[debono]

Resignation rates among healthcare workers are going up, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary yesterday.

Around 1,500 healthcare workers resigned in the first half of this year, compared with 2,000 a year pre-pandemic, he said.

"Foreign healthcare workers have also resigned in bigger numbers, especially when they are unable to travel to see their families back home," Dr Janil added.

Close to 500 foreign doctors and nurses resigned in the first half of this year, compared with around 500 last year and about 600 in 2019.

"These resignations were mostly tendered for personal reasons, for migration, or personal reasons, or moving back to their home countries," he said in a minitrial statement in Parliament.

Dr Jamil noted that for healthcare workers, it has been over 20 months of continuous daily battles against the pandemic, with a large proportion of them unable to take leave since last year.  Over 90 per cent of them will not be able to clear their accumulated leave for this year, he noted.

Part of an article found in today's The New Paper.