Health ministry to review nurses’ salaries
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is reviewing salaries for nurses in order to see whether more Singaporeans can be attracted to the nursing profession.
Speaking to reporters at a Nurses' Day celebration on Monday morning at Jurong Health Services, Health minister Gan Kim Yong said the review is necessary to ensure that salaries remain competitive.
"We need to take a more comprehensive review -- not just about salary -- to see how we can lighten their workload, to make sure their workload is more rewarding, and provide more career opportunities," he said.
The ministry will be reviewing nurses' conditions of employment at their workplaces as well, he added.
Mr Gan also voiced his hope that locals who join the nursing profession will take on more important roles and functions in hospitals, reported Channel NewsAsia.
According to the recently-released report on wages in 2010 from the Ministry of Manpower, the mean monthly salary of an assistant or enrolled nurse was $2,431, while that of a registered nurse was $3,271.
At the same time, the mean monthly starting salary for fresh graduates from NUS' four-year honours degree programme in nursing was $2,655.
The industry continues to face a manpower crunch, however, with a reported attrition rate of nine per cent last year -- nonetheless a reduced figure from 12 per cent in 2005.
Review welcomed
Nurses have since welcomed the news, telling Yahoo! Singapore that the review is necessary to prevent local nurses from migrating to countries such as Australia, the U.K. and New Zealand to work, where they say the nurse-to-patient ratio is as low as half that of Singapore's.
On average, nurses whom Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that they handle about eight to 10 patients each in public hospitals here, although the rise in occupancy and planned opening of new hospitals will increase the nation's demand for nurses.
"I think the government has caught on the trend (of nurses migrating) of the past 10 years," said a 24-year-old full-time nurse, who wanted to be known as Ms Fan.
"Nurses in Singapore are definitely not driven by our salary; we are driven by passion. If we were driven by our salaries, there wouldn't be nurses in Singapore," she added.
More steps are being taken to tackle the manpower squeeze in the longer term. NUS' nursing degree programme has doubled its cohort over the past two years, with its most recent fifth batch of students numbering between 90 and 100.
"It is about time they review the salaries for existing nurses and start a reasonable basic for those joining to lure them to join nursing," said private hospital nurse Rozillah Mohd Shah, 30, adding that nurses should also be given more opportunities in the public and private sector to advance their studies.
"Even with the current schemes at place which provide so-calledcareer advancements, it is not being emphasised enough at the workplace," she said.
Adjunct Associate Professor Lee Siu Yin, the director of nursing at the National University Hospital, also welcomed the review, saying that it is an affirmation of the growing role of nurses in healthcare.
"Many of our nurses are pursuing postgraduate courses and doctorate programmes," she said. "Many are better trained, and not only do they provide complex care and treatment, they also teach and do research. We definitely welcome this move," she added.
At the same time, with the re-employment law taking effect next year, Mr Gan said that hospitals should also look into measures to retain nurses who retire at the age of 62.
He also added that the MOH is determining whether or not the completion of new hospitals will need to be brought forward to address the shortage of hospital beds, mentioning in particular Sengkang General Hospital, scheduled to open in 2020.
