SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): From Feb 1, aspiring doctors can study in another eight overseas institutions that will be added to the list of recognised universities for medicine in Singapore.
In a joint statement on Jan 27, the Ministry of Health and Singapore Medical Council (SMC) said the newly approved schools will help Singapore better meet the growing demand for doctors amid an ageing population.
The latest additions bring the total number of recognised overseas medical schools in Singapore from 112 to 120.
The newly recognised schools are:
* Adelaide University, College of Health, in Australia
* Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, in India
* University of Galway, School of Medicine, in Ireland
* Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Medical Sciences, in Malaysia
* The Aga Khan University Medical College, in Pakistan
* Tsinghua University, School of Medicine, in China
* University of Exeter, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, in Britain
* City St George’s, University of London, School of Health and Medical Sciences, in Britain
From 2026, students who wish to pursue a medical degree can apply to these overseas schools.
The statement said: “SMC regularly reviews the list of registrable medical qualifications to ensure that foreign-trained medical doctors who apply to practise in Singapore have received training that is comparable with schools in Singapore.”
It added that many factors are taken into consideration, including the international rankings of the schools and ensuring the language of instruction of the schools is in English, as well as the performance of doctors from these universities.
“The additions will allow Singapore to better meet the growing demand for doctors as our population ages, even as we have increased the annual local medical school intake from around 440 students in 2014 to 555 in 2025,” the statement said.
All graduates from the medical schools, whether Singaporean or not, and who graduated before or after 2026, can register with SMC to practise medicine in Singapore.
“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 statement added. -- The Straits Times/ANN
