25 July 2008
$11.4m in training grants awarded to docs, nurses
The Straits Times - pg H8

By Lee Hui Chieh

A record $11.4 million has been given out this year to send doctors and nurses from public health-care institutions overseas for training.

The sum is 28 per cent more than last year's total of $8.9 million. The overseas training grants were bestowed by the Health Ministry and the public health groups - National Healthcare Group (NHG) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth).

The number of grant recipients increased to 283 this year from 228 last year.

More grants were awarded because two new categories have been added: mental health and strategic nursing development. The latter includes a focus on care for cancer patients and the elderly.

Last week, 138 health-care professionals from NHG institutions received $6 million worth of overseas training grants in a ceremony at the Institute of Mental Health.

And yesterday, 145 of their SingHealth counterparts were presented with $5.4 million worth of such grants in a ceremony at the National Dental Centre.

The event's guest-of-honour, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Hawazi Daipi, said of the programme: "Through these important platforms of learning and sharing, our network of experts and clinical capabilities have been vastly enhanced."