Politics

$150m to boost salaries of community nurses


Community nurses are in demand and can expect to get higher salaries going forward, as the Government sets aside $150 million over the next three years to make this happen.

As Singapore moves healthcare beyond hospitals to the community to meet the needs of an ageing population, the Government is also doing more to make the sector more attractive for such professionals, who take care of patients outside the hospital setting.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, said in Parliament yesterday that the sum of $150 million will help make salaries of community nurses competitive.

“We project that it will benefit up to 4,000 local nurses and support care staff if it is fully taken up,” she said during the debate on her ministry’s budget.

“After these three years, Ministry of Health (MOH) will factor in the higher salary levels in our funding to community care providers.”

Support staff in these institutions include therapy assistants, nurse aides and home personal care staff, who may help with duties such as feeding, toileting, grooming, diaper changes and so on.

This new injection of funds is in addition to the $350 million that MOH had given between 2012 and 2017 to help community care providers raise their staff salaries.

Dr Khor said that the authorities are eager for non-practising nurses to return to work.

About 500 local nurses have returned to practice annually over the last four years. Returning nurses may undergo a refresher course, and those who return to the community care sector are eligible for a retention bonus of up to $5,000.

A community care nursing leadership programme has also been put in place to groom the next generation of nursing leaders, she said.

In addition, a scholarship will be launched to encourage young people to take up care programmes such as occupational therapy and social work.

The funds will address the manpower crunch in community care institutions, said Mr Tim Oei, chairman of the Community Care Manpower Committee under the Agency for Integrated Care.

“For nurses, the community care sector work is not as glamorous as the work in restructured hospitals,” he said.

The funds will thus help bring the pay of community nurses closer to salaries of acute care nurses in restructured hospitals. Right now, community care nurses can earn about 10 to 25 per cent less than these acute care nurses, he said.

Mr Oei said that the move also serves to recognise the vital work of healthcare staff in the community care sector.

“They come to this sector because they value the relationship built up between them and the patient and their family,” he said.

“It’s about: ‘I rehabilitate you, I support you and I walk with you…’ It’s not sexy, but they are offering very important long-term care,” said Mr Oei.

Mr Oei, who is also chief executive of the National Kidney Foundation, said that the additional funds will help him to pay fair wages to his local and foreign nurses and support staff.

Dr Christina Tiong, chief executive of the Home Nursing Foundation, pointed out that nurses have many options, and that it is a constant challenge attracting good staff.

With the funds, she can better attract experienced local staff to meet demand, particularly given the tightening in foreign manpower.





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