Higher aspirations one reason S’poreans find cost of living high: Ng Eng Hen

By Xue Jian Yue, TODAY, 11 May 2014

Having higher aspirations in life is a reason why Singaporeans find the cost of living here expensive, despite real wages having gone up, said Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen yesterday (May 10).

But Singapore has to ensure that opportunities to get out of poverty must not be priced out and remain abundant to fulfil the dreams of younger Singaporeans, said Dr Ng.

The Defence Minister was speaking at a Singapore Medical Association dinner and responding to a question from the audience concerned over the rising cost of living in Singapore.“If you look at household goods, per household, what people have – handphone, TV – has actually gone up,” said Dr Ng. Unlike the past, mobile phones are almost an essential item for children, he added.

That Singaporeans find costs of living expensive due to higher aspirations is a reason that will not please people, including himself, said Dr Ng, as the reason is “objective” and does not address “issues of the heart.”

Dr Ng added that while the Government makes sure that nobody should have their potential stunted just because their family cannot afford it, this is “difficult argument” to sell as some parents pay large sums of money to provide tuition for their children.

The dinner, attended by 450 medical professionals, celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Singapore Medical Association. At the dinner, Dr Ng said the healthcare needs to make three shifts.

Firstly, Singapore needs to shift from living long to living well, said Dr Ng. As patients age, they will see many doctors including both general practitioners and specialists, and their families are exasperated that such a care is not integrated, said Dr Ng. Medical care for patients should also be contexualised and take into account patients’ social settings, he added.

Secondly, there should also be more scope for general practitioners in the healthcare system as hospitals will be inundated with exponential growth in the number of patients.

Lastly, Dr Ng said Singapore should make a big push to make healthcare jobs a much sought after career for Singaporeans, as the large increase in healthcare spending by 2020 will create many jobs.Dr Ng, a former consultant surgeon himself, said doctors are bright and should be socially conscious and should have a say what values should be maintained. “You have a view, you have an opinion, you can multiply opinions,” he said.

Healthcare sector must provide better pay: Ng Eng Hen
By John Leong, Channel NewsAsia, 10 May 2014

Salaries of workers in Singapore's healthcare system have to go up in order to attract more local talent.

This is important with an impending silver tsunami, where one in three Singaporeans is expected to be at least 60 years old by 2030.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen shared these thoughts at a dialogue session during the Singapore Medical Association's annual dinner.

Dr Ng, who was a practising doctor before entering politics, said the healthcare industry provides a rewarding life career.

He said the medical fraternity is well-regarded worldwide, and this applies to not just doctors but other occupations such as nurses and allied healthcare professionals.

Dr Ng said medical professions must add value and productivity in order for salaries to go up.

He gave the example of the US in the '80s, where registered nurses were paid up to US$70,000 a year.

"We are very thankful for people who come from outside Singapore to help us take care of our elderly and our sick but as far as possible, we should have a system where our Singaporeans say 'I want to do this because it's highly respected', and we need to be practical. We need to raise the salaries," said Dr Ng.