Our million dollar ministers at work

Straits Times
 MAY 25 1997
THE National University of Singapore will increase
its intake of medical students this year, the Health
Minister, Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, announced yesterday. He said that
180 students would be accepted for the 1997-98 intake, up from
the current 150, and next year, 1998, the intake would be further
increased to 200.

"On top of that, we are working with the Singapore Medical
Council to liberalise the registration of foreign-trained
doctors, and so allow them to practise in Singapore," said Mr
Yeo.

At the moment, Singaporeans who want to study medicine abroad
have only 28 medical schools to choose from, if they want to
practise here after graduation.

This number was a sharp cut from the list of 176 schools at the
end of 1993.

Mr Yeo, who was speaking to reporters after the topping-out
ceremony for the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital at the junction of
Moulmein and Thomson Roads, said he hoped these measures would
help relieve the current shortage of doctors in the public
sector.

He also encouraged Singaporean doctors who were working abroad to
come home to work.

"I think they will find the prospects here much better, and
there's nothing to prevent them from coming back," he said.

On the topic of foreign doctors, Mr Yeo said that the ministry
would source for both specialists and general practitioners from
developed countries in the West.

He noted that certain fields, like anaesthesia for example, faced
a shortage. The ministry had to scour for professionals with the
necessary qualifications and experience overseas, because
training new anaesthetists would take a long time.

The exodus of doctors for the private sector had been caused in
part by foreign patients coming to Singapore for treatment, he
explained.

"If we have a lot of such patients coming in, it will lead to a
tremendous demand in the private sector. This will inevitably
pull away the doctors from the public institutions.

"This is a dynamic situation that we will continue to monitor
closely, and make adjustments from time to time," he said.

In Parliament last year, Dr Aline Wong, the Senior Minister of
State (Health and Education), said that restructured hospitals
faced an average shortfall of 10 per cent for doctors.

 The Straits Times
May 30, 1993   

HEADLINE: New  medical school  list to be out in 3 months

    A SHORTER list of recognised foreign  medical schools  will be out in
about three months, Health Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said yesterday.
    
   Mr Yeo spoke to reporters after he launched Reach Out Your Hands, a three-day
charity drive in aid of the National Kidney Foundation at Chinatown Point.

   He was asked to elaborate on his statement in Parliament on Friday. He had
said that the number of recognised foreign  medical schools  would be cut to
prevent an influx of doctors after the year 2000.

   He said yesterday that the cap on foreign-trained doctors was necessary
because of the marked increase in the number of Singaporeans studying
medicine overseas.

   More than 10 years ago, only 20 to 30 students studied medicine overseas
yearly, but the number had increased to between 90 and 100 recently.
Most attended universities in the United States, the United Kingdom,
Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
    
   Mr Yeo said that the curb on the number of doctors was needed to avoid having
too many doctors here, which would lead to higher health-care costs and cause
some of them to emigrate.

   Mr Yeo said the registration of non-Singaporean specialists would also be
tightened and their admittance would depend on their skills.

   Every year, about 40 such specialists come here.

   There are now about 4,000 doctors in  Singapore,  or one doctor to 800
people.

   To prevent a surplus, only gradual increases in the number of doctors would
be allowed so that by the year 2000, the doctor-population ratio would not
exceed 1:650.

   To achieve that ratio, the number of doctors would have to be increased by
between 1,000 and 2,000.

   Currently, there are about 300 new doctors a year, half of whom are
foreign-trained.

   Allowing more would push up medical expenditure. Studies in the West have
shown that more doctors would mean higher national health costs.

   The Government's position is that an over-supply of doctors must be prevented
lest they create work for themselves by performing more tests and prescribing
unnecessary treatment.

   The problem is pertinent as not many consumers have any knowledge of
medical treatment.

   Mr Yeo said: "Most consumers know something of a lot of professions. But
regarding medicine, they are left entirely at the mercy of doctors."

   He stressed that the Government aimed to provide not only better health
care, but also affordable health care.

   "We must not allow medical costs to bankrupt us"