Malaysian medics ‘a cheap yet quality asset' in Singapore
PETALING JAYA : Malaysian medical graduates are highly sought after by hospitals in Singapore, which consider them to be 'cheap yet high quality assets', according to a Malaysian doctor serving in the city-state.
Wanting to only be known as Dr Akram, the doctor said Malaysia's holistic system of housemanship made Malaysian medical graduates among the top choices for Singapore hospitals.
'At the hospital where I work, 40% of medical officers are graduates of top universities in Malaysia,' said Akram, who has been working in Singapore for a year now, after serving six months as a medical officer at a Malaysian hospital.
Singapore has 11 public hospitals, nine private hospitals, and 10 specialist centres for specific diseases. 'Singapore wants to build two new hospitals, so I'm sure more Malaysian medical graduates or medical officers will be recruited,' said Akram.
He said colleagues had informed him that many Malaysian medical officers had plans to work overseas, drawn by higher salaries and better benefits, as well as improved work-life balance in line with their responsibilities and workload.
'Many medical students from two popular local universities are already eyeing opportunities and are keen to join us here,' he added.
A news report in March quoted Marina Mat Baki, dean of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's medical faculty, as saying that 30 graduates moved to Singapore in 2023, 25 in 2022, 15 in 2021, and just two in 2020.
Akram said Malaysia's system provided adequate training and exposure, but many medical officers suffer from burnout due to poor treatment, lack of welfare support, and the absence of work-life balance.
'Worse still, there seems to be no end in sight to these issues,' he said.
He said junior medical officers in Singapore received monthly allowances which also covered housing and 'personal wellbeing', as well as performance and corporate variable bonuses, on top of their regular salaries and on-call compensation.
They are also entitled to annual leave, sick leave, non-medical leave, marriage leave, family care leave, training leave, and birthday leave.
Akram added that applying for leave in Singapore was much easier than in Malaysia, where there is a frequent staff shortage.
The number of patients treated in a day was significantly lower in Singapore. 'Here, a medical officer typically sees only 20 patients a day, while in Malaysia, one doctor may have to treat up to 40 patients daily,' Akram said.
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