SINGAPORE — While the Ministry of Health (MOH) will set aside S$150 million over the next three years to boost the salaries of local nurses and support care staff, Singapore must also find creative ways to attract and retain people in the healthcare sector.

This is particularly so for the growing community care sector, said Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor on Thursday (March 5) in response to several Members of Parliament (MP) who suggested giving greater recognition to the nursing profession.

Both Tanjong Pagar MP Melvin Yong and Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh applauded nurses for the critical role they play during the ongoing Covid-19 virus outbreak, and said that more needs to be done once the crisis blows over.

Dr Khor agreed, and called them the “backbone of our healthcare system” whose role will only grow in importance.

In her speech during the MOH’s Committee of Supply debate, Dr Khor told the House that S$150 million will go towards supporting community care institutions to further improve the competitiveness of salaries of healthcare workers.

She estimates that it will benefit up to 4,000 local nurses and support care staff, if there is full take-up.

“We strongly encourage employers to take the opportunity to enhance salaries of nurses and support care staff, and continue to improve career prospects of care staff in the community,” Dr Khor said.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Yong had asked for MOH’s plans to meet the increasing demand for healthcare workers, particularly in community care.

“With our ageing population, our healthcare system will require more workers, especially nurses,” said Mr Yong, who is also the Assistant Secretary-General for NTUC.

“Perhaps the ministry could consider recruiting more mid-career nurses in their 50s and place them in wards that are less intense,” he suggested.

In her speech, Dr Khor noted that Singapore’s shrinking birth cohorts means a tighter labour market in the decade beyond 2020.

To meet Singapore’s growing manpower needs, she said Singapore needs to diversify its hiring sources.

“Besides attracting fresh graduates, we will continue our efforts to bring mid-careerists into healthcare,” she said. “Mid-careerists play a valuable role, as they bring with them unique expertise and fresh perspectives from their previous careers.”

In the last two years, Dr Khor said about 2,000 local mid-career professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) transited into the healthcare sector. About one-third of them are mature workers aged 40 and above.

‘ZERO-TOLERANCE’ POLICY FOR HARASSMENT OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Assoc Prof Goh asked what MOH was doing to look after the physical health and safety, mental wellness, and social well-being of healthcare workers, given the Covid-19 crisis.

He noted that from the previous Sars outbreak, frontline healthcare workers suffer from high levels of burnout and post-traumatic stress.

Pointing out how some healthcare workers have been ostracised, he wanted to know if there was any legal protection afforded to nurses from being abused when they are in uniform.

He also asked whether it may be timely to think about whether nurses should, like doctors, go to work in office attire and change to professional scrubs at work.

“I am ambivalent about this, as I grew up watching my mum go to work in her nurse uniform and I’m still immensely proud of her,” he said.

Dr Khor said she shared Assoc Prof Goh’s pride in Singapore’s nurses.

She warned that under the Protection from Harassment Act, the Government adopts a “zero-tolerance policy” against the harassment of public healthcare workers performing their official duties.

“The same act also protects them as private citizens if they are harassed when off-duty,” she stressed.

She also said that all our public healthcare clusters have counselling services and hotlines for healthcare workers if they need help.