Nurses in S’pore can get up to S$100K over 20 years under new retention scheme: Ong Ye Kung

Ong Ye Kung announces new nurse retention scheme with up to S$100,000 payout

Nurses in Singapore can potentially get up to S$100,000 over 20 years under a new retention scheme, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung announced on Tuesday (20 Feb).

Called the ANGEL (Award for Nurses’ Grace, Excellence and Loyalty) scheme, it is expected to benefit about 29,000 nursing officers.

Mr Ong explained that such schemes are aimed at recognising the commitment of those who have served for many years.

Nurses aged 46 and above who have served for a long time will get their first retention award before the end of 2024.

S$20k to S$30k every 4 to 6 years for nurses under ANGEL retention scheme

Speaking at the National University Hospital (NUH) Luving Nurses Forum on Tuesday, Mr Ong shared that nursing intake numbers grew by about 30% from 2013 to 2023.

To encourage nurses to stay in their careers longer, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will introduce the ANGEL scheme in September 2024.

The long-term retention scheme lets nurses working in public healthcare institutions receive up to S$100,000 over 20 years.

Some 29,000 nurses will be able to benefit from the scheme, Mr Ong said.

Newly recruited nurses and nurses under the age of 46 will get payouts of S$20,000 to S$30,000 every four to six years from the time they are on board with the scheme.

The ANGEL scheme also applies to foreign nurses who have served continuously for at least four years.

As for nurses aged 46 and above who may retire in less than 20 years, they will get a one-off recognition payout of S$5,000 to S$15,000.

The amount depends on how many years they have served.

They will then receive their subsequent payouts on an accelerated schedule of every three years.

Nurses on post-retirement contracts who have served for at least five years are also eligible for the recognition payout.

The maximum payout for each nurse goes up to S$100,000 or when they reach the prevailing retirement age, whichever comes sooner.

Hope to encourage more nurses to stay & contribute

In its press release, MOH said that the purpose of ANGEL is to encourage nurses to stay and continue to contribute to the public healthcare system.

It also hopes to attract more people to take up nursing as a career.

“As our population ages, the demand for healthcare services and manpower will continue to increase,” said the ministry.

“MOH is committed to building up our nursing workforce to meet Singapore’s future needs by improving the attractiveness of the nursing profession, growing the local nursing training pipelines for both fresh graduates and mid-career entrants, as well as recruiting foreign nurses to augment our local core.”

Also read: Nurses To Get ‘Retention Payment’ In 2022 & 2023, MOH Planning Enhanced Package

Nurses To Get ‘Retention Payment’ In 2022 & 2023, MOH Planning Enhanced Package

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Featured image adapted from National University Hospital – NUH on Facebook.