Globalisation hits Singaporean doctors
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As I predicted, the minister is bringing in more foreign doctors to hold healthcare costs down whilst cutting waiting times. We can expect to see foreign doctors from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and China, as they are paid much less than their counterparts in Singapore.
This will translate into greater competition among the neighbourhood GP clinics and government hospital doctors. The impact will be less among specialists, because the Specialist Register only admits those with postgrad medical qualifications from US/UK/Australia or NUS (unless the government relaxes the qualifications required of specialists too). Foreign medical specialists with these postgrad qualifications are already drawing equivalent salaries in private hospitals overseas.
"MALAYSIA-TRAINED doctors can now practise here more easily, with the country's two premier universities getting the nod from the Health Ministry (MOH).
The first Asean universities to make the grade, they are among 20 newly-accredited institutes which will help alleviate the shortage of doctors here.
The Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia are among the most prestigious institutions in the country.
Aside from these two, the other 18 are from Canada, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the United States.
With these latest additions, doctors with degrees from 140 universities throughout Europe, Asia and North America are approved to work here.
In a statement, the MOH said recognising the additional universities would help hospitals recruit good doctors to meet rising demand.
As at end-2006, there were 250 positions for doctors waiting to be filled in public hospitals.
Singapore currently has 7,611 registered doctors, including 2,286 who were trained in foreign institutions.
The Singapore Medical Council currently has 86 Malaysian doctors on its register.
Universiti Malaya sees between 150 and 160 medical graduates each year. Since 1969, there have been 5,000 doctors graduating from its medical faculty.
The other Malaysian university could not be reached for comment.
Non-specialist doctors from the newly recognised schools will be able to practise as fully-registered doctors after four years of supervision. Previously, they had to work under supervision in an approved institution for six years.
Foreign specialists have to work under supervision for three years.
Since 2003, when there were 20 recognised foreign schools, the Health Ministry has gradually opened the door to an increasing number of them.
Hiring foreign doctors moves the country closer to its goal of having one doctor for each hospitalised patient in public hospitals, as the local universities cannot meet demand fast enough.
Currently, the ratio is one doctor for every two hospitalised patients."
30 Mar 2007, Straits Times -
[quote]Originally posted by oxford mushroom:
[b]As I predicted, the minister is bringing in more foreign doctors to hold healthcare costs down whilst cutting waiting times. We can expect to see foreign doctors from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and China, as they are paid much less than their counterparts in Singapore.
This will translate into greater competition among the neighbourhood GP clinics and government hospital doctors.
I'm hoping the influx never translates down to the GP level. Foreign doctors should not be allowed to set up private GP clinics here. For that matter, foreign specialists should also be confined to the private sector, and not be allowed to open private practice specialist clinics here as well.
After all, the purported shortage is in the public sector, right? Not enough MOs to keep pace with the ageing population?
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From the newspaper report, it appears there are no restrictions apart from the initial years of supervision. Once a foreign doctor has received full registration with the SMC, he is free to practise wherever he wants in Singapore.Originally posted by cherry_garcia:[quote]Originally posted by oxford mushroom:
[b]As I predicted, the minister is bringing in more foreign doctors to hold healthcare costs down whilst cutting waiting times. We can expect to see foreign doctors from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and China, as they are paid much less than their counterparts in Singapore.
This will translate into greater competition among the neighbourhood GP clinics and government hospital doctors.
I'm hoping the influx never translates down to the GP level. Foreign doctors should not be allowed to set up private GP clinics here. For that matter, foreign specialists should also be confined to the private sector, and not be allowed to open private practice specialist clinics here as well.
After all, the purported shortage is in the public sector, right? Not enough MOs to keep pace with the ageing population?
I think the minister wants greater competition in the private sector as well. For Singapore to become a medical hub, he would want lower charges in private hospitals to attract foreign patients. With more foreign doctors working as GPs in Singapore, the price differential between public and private sector primary health care will diminish. More patients will be diverted from the polyclinics to the GP clinics if the foreign GP charges less, further reducing the queues in polyclinics.
