NON-SINGAPOREAN FOREIGN-TRAINED DOCTORS (Number)

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Health how many non-Singaporean foreign-trained doctors were registered to practise in Singapore from 1990 to 1992.

The Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Sir, the number of non-Singaporean foreign-trained doctors registered to practise in Singapore for the past three years, 1990 to 1992, was 391. Of these, 116 were granted conditional registration to practise in hospitals or group practice under the supervision of fully-registered doctors for a period of two years. The remaining 275 were granted temporary registration to practise as visiting experts, to undertake postgraduate studies, short-term locum practice, teaching or research.

During the same period, 95 non-Singaporean foreign-trained doctors were converted from conditional to full registration.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, when we are trying to cut down the number of medical students in Singapore, would the Minister please elaborate why we need to give full registration to foreign-trained doctors?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, there is still a need for specialists in certain specialties where we are short. Also, the population of doctors has not reached the optimum level yet. We expect to reach the optimum level by about the year 2000 when we have about 5,400 doctors at that time versus 4,000 today. So we will still require additional doctors. Also, there is a need for us to expand our population through immigration. Therefore, we will continue to allow a small number of foreign-trained non-Singaporean doctors even in the future years.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, but why had we then started cutting down on the number of our own medical students? With a possible move of our local students going abroad, we are thinking of cutting down the number of universities that are recognised. If the need to have fewer doctors has not arisen yet, should we not then wait until that need arises?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, the training of doctors takes many years. There is a long lead time - five years of university education plus another one year of housemanship. So whilst we cut down the number of students today, these numbers will only show up in six, seven or eight years' time when they graduate and they have gone through their postgraduate studies. There is therefore still a need for us to have a few foreign doctors to maintain adequate numbers today.

Dr Toh Keng Kiat (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister what are the reasons for the deficiencies in certain areas in specialist practice in Singapore?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, firstly, the attractiveness of the different specialties varies. Secondly, I think the individual doctors themselves have different interests. So whilst there may be a need for additional specialists in certain specialty, the interest amongst the existing doctors to take up traineeship posts may not be there. Therefore, there tends to be a mismatch at times.

Dr Toh Keng Kiat: Sir, is the lack of coordination between the Ministry and the National University of Singapore's Medical Faculty one of the factors?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: No, Sir. We do publicise the traineeship positions that are available and it is up to the trainees to respond to the vacancies.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, is it true that the Singapore General Hospital does not have enough posts for doctors while the NUH does not have enough doctors for its posts, and that is why NUH has to advertise for foreign doctors? I would like to know about this mismatch, please.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, each hospital has a certain number of posts depending on the number of beds and patients that it has and the size of the different departments. SGH has adequate posts to cater for the needs of the patients going to SGH. NUH also has a certain number of posts to meet their needs. Hospitals advertise when they have vacancies. It is up to the potential trainees to respond to those vacancies. As it turns out in NUH, there are certain departments which have difficulties filling up the available posts.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, for maximum human resource utilisation, should there not be sharing of doctors at the junior level between MOH's restructured hospitals and NUH?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, that is being done. For example, for housemen, the housemen pool is shared equally amongst all the hospitals. But for trainees, I think it is important for only those who are interested in being trained in a particular hospital to respond. There is no point in forcing trainees who do not have an interest in that specialty, for example, to be posted to a certain hospital.