Browsing: nurses

This initiative arrives at a critical juncture as Singapore’s healthcare sector faces challenges in retaining nurses and allied healthcare professionals (AHPs). Recent statistics reveal a slight uptick in the attrition rates of AHPs in the public sector, from 8.9% in 2018 to 11.6% in 2022, highlighting the urgent need for effective retention strategies.

In response, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has engaged in concerted efforts to enhance the attractiveness of healthcare careers, including significant salary enhancements for AHPs in 2023 and comprehensive support for salary improvements within the community care sector since 2021. These measures, coupled with the ANGEL scheme, underscore Singapore’s commitment to ensuring the sustainability and resilience of its healthcare workforce.

A nurse working at a public hospital in Selangor claimed that nurses who voiced concerns were being blacklisted. This is reported in a recent interview with Malaysia’s reliable medical news portal. Nurses in government hospitals are said to be silenced with threats of transfers or blacklisting due to speaking out regarding workplace issues. This is according to an anonymous nurse.

The dire shortages of nurses and nursing graduates forced the MOH to make this decision. Medical assistants are expected to fill the void left by nurses in specialist clinics. The move is meant to deal with the shortage of manpower in hospital wards, especially since the influx of COVID-19 admissions recently.

Medical Channel Asia presents the weekly Asian medical news bulletin, bringing you essential healthcare news from across the region. This week’s bulletin covers monkeypox in Indonesia, mental health in Malaysia and air pollution in Thailand.

In Singapore, the invaluable contributions of nurses are recognised and celebrated annually on Nurses’ Day, which falls on the 1st of August. This significant date was chosen to commemorate the formation of the Singapore Nurses Association in 1957.

Tens of thousands of South Korean nurses staged a walkout following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s veto of a proposed law to enhance their wages and working conditions. Their actions have impacted Koreans needing healthcare, with surgeries cancelled and patients discharged.

Medical Channel Asia presents the weekly Asian Medical news bulletin, bringing you essential healthcare news from across the region. This week’s bulletin will focus on COVID-19 booster shots, exercise and vaping.