Singaporeans want cheaper healthcare but do not wish to pay more taxes, despite an aging population that will inevitably consume more of the same. Whilst doctors from China, Pakistan and India are paid far less than their counterparts in Singapore, bringing in these FTs is the logical solution.
Local doctors will have to differentiate themselves and offer higher value services if they wish to maintain their income. Alternatively, they may have to acquire qualifications that will enable them to work in Europe or the US. Those who cannot offer services beyond what the foreign doctors can provide will see themselves in a downwards spiral of increasing competition and decreasing wages.
Consumers will benefit though. In the globalised market, there are always winners and losers. -
Consumers will benefit is indeed the way to go. Why should we support the high salaries of Singaporean doctors? They already have the NUS quota to protect themselves for too long. Khaw Boon Wan is doing a great job at MOH.
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The result will be a two-tier system of health care, with poorer, subsidized patients being serviced by mainly foreign doctors in the public sector and richer patients seen by Singaporean doctors in the private sector. After 6 years, when foreign doctors can set up as GPs in the HDB estates, the impact will be felt most keenly by the neighbourhood GPs.Originally posted by dracky:Consumers will benefit is indeed the way to go. Why should we support the high salaries of Singaporean doctors? They already have the NUS quota to protect themselves for too long. Khaw Boon Wan is doing a great job at MOH.
Singaporean specialists are protected by the specialist register, which requires postgraduate qualifications from the Royal Colleges in the UK/Australia, certificates from the American Boards in the US and the MMed degrees in NUS. Foreign specialists with equivalent qualifications are already drawing similar and higher salaries in private hospitals, so we will not see any significant influx anytime soon.
For patients, it will also be good for those with special communication needs. There will be doctors from China for those who speak Mandarin or dialects, doctors from India for those who speak Hindi and Tamil, and plenty of Malay doctors from Malaysia as well.
As for salary, I expect those with basic MBBS will see their salaries depressed by the influx of foreign doctors. Specialists with internationally recognized qualifications from US, UK and Australia will not be affected. They can also work overseas if they are already listed as a specialist elsewhere.
Financially speaking, it will be better for Singaporeans to study medicine in Universiti Malaya or UKM, where the fees are lower than in NUS. Upon graduation, work in Singapore and specialize in cosmetic surgery, aesthetic medicine or ophthalmology. You will earn alot more injecting botox to treat wrinkles and performing laser keratoplasty for myopia than treating patients with cancer or diabetes. If you continue to treat hypertension, cough and colds; you will see your salary drop. And by the way, forget about geriatrics or psychiatry. The old cannot afford to pay much and the insane can never pay.
There are winners and losers in globalisation. Some patients benefit, others are worse off. -
Can Globalisation hit Singaporean Ministers so that we can bring down Costs oso??
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I think more local doc will travel to overseas for better pay...
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You seem to have a huge propensity to inflate your own abilities - like this Government who will claim that they are the one who makes the sun come up, while others bring the darkness of night upon us.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:As I predicted, the minister is bringing in more foreign doctors to hold healthcare costs down whilst cutting waiting times. We can expect to see foreign doctors from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and China, as they are paid much less than their counterparts in Singapore.
This will translate into greater competition among the neighbourhood GP clinics and government hospital doctors. The impact will be less among specialists, because the Specialist Register only admits those with postgrad medical qualifications from US/UK/Australia or NUS (unless the government relaxes the qualifications required of specialists too). Foreign medical specialists with these postgrad qualifications are already drawing equivalent salaries in private hospitals overseas.
"MALAYSIA-TRAINED doctors can now practise here more easily, with the country's two premier universities getting the nod from the Health Ministry (MOH).
The first Asean universities to make the grade, they are among 20 newly-accredited institutes which will help alleviate the shortage of doctors here.
The Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia are among the most prestigious institutions in the country.
Aside from these two, the other 18 are from Canada, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the United States.
With these latest additions, doctors with degrees from 140 universities throughout Europe, Asia and North America are approved to work here.
