Xinhua News
Singapore hospitals are looking to recruiting overseas medical students ahead of their graduation by offering them a pre-employment grant, local media reported on Thursday.
The idea was mooted by Singapore’s Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, in order to increase the pool of doctors in Singapore, local radio 938live said.
Some of the key components of this scheme could include having the grant target Singaporeans studying in top medical schools recognized by the Singapore Medical Council, the doctors’ governing council, as they are in the last two years of their medical program.
The grant could possibly cover a large part, some 60 percent of the student’s tuition fees for the remaining years of study, subject to a cap of 50,000 Singapore dollars (35,971 US dollars) a year.
In return, the students will serve a bond at one of the hospitals here, possibly for four years instead of the usual five as currently practiced by local medical graduates at the National University of Singapore.
In 2007, there were less than 4,000 doctors in the public sector whereas there are 4,600 at present.
http://world.globaltimes.cn/asia-pacific/2010-04/522679.html