Healthcare employers should diversify slot online their recruitment sources amid issues with the supply of Filipino nurses, said Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon in Parliament on Tuesday (Jul 27).
The Philippines, one of the world's biggest sources of nurses, reached its annual cap of 5,000 healthcare worker deployments late-May. The permits to allow healthcare workers, including nurses, to go abroad were suspended by the Philippine government.
While the Philippines raised the annual cap to 6,500 following high demand, Dr Koh said that Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) is working with healthcare employers to ensure the adequacy and sustainability of the nursing workforce.
“Healthcare employers should also diversify their recruitment sources,” said Dr Koh, who is also Senior Minister of State for Manpower.
Citing a 2019 report by the Singapore Nursing Board, he said that about 7,600 – or 18 per cent – of Singapore’s nursing workforce are Filipino.
Dr Koh added that the local supply of nurses has grown. In 2020, there were about 1,400 new registrations from locals, compared to about 1,200 in 2019, he said.
He attributed the increase to “past efforts” to grow the nursing intake in Singapore's institutions of higher learning.
We are committed to providing our clients with exceptional solutions while offering web design and development services, , organic SEO services, social media services, digital marketing services, server management services and Graphic Design Company in USA.