MEDICAL GRADUATES (Number and percentage who left for private practice)

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng asked the Minister for Health what is the number and percentage of local and foreign medical graduates who left for private practice after completing their housemanship or within the first year as a medical officer during the years 1990 to 1992.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, from 1990 to 1992, no local medical graduates left the services after completing their housemanship or within the first year as a medical officer.

Seven, or about 8%, of foreign medical graduates left for private practice after completing their housemanship or within the first year as medical officers over the same period.

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng (Cheng San GRC): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, in view of the fact that foreign medical graduates would not be familiar with the practice of medicine in our particular context and, furthermore, with the rapid advances in medicine, whether the Ministry would consider it prudent to ensure that the foreign medical graduates, like our local graduates, have a certain period of practice as a medical officer in some of the general disciplines, like the Emergency Department or perhaps the Outpatient Services, before they are released to private practice.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, in view of the increasing number of doctors who are returning from abroad with their basic medical degree, my Ministry has been looking into this situation and we will be coming to a decision in the near future.