7,000 new health care jobs over the next 5 years

These range from positions for doctors, nurses, to pharmacists and other allied healthcare professionals.

Singaporeans alone will not be enough to fill these jobs.

‘Foreign talent and foreign workers are greatly welcomed,’ said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday.

Speaking at the National University Hospital and its healthcare union’s national day observance ceremony, Mr Khaw said many more workers are needed to provide the level of care that will be needed in the coming years.

Demand for healthcare will go up, as the population increases and ages. Singapore’s population is likely to grow from the current 4.5 million to 5.5 million by 2020. (story)

More chikungunya cases reported

The largest cluster of chikungunya cases in Singapore continues to grow.

Two more people have come down with the dengue-like disease at Kranji Way, bringing the total count to 30, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

They are a 48-year-old Indian national who works and lives at Kranji Way, and a 34-year-old Chinese national who has gone there several times.

Another three men have also been hit by the mosquito-borne disease at separate locations.

One is a 31-year-old Bangladeshi working at Sungei Kadut Street 6 and living at Sungei Kadut Street 1, the same street where a 40-year-old Chinese national came down with chikungunya more than a week ago. (story)

Ren Ci Hospital gets its status back

Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre got its Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status back from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.

The Buddhist medical charity’s fund-raising activities skidded to a halt last November, when the Health Ministry ordered a probe into its books and suspended its IPC status.

Its former chief executive officer, Ming Yi, is facing charges of forgery, helping to falsify its accounts and defrauding the charity of about $300,000. (story)

Are you healthy? Check your poop

What’s your type? A psychologist may ‘look’ into your head to gauge if you are a highly driven Type A or have a relaxed Type B personality.

A gastroenterologist will get straight to the bottom of the matter by looking at your stool type which can give an idea of the state of your health.

There is even a seven-point visual indicator – the Bristol Stool Scale – to tell how long your stool has been in your colon, and what it can mean.

The seven types on the scale, named after the British university that came up with it, are: (story)

17th case of chikungunya confirmed

The Ministry of Health has confirmed Singapore’s 17th case of the mosquito-borne disease, chikungunya, here.

He is Mr E. C. Sng, who caught the bug overseas. He believes he caught the virus while playing golf at Jakarta’s prestigious Jagorawi Golf & Country Club a month ago.

He has not passed on the disease to anyone and is no longer infectious.

So far, 13 people have been infected locally, and another four, including Mr Sng, caught the virus overseas.

Like dengue, chikungunya is spread through the Aedes mosquito. It spreads if an infected person is bitten by an Aedes mosquito within days of getting symptoms, which include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle ache, rash and pain in the joints. The mosquito spreads the virus to those it subsequently bites. (story)