BY
Khalish Niyaz

Deputy Editor

Hype Issue #75

Published on

Nov 7

2025

Join Khalish Niyaz as he explores the nursing world in Singapore.

Singapore’s healthcare system is well known for its efficiency and reliability. Despite this stellar reputation, the industry has long struggled with a persistent shortage of nurses, with the World Health Organisation estimating a worldwide shortage of 4.5 million nurses by 2030. 

As the Singaporean population ages and the demand for medical care surges, there is an increasing need for nurses. While the Singaporean Government goes down the route of monetary incentives and hiring nurses from neighbouring countries, there is still a huge shortage of manpower in the healthcare industry.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung poses for a photo with National University Health System staff on Feb 20, 2024. (Photo credit: Facebook, Ong Ye Kung)

The Scope of the Shortage

To be clear, the situation could be worse. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of nurses in Singapore has been growing modestly. As of 2024, there are 50,300 practising nurses, translating to 8.3 nurses per 1,000 patients. This is comparable to Hong Kong or South Korea, but it lags behind countries like the United States of America, with a ratio of 12.71 per 1000 patients. 

However, as Singapore’s ageing population continues to increase, with an estimated one in four Singaporeans being aged 65 and above by 2030, this modest growth in nursing strength won’t suffice. Minister of Health Ong Ye Kung addressed this issue in a Parliamentary hearing in 2022, stating that the nursing workforce should be raised to “82,000 by 2030”, which will help to keep up with the ageing population

Life on the Frontlines

For Nadiah Khairullah, 40, who has spent two decades as a nurse at Changi General Hospital, changes in the profession have been profound. 

“Midway through my 20 years of service, I could see the nurse-to-patient ratio getting worse and worse,” she recalled. “Last time, it would be one nurse to three or four patients, enabling us to build rapport with our patients. But nowadays, we can have double or triple that value, preventing us from talking to our patients and understanding them better.” 

She also addressed the growing sentiment of being undervalued by Singaporeans. “People don’t appreciate the hard work we accomplish on a day-to-day basis. They only see the end result,” she reflected. “They don’t recognise our efforts.” 

A 2019 research study by the Singapore Institute of Management indicated that many Singaporeans perceive nursing as ‘dirty work’ and of low status. Although this is slowly changing, many nurses, such as Mdm Nadiah, still feel the dismissive gaze of the public.

This also contributes to the lack of passion in nurses. Mdm Nadiah admits that her passion for nursing has dropped despite it “previously always being my topmost priority,” and she now stays mainly for financial stability.

Why Singapore’s Attrition Rate Is So High

Multiple reasons contribute to the high attrition rate of nurses. In addition to the increasing nurse-to-patient ratio, Mdm Nadiah stated that the younger generation is less resilient when it comes to dealing with the increasing demands from higher management, patients, and patients’ relatives. 

“They are less patient and do not have the same passion as the older nurses,” she laments. Sadly, this leads to many young nurses having a less-than-ideal work-life balance. 

Mdm Nadiah stated that many young nurses are also being promoted quickly by their higher-ups. This quick progression comes with greater responsibility and a stricter workload. “They (higher management) tend to be less supportive, stricter, and less understanding,” Mdm Nadiah said. This leads to many feeling demoralised despite progressing quickly and earning higher incomes. 

Mdm Nadiah also shares how many of the younger nurses are willing to explore other job opportunities and will “leave once they have a new and better job elsewhere”. 

This has created a vicious cycle of increasing demand for nurses without a proper support structure in place for said nurses. This leads to many nurses leaving for “greener pastures somewhere else.”

This shortage of nurses is not only a staffing issue, it also directly affects the well-being of patients. A lower nurse-to-patient ratio has been proven to deliver better outcomes. This includes higher patient satisfaction, a decrease in mortality rate, and shorter stays, showing that there is a great need for nurses.

Government Measures to Retain Nurses

Despite the many challenges, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has rolled out several initiatives to combat the lack of manpower. 

Singapore has accelerated the recruitment of nurses by increasing nursing school intake by 30% over the past decade, with one in 20 Singaporean students studying nursing. This will help increase the number of local nurses in the coming years. 

In addition, Singapore is also hiring foreign nurses from countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar. In 2022, 25% of nurses were foreigners, with the majority coming from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. This increase in manpower will continue to help the health care industry achieve its goal of 82,000 nurses by 2030.

Increasing manpower is not the only initiative of the MOH; it is also offering monetary retention schemes to prevent nurses from leaving the industry. 

In September 2024, MOH started the Award for Nurses’ Grace, Excellence and Loyalty (ANGEL) scheme. This scheme rewards nurses aged 46 and under with payouts every four to six years, with each payout ranging from $20,000 to $40,000. It also rewards nurses aged 46 and above with a one-off payment of $5,000 to $15,000 and subsequent payouts every third year until they retire or hit the max payout amount of $100,000.

The ANGEL scheme was started in September 2024 to incentivise nurses to stay in the industry. (Photo credit: Channel News Asia)

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The ANGEL scheme proved to be the right call by MOH. Mdm Nadiah stated that “the monetary incentives are a good move” and that “my colleagues and I are all working towards the money.”

What More Is Needed?

Even with the different initiatives being rolled out, there is still the need for deeper cultural shifts. Recognition, leadership and workplace support are all as critical as monetary rewards.

“The younger nurses would feel more appreciated if they were all well-recognised for every single thing they have done,” Mdm Nadiah said. “It will enhance their satisfaction and morale to stay in this profession along with more supportive leadership.”

It may be worthwhile for MOH to place greater emphasis on creating supportive work environments where nurses feel safe to share their mental health concerns and challenges. Introducing training that nurtures peer support and recognition could also go a long way in keeping nurses motivated to continue in their noble profession.

Looking Ahead

For Mdm Nadiah, hope comes from small victories such as constant salary increments and meaningful memories she has had as a nurse. One of her fondest memories from her two decades on the job was a two-month overseas stint in New York City, where she was able to observe how nursing in New York differs from that in Singapore.

“I saw a different view on how they would manage cardiology and how the demands are so much different from the people in Singapore.” 

This made her grateful for her nursing journey in Singapore, and it gave her a broader perspective on nursing as a whole.

As the years go by, the demands on Singapore’s healthcare industry will only grow, especially with its increasingly ageing population. However, mitigating this issue is looking promising with MOH taking necessary steps such as hiring foreign nurses and introducing monetary schemes to incentivise local nurses. These initiatives, along with stronger retention schemes and greater recognition for the profession, signal a future where the hard work of nurses is not just known,  but also celebrated.