NTUC, Unions and Associations Form Professional Community to Address Healthcare Manpower Issues

A new Healthcare Professional Community (HPC) has been formed to address the manpower crunch and other challenges facing healthcare professionals within the sector.

NTUC, three affiliated unions and eight healthcare industry associations formalised the HPC on 20 July 2022 at the NTUC Centre.

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong endorsed the agreement on behalf of NTUC. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan was also present also to witness the signing.

“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,” said Mr Yong.

He added that through the HPC, a better understanding of the challenges faced by healthcare professionals will be identified and allow the Labour Movement to 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,” he said.

Challenges Identified Thus Far

NTUC held a dialogue between 35 union and association representatives after the signing. It was found that healthcare professionals across different professions faced three common challenges.

Participants of the dialogue shared that there were roles which lacked upskilling opportunities. Using the role of oral health therapists as an example, representatives hoped that this occupation will be further professionalised so workers can take on more value-added jobs.

The participants also shared that there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the career progression of professions such as optometry.

They believed that this could have led to a decline in the number of students choosing to study optometry or choosing that career path.

The participants also suggested that having mentorships and networking opportunities throughout the careers of healthcare professionals can help both existing and new entrants gain better understanding of their jobs and the sector.

The participants hoped to organise more networking opportunities between different healthcare professions to promote cross sharing of knowledge and expertise.

HPC Initiatives

The HPC has already lined up two initiatives to uplift, attract and retain manpower in the sector for 2022.

They include a job fair held in collaboration with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), and a week-long webinar series to raise awareness on healthcare professions in areas such as physiotherapy, eye health, oral health, mental health, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.