Pay increase for healthcare workers
SINGAPORE – Great news for healthcare workers in the public sector, the government has announced its plans to increase their pay, costing some SG$200 million for the next two years. The pay increases are to ensure salaries of healthcare professionals are kept competitive, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.
By 2014, doctors are set to receive an increase of their total remuneration of about 20%. Dentists’ pay will also be similarly adjusted. From April 2012, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals will experience a one-time increase in their base pay of about 4% to 17%.
In addition to salary improvements, Gan added that the ministry plans to expand capacity in the healthcare system by adding 3,700 hospital beds. This infrastructure expansion will need about 50% or about 20,000 more healthcare professionals by 2020. This will be boost the local intake of healthcare professionals including, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists and dentists.
All this expansion plans is in response to the nation’s increasing elderly population (aged 65 and above) which is forecast to triple from 350,000 this year to 960,000 in 2030.
