MOH Calls For More Nurses & Volunteers Due To Manpower Crunch
Recently, Singapore has seen our Covid-19 case numbers surge. For the past 6 days, there have been over 15,000 cases per day.
With these figures, the Ministry of Health (MOH) shared that there has been a manpower shortage in healthcare institutions.
More nurses, healthcare professionals, and volunteers are needed to support the healthcare system.
They are now urging nurses and members under the Singapore Healthcare Corps (SHC) to register for deployment.
More nurses & volunteers needed to support Covid-19 operations
Recently, MOH sent out a circular to SHC members detailing their need for manpower to support healthcare institutions in the fight against Covid-19.
The SHC comprises nurses, healthcare professionals and volunteers, and was previously set up to support healthcare workers’ Covid-19 operations, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Now, MOH is urging nurses and SHC members to register for deployment from this month onwards.
They stressed that more support is needed for Covid-19 patients in hospitals, community care facilities (CCFs), and backfill manpower in business-as-usual settings.
Certain deployment positions require training or valid certs
MOH said suitable nurses and volunteers would be deployed and given paid contract positions. This may start as early as this month.
They will be hired and paid as staff by healthcare institutions and other approved partners,
According to ST, certain deployment positions require prior healthcare training or a valid certificate.
But there were no mentions of the expected pay of applicants.
Separately, in SHC’s form for nurses, it said that as cases rise, more nurses, including former nurses, are needed to support healthcare institutions.
SHC is also offering both paid and unpaid volunteer opportunities to the public.
Both forms asked for applicants’ medical background, certification, and deployment preferences.
Hospitalisations exceed 1,000 mark for 16th consecutive day
On Sunday (20 Feb), MOH recorded 15,283 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
There are currently 1,523 Covid-19 patients hospitalised, with 195 requiring oxygen supplementation.
39 patients are in the intensive care unit, down from the 43 on Saturday (19 Feb).
This was the 16th consecutive day that Covid-19 hospitalisations have exceeded the 1,000 mark.
Register to help on SHC website
As Singapore experiences the Omicron transmission wave, cases are peaking.
It is a crucial time in our fight against the virus, and more human resources are needed to support our frontline workers who have been hard at work.
So if you’re interested in lending a helping hand and playing your part, you can find out more on SHC’s website here.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Facebook.
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