A former Malaysian minister has come out to say that Singapore should provide compensation to its neighbour when hiring medical professionals trained there.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 9) Abdul Rahman Dahlan wrote: “The exodus of Malaysian trained doctors and nurses to foreign countries especially Singapore has caused anxiety and stirred debates in Malaysia.”
Rahman was a Member of Parliament from 2008 to 2018. He helmed the Economic Planning Unit as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department from 2016 to 2018.
While this “brain drain” has been happening for some time, recent developments have put this issue in the forefront of public discourse and parliamentary debates, he said.
“There are many reasons why Malaysia is facing acute shortage of doctors and nurses. Some are admittedly self inflicted while some are due to the aggressive ‘poaching’ by foreign countries.”
Rahman added, however, that Malaysian medical professionals should not be barred from relocating or working in Singapore as “their right to decide their own future must be respected”.
Levy on Singapore employers
Instead, the former minister suggested an alternative solution — a levy borne by Singaporean employers.
This can be calculated monthly or yearly, and can be based on their contracts and income drawn in Singapore, he posted.
He called the approach a “win-win situation for everyone” with hospitals in Singapore getting the talent they need and the Malaysian government recovering the funds spent on training medical professionals.
Rahman acknowledged that his idea had “never been done before” and would pose “a lot of technical and legal issues” which would need to be addressed first.
He also acknowledged that his post highlights just Singapore, even though countries including Europe and the Middle East are likewise recruiting medical professionals from Malaysia.
“The reason is because of Singapore’s close proximity to Malaysia. Both Malaysia and Singapore share a border, with easy access in and out of each other’s territory. On top of that, both countries have similar cultures and languages, as well as common time zone,” he pointed out.
“Because of this, a lot of our migrating doctors and nurses find Singapore is the most suitable choice and it is an easier place to get used to.”
Local intake up in last 10 years: MOH
Singapore has recruited some 3,800 new nurses from local and foreign sources in 2024, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a media release on March 7, adding that it increased its annual local intake by about 20 per cent over the past 10 years.
With one in 20 Singaporeans opting to study nursing, it remains a desirable profession for locals.
In 2024, ITE launched the Work-Study Diploma for nurses, which allows Enrolled Nurses to attain Registered Nurse accreditation through mostly on-the-job training.
There has also been an increase in intakes of trained doctors out of Singapore’s three medical schools, from about 440 in 2014 to 550 in 2024, according to MOH.
It also added nine new foreign schools to the list of basic medical degrees recognised in Singapore.
“To meet our population’s healthcare needs, we will need to supplement locally trained doctors with Singaporeans and foreigners trained overseas,” said the ministry.
MOH also stated that it regularly reviews staff salaries in the public healthcare sector to continue offering strong career opportunities.
It was announced on March 27 that 63,000 public healthcare workers could expect up to seven per cent increases to their monthly salaries from July 1.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
