Singapore reviewing salaries for nurses amid manpower crunch

Singapore is reviewing the salaries for nurses in the public sector to keep the pay competitiveness and the government is encouraging hospitals to retain experienced nurses by offering more flexibility, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has said.

Local media said on Tuesday that the city state is facing a manpower crunch in the health care industry, with one in five nurses being a foreigner.

Gan said he wanted to see more Singaporeans to take up the career which "touches many lives," the Straits Times said.

Gan said the health ministry will also be looking at how to reduce the workload of the nurses and make it more rewarding, adding that he is encouraging hospitals to retain experienced nurses by offering more flexibility.

"For those who are able to continue working, we would encourage them to stay in the health care industry to continue to contribute to our patient care," he said.

The minister said he was encouraged that the number of nurses leaving public hospitals has fallen from 12 percent about five years ago to 9 percent now. Nevertheless, nurses are always in demand.

The review by the health ministry will also look at the demand and supply of hospital beds and whether there is a need to increase the capacity, Gan said.

Source: Xinhua

	Weekly review