Admin
15-09-2006, 06:49 PM
SINGAPORE: The number of public sector doctors leaving for the private sector has gone down according to figures from the two health clusters here.
The numbers peaked around 2004 when some seven percent left the public sector.
Doctors say Singapore could still face a shortage of medical staff in future.
Dr Heah Sieu Min is one of almost 90 specialists who quit the public sector in 2004 to go private.
Now running his own clinic in Paragon, he stresses he didn't leave Singapore General Hospital after 10 years for more money.
"If you are a head of department or you are a consultant, you will need to actually fulfil a certain administrative role which sometimes can bog you down rather than allow us to do what we were trained to do, which is doctoring and looking after patients. I think most colleagues and myself find that this is one of the main reasons why we would leave the public sector, not just so much for the salary part because they do pay relatively well in the restructured hospital," said Dr Heah Sieu Min, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Pacific Colorectal Centre.
Dr Heah says he can now focus more on his patients, instead of packing 30 appointments into 3 hours like he used to in the public sector.
Almost two years on, he doesn't regret leaving and says measures which allow doctors to do part time private practice didn't entice him to stay although he still maintains his ties with restructured hospitals.
"Sometimes it's neither here nor there, although it's a very interesting plan in the right direction, but I don't think it addresses the issue fully. So most doctors would think either you are in the public sector or you are out in the private sector looking after your patients," said Dr Heah.
Although fewer doctors have left the public sector in recent years, some senior ones who've stayed still feel the pinch.
"At the general level, that really impedes development of sub-specialty. At the institutional level, we are putting in a lot of resources into training, and it can be disheartening to the senior doctors to continuously train and at the end the doctors leave for private practice. It doesn't help that there are a few regulatory restrictions in place that decide the number of specialists we can have," said Dr Chay Oh Moh, Chairman, Division of Paediatric Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
Dr Chay says she sees a 50 percent attrition rate of the only six specialist paediatricians she trains in each cohort and an increased supply of doctors she feels would mean better work-life balance for them and less incentive to leave.
While the problem isn't as dire for eye specialists, the Eye Institute wants younger doctors to feel more of an obligation towards their patients.
"Once we take up medicine, many of us have a certain set of things we want to do for our patients, especially those who can't afford private sector care, and that typically is the bottom 20 to 30 percent of the social strata. I think as doctors we have the responsibility of rolling out quality care for them. We have to plan out and roll out many plans and healthcare activities to serve this population well, to do that is very challenging and there are many things we still need to do and I would be very happy to spend many years of my life doing that," said Dr Lim Tock Han, Director, The Eye Institute National Healthcare Group.
Dr Lim believes that more informed patients will also begin needing longer consultation times which would mean the need for more doctors.
Currently NUS only admits 230 medical students each year.
Some doctors say that to make up for the numbers leaving the public sector it may be necessary to let the market dictate how many medical students to admit each year and how many to assign to each speciality.
With Singapore's push to become a regional healthcare hub and its ageing population, one thing's for certain, it's going to need more doctors. - CNA /dt
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/230436/1/.html
The numbers peaked around 2004 when some seven percent left the public sector.
Doctors say Singapore could still face a shortage of medical staff in future.
Dr Heah Sieu Min is one of almost 90 specialists who quit the public sector in 2004 to go private.
Now running his own clinic in Paragon, he stresses he didn't leave Singapore General Hospital after 10 years for more money.
"If you are a head of department or you are a consultant, you will need to actually fulfil a certain administrative role which sometimes can bog you down rather than allow us to do what we were trained to do, which is doctoring and looking after patients. I think most colleagues and myself find that this is one of the main reasons why we would leave the public sector, not just so much for the salary part because they do pay relatively well in the restructured hospital," said Dr Heah Sieu Min, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Pacific Colorectal Centre.
Dr Heah says he can now focus more on his patients, instead of packing 30 appointments into 3 hours like he used to in the public sector.
Almost two years on, he doesn't regret leaving and says measures which allow doctors to do part time private practice didn't entice him to stay although he still maintains his ties with restructured hospitals.
"Sometimes it's neither here nor there, although it's a very interesting plan in the right direction, but I don't think it addresses the issue fully. So most doctors would think either you are in the public sector or you are out in the private sector looking after your patients," said Dr Heah.
Although fewer doctors have left the public sector in recent years, some senior ones who've stayed still feel the pinch.
"At the general level, that really impedes development of sub-specialty. At the institutional level, we are putting in a lot of resources into training, and it can be disheartening to the senior doctors to continuously train and at the end the doctors leave for private practice. It doesn't help that there are a few regulatory restrictions in place that decide the number of specialists we can have," said Dr Chay Oh Moh, Chairman, Division of Paediatric Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
Dr Chay says she sees a 50 percent attrition rate of the only six specialist paediatricians she trains in each cohort and an increased supply of doctors she feels would mean better work-life balance for them and less incentive to leave.
While the problem isn't as dire for eye specialists, the Eye Institute wants younger doctors to feel more of an obligation towards their patients.
"Once we take up medicine, many of us have a certain set of things we want to do for our patients, especially those who can't afford private sector care, and that typically is the bottom 20 to 30 percent of the social strata. I think as doctors we have the responsibility of rolling out quality care for them. We have to plan out and roll out many plans and healthcare activities to serve this population well, to do that is very challenging and there are many things we still need to do and I would be very happy to spend many years of my life doing that," said Dr Lim Tock Han, Director, The Eye Institute National Healthcare Group.
Dr Lim believes that more informed patients will also begin needing longer consultation times which would mean the need for more doctors.
Currently NUS only admits 230 medical students each year.
Some doctors say that to make up for the numbers leaving the public sector it may be necessary to let the market dictate how many medical students to admit each year and how many to assign to each speciality.
With Singapore's push to become a regional healthcare hub and its ageing population, one thing's for certain, it's going to need more doctors. - CNA /dt
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/230436/1/.html