Speech at Launch of Health Management International Limited as a Continuing Education and Training Centre

Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister , Surbana One

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.   Good morning.  I am pleased to join you today for the launch of Health Management International Limited, or HMI Limited, as the first Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centre for the Therapy Services and Healthcare Support sector.  This marks a key milestone in CET development for this sector.

Job Opportunities for Workers in Healthcare and Community and Social Services Sectors

2.   Despite the current economic slowdown, we expect demand for healthcare and community and social services to remain healthy. By 2030, one-fifth of our population will be aged 65 and above. By 2050, Singapore is expected to be the fourth oldest country in the world¹. With a greying population, the demand for healthcare services will continue to rise. 

3.   The Government is committed to building capacity and raising capabilities to meet the needs of our ageing population. We are bringing forward the construction of Jurong General Hospital. There are also other new hospitals coming on-stream over the next few years, including Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Farrer Park Hospital and Novena Hospital. Several community hospitals will also be upgraded to provide better step-down care. Day care centres and other eldercare services will also need to gear up and deliver better quality services to the elderly.

4.   With increased investment in our healthcare infrastructure, we will need more healthcare personnel who can provide a diverse range of healthcare and therapy services, including physical, occupational and speech therapies. Just this week, the Health Ministry announced its plans to hire 4,500 healthcare personnel in the public health sector over the next two years, with another 1,700 to follow after that. The Government is enhancing the training programmes to enable more Singaporeans to enter this growth sector. For example, WDA has a Professional Conversion Programme to train Singaporeans to be nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and diagnostic radiographers. For healthcare support staff, there are also available jobs such as therapy assistants, patient care assistants and operating theatre assistants².  

Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience

5.   Last month, MOM, together with National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation, launched the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience initiative, or SPUR, for short. This programme aims to help workers and employers manage the impact of the current economic downturn. In addition, it will build new capabilities so that our workforce can seize the opportunities when the economy recovers.

6.   SPUR provides opportunities for workers to re-train so that they can take up jobs in growth sectors like healthcare, early childhood education, food and beverage, and tourism. Under SPUR, workers enjoy higher fee subsidies for courses. Workers can directly enroll in these courses through the career centres at the CDCs or NTUC's e2i, or be sponsored by their employers. For the unemployed and lower-skilled who are assessed by the career consultants at CDCs and e2i, they may be eligible for training allowances to help them cope with their living expenses.

Working in the Healthcare Services Sector

7.   The healthcare sector requires people who have the right skills to perform the job, and more critically, the passion to provide the extra touch and care for their clients. An example of a person with such dedication is Ms Aw Yong Kheok Cheng, who was retrenched from her job as a packer when her company relocated to Malaysia in 2005. Ms Aw Yong, aged 51, saw the difficulties her mother went through while bed ridden and was inspired to join the community services sector to help care for others who were bed ridden. As such, she took up training as a Healthcare Assistant and followed her passion to make the career and industry switch to serve the elderly. Her desire to care for patients just like how she would look after her mother has won her the trust of the elderly patients at Sree Narayana Mission Home.

8.   Singaporeans who feel that they can make a difference in someone's life can consider a meaningful career in this growing industry. At the same time, I would also like to encourage workers who are already in this industry, to upgrade their skills by tapping on the training support provided under SPUR.  This is so that they can continue to provide the best care to their patients and advance further in their careers. Hospitals, nursing homes and other eldercare service providers exploring ways to upgrade their employees' skills can also leverage on SPUR to augment their workers' competence.

HMI - First CET Centre for Therapy Services and Healthcare Support

9.   As the first CET Centre for Therapy Services and Healthcare Support in Singapore, HMI Limited will play a critical role in training workers for the healthcare and community and social services sectors. HMI will be rolling out four new Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) programmes to train more than 900 Therapy Assistants, and another 1,120 Patient Care Assistants, Patient Service Assistants and Operating Theatre Assistants over the next three years. In total, we expect more than 2,000 workers to be trained, comprising either new entrants to the sector or current employees who are upgrading their skills.

10.   These training programmes are suitable for rank-and-file workers who do not have prior experience in the healthcare and community and social services sectors. For example, a person who wants to take up a job as a Therapy Assistant can enroll for the WSQ Higher Certificate in Therapy Services as long as he has obtained a Secondary 2 education, or a Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Level 4 qualification.  If he does not have either qualification, he can first take up the Workplace Literacy course under the Employability Skills System. These programmes are covered under SPUR.

Conclusion 

11.   The establishment of HMI as a CET centre will provide an alternative for jobseekers to learn new skills and join the healthcare sector, and I would like to congratulate the trainees who will be enrolling in the new courses. With these new skills, you will not only be able to forge a new career path, but more importantly, you will also be providing quality healthcare services to those who need it.

12.   I wish you all the best in your training and your new careers.  Thank you.

² Therapy Assistants work together with therapists to help treat patients with problems caused by accident, illness or ageing, as well as to alleviate symptoms caused by conditions such as multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis.  Patient Care Assistants serve as the key interface between the nurses and patients. They are important in the delivery of patient satisfaction and service excellence. Operating Theatre Assistant assists surgeon during operations on patients.