EMPLOYMENT SALARY WORK BENEFITS HEALTHCARE
Singapore – Local nurses can expect a pay review this year, as well as better benefits to encourage them to remain in the field.
Gan Kim Yong, Minister of Health, said there has to be a more “comprehensive view” to help see how the workload of nurses can be lightened. He added it was important to continue ensuring that these healthcare professionals’ work is more rewarding and that they are provided with more career opportunities.
He shared the ministry will be reviewing the nurses’ remuneration, along with their terms of employment and workplace conditions. Speaking to reporters at the Jurong Health Services’ Nurses Day celebrations, he said older and experienced nurses should also be offered more flexible working arrangements to retain them.
Foo Hee Jug, chief executive officer-designate of the upcoming Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), said it was important to retain older professionals as “we must capture as much of their experience as possible”. He added the senior nurses can act as a mentor for younger nurses.
“For those who are able to continue working, we would encourage them to stay in the healthcare industry to continue to contribute to our patient care,” Gan said. He shared the ministry is hoping to attract more Singaporeans to the nursing profession to make sure the industry’s attrition rate remains low.
Gan said the review will also help find out what needs to be done to improve the nursing sector in the long run. It would also help determine if the Sengkang General Hospital should be opened earlier to cope with the shortage of hospital beds. The hospital is currently slated to begin operations in 2020.
However, Gan added it is not just about the construction of more hospitals, but also ensuring there will be “sufficient manpower supply”.
The number of nurses leaving the profession has dropped over the last five years, from 12% to 9% this year. There are currently about 30,000 nurses in Singapore, although a fifth are foreigners.
It was reported in The Business Times that by the time NTFGH start operations in 2014, Jurong Health is expected to double its nursing team to about 1,400.
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