MOH planning enhanced package for nurses as part of efforts to build up healthcare workforce: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) will be planning an enhanced payment package for nurses for 2022 and 2023 as part of efforts to build up Singapore's healthcare workforce, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (July 29).

More details on the package will be announced on Nurses’ Day on Aug 1.

“As the pandemic is still ongoing with a major burden falling on our nurses, I think they are deserving of another payment, perhaps structured as a nurses’ retention payment,” said Mr Ong during a speech at the 2022 Healthcare Scholarships award ceremony.

During his speech, Mr Ong said Singapore must keep up its “relentless effort” to build up the healthcare workforce in terms of size, capability and quality and continue to make this a top priority.

The Health Minister noted that nurses are in “great demand” across all healthcare settings and in many countries.

“A significant change in the post Covid-19 world is that healthcare can no longer be regarded purely as a local domestic service. We need to keep an eye on the international competition for healthcare manpower,” he added.

MANPOWER PRIORITIES FOR NURSING WORKFORCE

Mr Ong said the two key factors that determine the attractiveness of the healthcare sector are remuneration and the professional work environment.

He noted that a review of the salaries for nurses and allied health professionals was completed in 2021, and a pay adjustment for nurses was completed this month.

It was announced in March 2021 that nurses in the public healthcare sector will receive an increase of 5 to 14 per cent in their monthly base salaries from July. The increase will be “phased over the next two years”, said then Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon in Parliament. CNA