SINGAPORE TO RECOGNISE NINE NEW OVERSEAS MEDICAL SCHOOLS STARTING NEXT YEAR

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Singapore’s Health Ministry (MOH) and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) will recognise nine more overseas medical schools from Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, effective Jan 1, 2025.

This will bring the total number of recognised overseas medical schools in the country to 112.

MOH stated that this is part of SMC’s regular review to ensure that foreign-trained medical doctors applying to practise in Singapore have received training comparable to that of local graduates.

"The additions will help Singapore better meet the growing demand for doctors as our population ages, even as we have increased the annual intake at local medical schools from around 400 students in 2013 to over 500 in 2023," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

MOH added that it has accepted SMC’s recommendations after the council considered various factors, including the international rankings of the schools, whether the language of instruction aligns with local practice, and the performance of graduates from these institutions.

“Graduates from these medical schools, regardless of nationality, including those who have graduated before 2025, may also apply to SMC to practise in Singapore, subject to the fulfilment of SMC’s prevailing requirements,” it added.

MOH also noted that SMC will continue to assess foreign-trained medical doctors in their initial years through a supervisory framework to ensure high standards of medical practice.

The new additions to the Second Schedule of the Medical Registration Act are:

Australia:

1. University of Newcastle, School of Medicine and Public Health

Ireland:

1. University College Cork – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine
2. University College Dublin – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine
3. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine

The United Kingdom:

1. The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
2. University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
3. University of Leeds, School of Medicine
4. University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Faculty of Medical Sciences
5. University of Warwick, Warwick Medical School

– BERNAMA