The Ministry of Health is looking to recruit pharmacists from overseas over the next five years to meet the increasing demand, reports Today.

Below is an excerpt:

WITH the growth in the fields of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and research in Singapore, it is no surprise that there is an increasing demand for pharmacists. However, there are just 0.3 practising pharmacists per 1,000 population here — the lowest among developed countries, from 1.2 in France and Japan to 0.4 per 1,000 population in Denmark.

In response to the announcement, Heng Cho Choon writes in with a suggestion to address the shortage of pharmacists.

Last month, a parent wrote to the press to complain that her daughter with four distinctions in her A-level examination could not gain admission to the NUS to study pharmacy.

Perhaps it is time to upgrade our oldest polytechnic, Singapore Poly, to a full-fledged university with courses for our students who aspire to become pharmacists.

This converted university could also run courses for external degrees like those awarded by the University of London. It could cater to the needs of full-time, part-time and mature students.

Darren Chong provides another way to address this problem.

This is a worrying figure. While I applaud the ministry’s efforts to recruit more pharmacists from overseas, it should also delve further into why pharmacists are not practising and find ways to stem the drain.

I know a pharmacist who has worked in a retail pharmacy and in one of the restructured hospitals. During her stint with the retail pharmacy, she worked from 10am to 10pm, with only half an hour’s break for lunch and dinner. This included Saturdays and Sundays, when business is most brisk. Most times, she was the only pharmacist during that 12-hour stretch.

When she was working at a hospital, it was common to see her and her colleagues having lunch at 3pm, after they attended to the last patient from the morning crowd.

At times, she was called back to the hospital even though she was on leave. She worked till 3pm on Saturdays, even though the official knock-off time was 12.30pm. Sundays could become working days when duty called — working one Sunday per month is common.

Such is the life of a pharmacist, be it in hospitals, retail pharmacies or polyclinics.

Increasing demands on pharmacists without adequate compensation leads to many leaving the profession.

Perhaps it is time to review pharmacists’ salaries. They are, after all, highly-trained medical professionals who run specialised clinics and make rounds with the doctors to ensure patients fully benefit from treatment.

Until we address the concerns of pharmacists and plug the outflow, increasing the number of pharmacists will not ease the crunch. Sourcing from foreign supply is but a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

What are your response to the announcement and these suggestions? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts with your fellow Pharmacy students.

Visit the PSS website for more updates on this issue. We will follow its progress closely as well.