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~ NTUC, unions and industry associations form a Healthcare Professional Community to uplift the sector and tackle manpower shortage ~
To address manpower issues within the healthcare sector, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), together with three affiliated unions and eight healthcare industry associations, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 20 July 2022 and set up the Healthcare Professional Community (HPC). The HPC aims to address issues pertaining to attracting, retaining and uplifting healthcare professionals through initiatives and programmes to facilitate knowledge exchange, professional development, networking and mentorship opportunities. The HPC also wants to better understand the concerns and feedback of younger workers who are new to the healthcare sector so as to serve their evolving aspirations and needs.
Similar challenges for healthcare professionals in various professions
The HPC held a dialogue session following the MOU signing. During the dialogue, 35 representatives from the unions and associations identified common challenges faced by healthcare professionals across different professions and discussed areas where the HPC can address collectively to uplift the sector, including:
Upskilling and career progression opportunities
Citing the role of oral health therapists as an example, representatives shared that there’s a lack of upskilling opportunities and hoped for a further professionalisation of this occupation so workers can take on more value-added jobs. Representatives also agreed on the importance of redesigning healthcare roles to attract different segments of workers, including young graduates or adults with families who are looking to switch sectors or re-enter the workforce.
Awareness and understanding of different healthcare professions
Representatives shared that there’s a lack of awareness and understanding about careers in professions such as optometry. This could have led to a decline in the number of students from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) either choosing to study optometry or pursuing that career path upon graduation. Representatives also highlighted that more support is needed to offer deep skilling beyond the diploma level.
Mentorship and networking
While mentorship programmes are commonly offered at the start of a worker’s career, representatives expressed that having mentorships throughout their careers can help current healthcare professionals and new entrants gain a better understanding of their jobs. Representatives also hoped to organise more networking opportunities across different healthcare professions, instead of within their own profession to promote cross sharing of knowledge and expertise. This is because many people still think a career in healthcare refers to conventional roles in hospitals such as doctors and nurses.
Initiatives to attract, retain and uplift healthcare workers
With Singapore facing an ageing population and rising life expectancy, there is a need for more healthcare professionals, community care professionals and allied health professionals (AHP). Faced with rising attrition of healthcare professionals in recent years, which was further impacted by the pandemic, more needs to be done to attract and retain healthcare professionals, as well as uplift those who are currently working in the sector. The HPC will roll out initiatives to uplift healthcare professionals as well as attract and retain talents, including the following that have been lined up for this year:
Job fair: Held in partnership with NTUC's e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to attract more talent for various healthcare professions.
Care Awareness Ready (CARE) Week: A week-long webinar series focusing on healthcare professions such as physiotherapy, eye health, oral health, mental health, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, to raise awareness on these healthcare professions and enable associations to share their insights and experiences on these areas.
Healthcare professionals will also be able to tap on the HPC for exchange of knowledge and expertise with fellow healthcare professionals; take part in networking sessions; participate in mentorship opportunities and undergo professional development through the learning communities that will be set up as part of the HPC.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong, said, “We need to tackle the persistent shortage of healthcare workers, made worse by the ongoing pandemic. Healthcare professionals play an important role in taking care of us when we are ill and keeping us in good health physically and mentally. Through the setup of the Healthcare Professional Community, NTUC, together with our affiliated unions and industry associations, will be engaging our healthcare professionals across the various vocations to better understand the challenges that they face and champion their respective aspirations, interests and needs. Our aim is to attract more locals to join the healthcare sector, while addressing pain points to stem attrition.”
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