Instant doctors, digital notes. The CNA article can be found here.
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. That doesn’t apply in Singapore where everything must be modernised, digitised and sterilised. Singapore will soon require all clinics to contribute patient data to the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR), as part of a broader push to digitise healthcare. Contrary to what some of the smart alecs might assume, our older GPs are not necessarily dinosaurs. It’s not so much about having to learn something. It’s the cost.
Many of the older GPs own the shops where they run their clinics. Without the burden of rent, they are able to charge very affordable fees and “go straight to the point” without any need to meet targets. Most elderly patients prefer this sort of service. Unfortunately, “upgrading” increases overheads very significantly. Installing hardware, software and engaging cybersecurity vendors would add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of running a practice. Again, contrary to what some might assume, digitising workflows in small GP clinics actually slow down processes, requiring clinicians to manage data and other admin work besides their clinical duties. Those who shut down their practices to work for corporations which take on all the costs, compliance and admin work will be greeted by targets and KPIs.
If the government wants big data and interconnectivity, why not foot the bill for doctors and patients? Why put the burden on doctors who must ultimately pass it to patients? All this is only going to push private healthcare costs up with greater burden to both practitioners and patients without any tangible benefits. Senior doctors who see mostly elderly patients are now burdened with new costs or even debt. Not surprisingly, many choose to retire. Why do we need all this? Just like in the case of our SEHCs, the claim is that demographics have changed. Yet in the same breath, the point of an aging population is highlighted as a reason for getting more doctors from overseas. Yes, we have no time to train more doctors. Instant doctors from overseas will replace the doctors that the system has compelled into retirement. Brilliant.
Instant Doctors Instant Sportsmen Instant Citizens
Good news for foreign doctors eyeing the Singapore pie. From 1 February 2026, graduates from eight more overseas medical schools will be able to apply to practise medicine in our healthcare establishments. With the addition of these schools, the total number of recognised overseas medical schools will rise to 120 from 112, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Singapore Medical Council (SMC) said in a joint press release on 27 Jan 2026.
“The additions will allow Singapore to better meet the growing demand for doctors as our population ages,” they said.
The move also follows an increase in Singapore’s annual local medical school intake from about 440 in 2014 to 555 in 2025, MOH and SMC added. So what does that mean? They increase the medical school intake by 115 after 11 years of increased patient load to meet the growing demand for doctors in our aging population then realised that it’s not enough? Or has the plan always been to increase intake minimally and make up for the shortfall with instant doctors of all nationalities?
All aspiring medical students may apply to the additional eight medical schools for their overseas studies – paid for by their parents after they have been rejected by our local medical schools! But no worries, find a school in the list below and you as a medical school reject can come back home as a doctor! Hurray! Bring a few of your schoolmates along when you come back. All instant doctors who don’t owe the state any study loan or subsidies. What about the schools? Why were these schools not recognised in the past? Why are they recognised now?
The eight medical schools are:
- Adelaide University, College of Health in Australia
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in India
- University of Galway, School of Medicine in Ireland
- Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Medical Sciences in Malaysia
- The Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan
- Tsinghua University, School of Medicine in China
- City St George’s, University of London, School of Health and Medical Sciences in the UK
- University of Exeter, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, also in the UK
“All graduates from these medical schools, regardless of nationality, and whether they graduate before or after 2026, can apply for registration with SMC to practise medicine in Singapore, subject to the fulfilment of SMC’s prevailing requirements,” MOH and SMC said.
In case you’re concerned about our government’s laxity and generosity, MOH and SMC also assure us that the list of recognised overseas medical schools is regularly reviewed by SMC to ensure that the instant doctors who apply to practise in Singapore have received training that is comparable with local schools.
Yao mo gao chor ah? Why not just expand it now? Why not 80 more schools instead of just 8? Why not 215 instead of 115? What is the cause for this shortage apart from senior doctors retiring early? Do we have a problem persuading young people to become doctors? How come our population is suddenly growing old so fast that we don’t have enough doctors to look after our seniors? Have we become more desperate for doctors – instant doctors? What put us in this situation when people don’t just grow old overnight?
Wouldn’t it have been better if our medical schools had increased the intake by 215 5 years ago and trained them locally so that we have enough doctors to meet the demand? What’s the advantage of making our local applicants who were rejected go overseas (at their own expense) to graduate as conditionally registered doctors (who need to be supervised)? Well, there is an advantage. Our government doesn’t have to pay for their training. Instant doctors are paid for either by Singaporean parents or a foreign government.