In a statement, the MOH said recognising the additional universities would help hospitals recruit good doctors to meet rising demand.
As at end-2006, there were 250 positions for doctors waiting to be filled in public hospitals.
Singapore currently has 7,611 registered doctors, including 2,286 who were trained in foreign institutions.
The Singapore Medical Council currently has 86 Malaysian doctors on its register.
Universiti Malaya sees between 150 and 160 medical graduates each year. Since 1969, there have been 5,000 doctors graduating from its medical faculty.
The other Malaysian university could not be reached for comment.
Non-specialist doctors from the newly recognised schools will be able to practise as fully-registered doctors after four years of supervision. Previously, they had to work under supervision in an approved institution for six years.
Foreign specialists have to work under supervision for three years.
Since 2003, when there were 20 recognised foreign schools, the Health Ministry has gradually opened the door to an increasing number of them.
Hiring foreign doctors moves the country closer to its goal of having one doctor for each hospitalised patient in public hospitals, as the local universities cannot meet demand fast enough.
Currently, the ratio is one doctor for every two hospitalised patients."
30 Mar 2007, Straits Times
Since when have you shown any ability to predict anything, but merely to plagiarize from the obvious ?
In 'stock broking parlance' - are you not indulging in "insider trading" simply to inflate your own self-worth in this public forum - after having been knocked off your pedestal in your efforts to protect your foreign maid-friends ?
Those 'abused foreign maids' are waiting for your attention; further delay on your part may result in you simply losing those abused foreign maids to other resident expatriates sufacing and championing their course - and like you - simply to serve their own cheap selfish ends. -
sigh....singapore rreally no more Iron rice bowl lor...
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There is no iron rice bowl and there should not be. Those who can adapt and stay ahead will gain at the expense of those who fall behind. Globalisation only serves to increase the pace of competition.Originally posted by airgrinder:sigh....singapore rreally no more Iron rice bowl lor...
However, there is impact on the patients as well. The rich get the highest quality service from the most qualified doctors who can harness the latest cutting edge technology....all at a price. Others get the most cost-effective healthcare society can afford, which depends on how much taxpayers are willing to spend. -
And so the gap widens each day.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:If you continue to treat hypertension, cough and colds; you will see your salary drop. And by the way, forget about geriatrics or psychiatry. The old cannot afford to pay much and the insane can never pay.
There are winners and losers in globalisation. Some patients benefit, others are worse off.
Chinese medicine or ayuvedra anyone?
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The door should also be opened wide for lawyers too. Aren't the papers moaning how so many lawyers are leaving the profession?
Just payed hundreds of dollars for routine paperwork over the transfer of ownership papers from my bank to myself after finishing paying up the mortgage.
Now, with Indian lawyers providing competition......
By the way, if Indian and Malaysian universities' medical degrees are recognised, shouldn't our own young ones study there instead? Much cheaper, and no bond! -
bringing in foreign doctors to depress the wages of local doctors is just going to create even more problems. costs have to be cut, but there are other options, cut rental, cut utitilies, cut taxes, these will help solve costs readily. cut wages and raise living costs, that's just making life difficult.
the idea of bringing in foreign MPs is getting more and more enticing. who care if they screw up? our foreign talents screw up ever so often too, but at least they bring costs down. that's all that matters isn't it? -
For the Singaporeans who aspires to become doctors, study medicine only because you want to provide compassionate care to others as a service to humanity. If you think of it as a way to maintain a lifestyle, you might be disappointed because thereÂ’s one less destination of choice, UK and EU. UKÂ’s colleges are producing enough doctors. ThereÂ’s no need to recruit doctors from outside EU.
Lowering healthcare costs in Singapore is going to stay as a priority. Until we can produce enough doctors of our own, recruitment of foreign doctors will continue. We might even see some Singapore-born doctors working in UK coming back to Singapore. -
There will always be people who aspire to do medicine. However, if the salary of health professionals drop, the best students will be enticed to go into the finance sector where it is more lucrative.Originally posted by googoomuck:For the Singaporeans who aspires to become doctors, study medicine only because you want to provide compassionate care to others as a service to humanity. If you think of it as a way to maintain a lifestyle, you might be disappointed because thereÂ’s one less destination of choice, UK and EU. UKÂ’s colleges are producing enough doctors. ThereÂ’s no need to recruit doctors from outside EU.
