Need to keep careers in healthcare sector attractive: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has spoken of the need to keep careers in the healthcare sector attractive.

He said there’s a need to compete with other sectors for manpower especially in a tight labour market in the country.

Speaking to the media at a community event on Sunday morning, Mr Gan said one way is to create multiple career pathways for nurses as this would make their jobs exciting and fulfilling.

On Friday, it was announced that the public sector healthcare support staff would be getting a pay rise this month of between 4 and 10 per cent.

16,000 workers will benefit from the salary review.

Lower wage workers can expect another increase of up to 20 per cent by the end of 2014.

"Even as we improve the employment conditions in the healthcare sector, we also see other sectors improving their salaries and wages and other conditions as well because they too are competing for manpower. For Singapore, manpower has always been a challenge... so therefore it is important for us to focus on how to reach out and engage them and provide more career opportunities for them in the sector," said Mr Gan.

— CNA/cc