Hi Mr Tan,
There is a problem but isn't there any "localised" solution;
http://www.channelnewsasia.
Who is bold enough to initiate mandatory National Service Nurses programme? If no policy maker is willing to initiate NS for female, then perhaps tapping on the NS guys to be NS nurses might be better than tapping on FTs. Cheers.
Eugene
There is a problem but isn't there any "localised" solution;
http://www.channelnewsasia.
Who is bold enough to initiate mandatory National Service Nurses programme? If no policy maker is willing to initiate NS for female, then perhaps tapping on the NS guys to be NS nurses might be better than tapping on FTs. Cheers.
Eugene
Eugene,
ReplyDeleteSo you basically looking for conscripted cheap labour?
While I'm not sure whether it would make sense to train anyone to be a nurse, and all that within 2 years (training + actual execution), I was reminded of something similar that we had in Germany, and that I went through:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zivildienst
I was working in an institution for people with mental health problems, friends of mine worked in hospitals (where they transferred patients from different stations, and did other similar "simple" activities), or drove children with special needs to and from their respective schools.
Firstly,
ReplyDeletemy general sense of reservation about using NS men as nurses is that we are treating them as cheap LOCAL labour to solve a problem.
How is that different from using cheap FOREIGN labour to solve a problem?
Secondly,
What EXACTLY is the problem?
Is it a manpower crunch in the healthcare sector?
Or is it poor planning & policies by highly paid politicians and civil servants in failing to anticipate a problem.
Singaporeans did not age overnight.
It takes many years for a Singaporean (and humans in general) to grow old. This is a long festering problem that was not properly managed for many years.
Policies must be reviewed every 6 months or annually.
ReplyDeleteWe hear warnings and advice that the world is changing and that as a people, as workers, we must adapt and be flexible to change.
Have the policy makers reviewed and change too?
Some policy makers are no longer in the particular company, department, ministry.Yet these "policies" have never been reviewed and no attempt to understand the background and consider how it affects a changing ground.
This is where the root cause of all our woes lies.
Include people who are not involved in the process and seek their views.. you may be suprised at their responses and their opinions.. not filtered, not biased, no self serving interest.
Relying on your own board ( cabinet ministers) will only offer you views that are rose tinted..
Such silly mistakes being comitted all over the corporate world.
Absolute incompetence.
Those doing reservice as part of NS obligation would tell you it's a waste of time, time that could be spent in nurturing their career.
ReplyDeleteLazing around and do nothing but taking part in marching exercises, isn't a waste of taxpayers' money?
May as well do something meaningful like spending a portion of time on doing some Nursing Service Programme.
In this respect, tapping NS boys as cheap labour is better than wasting labour at camp.
All for it. Inflexibility or fear of change is likely the case.
Where is Singapore's Forecsating Extraordinaire?
ReplyDeleteWhat does his forecast say?
@ yujuan
ReplyDeleteIf NS is useless, then let's stop National Service altogether.
This will free up 2 years worth of young Singaporean man-hours to work in Singapore.
This will in turn reduce the need for foreign labour.
Dear Eugene
ReplyDeleteI don't see how a forced conscription of female Singaporeans into the nursing industry will help alleviate our overall labour shortage.
Let's pretend we do as you suggested.
Now all Singaporean females upon reaching 18 years of age have to become nurses for 2 years.
So yes, nursing shortage is solved.
But what about all the other Singaporean professions and businesses that were going to hire these 18 year old Singaporean girls? Now they are faced with a 2 year shortage.
So now we have to let in more foreign workers to make up for this shortage of Singaporean females between 18-20 years old.
So now the Singaporean female (18-20 years old) is earning a lousy NS man's salary.
And all the imported foreign workers who replace them are earning a much higher pay.
The idea can work:
ReplyDeletea)Not all nurses will be replaced.
b)Identify the shortage areas
c)Identify the critical must have
d) NS men deployed to less critical
e)Nurses redeployed to critical
The NS men can also learn a skill for example:
1)Physio-therapy and gain certification that will enable them to be care givers later for an aging population ( his parents perhaps)
2)Bedside care for immobile
There are certainly issues that need further tweaking and I bet you its usually costs.. but once we think about money, it becomes so prohibitive that any creative, innovative idea simply will not emerge!
Money! the root of all...
@ ANON 10.35am
ReplyDeleteAny idea based upon cheap and compulsory labour will work.
Slavery as an economic system worked very well for hundreds of years (e.g. the Roman Empire).
As long as you are not the slave, it's a great economic system.