Lowering healthcare costs in Singapore is going to stay as a priority. Until we can produce enough doctors of our own, recruitment of foreign doctors will continue. We might even see some Singapore-born doctors working in UK coming back to Singapore.
There are sufficient junior doctors in the UK but there is a shortage consultants, particularly in some disciplines. Singapore specialists with internationally recognized qualifications can find jobs in the West if they wish to emigrate.
Singaporean doctors working in the UK are not going to return for lower pay. The job market in the UK is getting tighter but it is the junior doctors who are feeling the squeeze. Consultants and those who are advanced in their training will not be affected. -
The full impact of this policy will not be felt for another couple of years, since foreign doctors have to work under supervision until they receive full registration. One possible result of an influx of foreign GPs could be over-servicing.Originally posted by nismoS132:bringing in foreign doctors to depress the wages of local doctors is just going to create even more problems. costs have to be cut, but there are other options, cut rental, cut utitilies, cut taxes, these will help solve costs readily. cut wages and raise living costs, that's just making life difficult.
the idea of bringing in foreign MPs is getting more and more enticing. who care if they screw up? our foreign talents screw up ever so often too, but at least they bring costs down. that's all that matters isn't it?
It is a well-known fact that GPs earn a portion of their income by selling medicine in their clinics. If their income drops as a result of foreign doctors, there will be a tendency to over-prescribe to increase their income. The way to deal with this may be legislation requiring doctors to provide just the prescription to the patient who then purchases the medicine from the phamacy, if so desired. There will be a balance struck between the convenience but higher cost of medicine from the doctor's clinic versus the inconvenience of finding a pharmacy who stocks the medication. -
Another likely development in the future will be a response from Singaporean GPs to deal with the influx of foreign GPs. I predict there will be a move towards legislation requiring that partners of a private GP clinic must have a graduate diploma of family medicine (GDFM) or higher postgrad qualifications.
Foreign GPs will be able to work as employees but not as partners in a clinic or be allowed to set up one of their own. It also means that local doctors who do not have such postgrad qualifications will suffer as a result and foreign GPs who acquire the diploma will be better off than the local doctor who doesn't. However, overall that would increase the standard of primary health care in Singapore.
I would advise all GPs in Singapore to acquire such postgrad qualifications quickly before they are pushed out of the market by foreign GPs. There is of course the option for older GPs of emigrating to retire in Indonesia, Malaysia or China; where the lower costs may mean they can still maintain their standard of living. -
Good idea!!! Let the old and insane die of neglect, if they are so sick, they probably can't make it to the MRT tracks. Singapore is NOT a welfare state. Singapore is NOT a compassionate society. Everything in Singapore entails a price, if you can't afford it, that's too bad.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:If you continue to treat hypertension, cough and colds; you will see your salary drop. And by the way, forget about geriatrics or psychiatry. The old cannot afford to pay much and the insane can never pay.
There are winners and losers in globalisation. Some patients benefit, others are worse off.
You have a bright future ahead of you.
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Short sighted solutions again.
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Why do you think the government has brought in foreign doctors from India, China, Pakistan and Malaysia? They will enable the government to continue to provide cheap healthcare for those who cannot afford private medical treatment. Local doctors who desire a higher salary will naturally have to move on to higher value services.Originally posted by maurizio13:Good idea!!! Let the old and insane die of neglect, if they are so sick, they probably can't make it to the MRT tracks. Singapore is NOT a welfare state. Singapore is NOT a compassionate society. Everything in Singapore entails a price, if you can't afford it, that's too bad.
You have a bright future ahead of you.
A basic healthcare for subsidized patients and higher quality treatment for those who can afford it.
The old and insane will still have access to basic healthcare, but unfortunately for you, there is no treatment available for stupidity.