NUS MEDICAL FACULTY (Entry quota for females)

Mr Charles Chong asked the Minister for Health whether his Ministry will review the policy of female quota for entry into the medical faculty in the National University of Singapore.

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Health whether his Ministry will do away with the quota system limiting the number of female admissions in the medical faculty at the National University of Singapore.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I would answer Question Nos. 14 and 15 together.

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Remaking Singapore Committee has recommended that the quota on the female intake at the NUS medical school be lifted. The Remaking Singapore Committee will be submitting its report to the Government early next year. The Government will study and respond to its recommendations.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, is the Minister of State aware that Singapore ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1995, and that Article 10 of this Convention states that, among other things, women should also be provided with equal rights as men in the field of education, and that surely must include the study of medicine? Can the Minister of State tell us whether we are in compliance with this Convention which Singapore ratified?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Sir, I am aware of the Convention. But with regard to the question of whether we are complying with it, I will forward his question to the appropriate Ministry, probably the Ministry of Law. The Member can table a Question to that effect.

We are aware that female Singaporeans would like the quota to be lifted. The Remaking Singapore Committee has recommended that the quota be lifted, and we are waiting for the Report. When the Report comes in, we will study it.

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, may I ask the Minister of State whether it is correct to say that the reason for this quota is because the attrition rate for female doctors was supposed to be higher in the past. But may I reiterate that according to the Singapore Medical Council's survey, 90 male doctors, or 2.8%, as against 67 female doctors, or 4.2%, were not working as at the end of 1999. And was this data not further confirmed by the survey done by the Association of Women Doctors recently? Therefore, what are the reservations now? Can we not abolish this quota for female medical doctors?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Mr Speaker, Sir, I have already said that we will consider it. We are waiting for the Report to come in. When the Report comes in, we will study it.