or introduction of new services. The number of nurses for the private sector has also increased by about 800 since the early 1980s due to the expansion of existing hospitals and the opening of the National University Hospital.

This demand by the private sector has been met mainly by the recruitment of nurses from the Ministry of Health. Last year, my Ministry lost 392 nurses, the majority of whom resigned to join the private sector for a better salary.

To meet the increased demand, my Ministry needs to recruit 400 Student Nurses and 200 Pupil Assistant Nurses each year to meet the needs of the public and private sectors. Last year, the Ministry was able to recruit only 321 Student Nurses and 164 Pupil Assistant Nurses.

To overcome this shortage, my Ministry is currently holding discussions with the Ministry of Finance to improve the salary scales for nurses. We hope to get a positive decision on this matter soon.

Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee (Toa Payoh): Sir, may I ask the Hon. Acting Minister for Health whether he is also aware that besides the low salary structure there are other factors such as fringe benefits which encourage the nurses to resign from the Government service to join the private sector. Perhaps he would also look into this factor when he discusses the matter with the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: I would like to thank the Member for giving the suggestion. Salary is only one of the factors. We are looking into all the other factors as well, including working conditions.

Dr Aline K. Wong (Changkat): Sir, in view of the severe shortage of nurses in the current situation, up to about 19% of the established posts, how long is the Acting Minister prepared to wait for an appropriate response from the Ministry of Finance before he will consider more drastic action?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I think we are close to getting a decision from the Ministry of Finance, and we are quite hopeful that the decision would be fairly attractive.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe (Geylang Serai): May I ask the Minister whether he knows how the private sector salary compares with the salary of nurses in the Government service? Another question is: will his Ministry also consult the union when they discuss the salaries of nurses?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the private sector's salary is only marginally higher. It only needs to be marginally higher because they are attracting the nurses who are already within the service. The key factor is to be able to attract new entrants into the service, and to do that you have to make sure that the commencing salary is attractive versus the commencing salaries of the other professions. That is the direction we are looking to in terms of salary scales.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Will the Ministry of Health consult the union as well?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: At the appropriate time we will definitely consult with the union.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): I am glad that the Acting Minister is taking steps to improve the salaries and also the fringe benefits of the nurses. I think another important factor is the image of the nurses. Is the Acting Minister considering improving the image of the nurses in the eyes of the public?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: If the Member for Potong Pasir has any suggestions as to how we can further improve the image, we would be very happy to hear from him.

Mr Chiam See Tong: The Government is very good at this. They have conducted all kinds of campaigns. I think we should have a campaign to improve the image of the nurses.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir should be aware that recently we have embarked on quite a massive exercise to improve the image of the nursing profession.

Mr Yeo Choo Kok (Delta): Sir, does the shortage of nurses seriously affect the operation of government hospitals and clinics?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: I think I have answered that question just two or three months ago. Although we have a shortage of nurses, we have been able to overcome the impact through the large number of trainee nurses that we have within the service. We have also managed to take a hard look at the work being performed by the nurses and, where possible, we have replaced those non-nursing activities with other staff so that we can free those nurses and deploy them to their proper nursing functions.

Dr Dixie Tan (Ulu Pandan): Sir, is the Acting Minister aware that in cases where the stated reason for a nurse leaving the Government service is set down as poor working conditions, or poor self-image and such other non-monetary reasons, these reasons are blocked at the supervisor level and that the nurses are more or less impelled to state the reason as being monetary before their application can get passed?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: I am not aware of that. But if the Member for Ulu Pandan has specific knowledge of those cases, I would appreciate if she could let me know.

Mr Chew Heng Ching (Kaki Bukit): May I ask the Minister whether, as a short term measure, the Ministry has attempted to recruit nurses from overseas, and how successful were these attempts?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: The Ministry itself will not be recruiting nurses from overseas for the time being. But we have freed the process to enable the private hospitals to recruit nurses from non-traditional sources.

Mr Teo Chong Tee (Changi): Sir, may I ask the Hon. Acting Minister whether he is aware that many nurses have resigned to join the private nursing service specially catered for patients individually?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Could the Member clarify?

Mr Teo Chong Tee: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I make it clearer? There are nurses who resigned to join a private nurses association, and these people take up nursing service through this agency centred specially for private patients.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Yes, Mr Speaker, we are aware that some of them do resign to work as part-time private nurses.