RESTRUCTURED hospitals are looking into giving pre-employment grants to Singaporeans studying medicine overseas, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced yesterday.

The grant will cover part of the students’ university fees. Recipients have to serve a bond in Singapore after they graduate.

An encounter with a young party activist in his Sembawang branch made him realise the usefulness of the idea, which had first been thrown up by Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC), said Mr Khaw.

The activist was leaving to study medicine in New South Wales, Australia. ‘Among the 60 international students in her batch, she noted that 40 were Singaporeans!’ the minister exclaimed.

Mr Khaw blogged about this on Facebook. In his post, he said that the ministry’s aggressive recruitment of foreign medical graduates had worked, but Singapore students should not be neglected.

‘I will figure out a way to help them in a meaningful manner and secure their return to Singapore,’ he wrote. ‘I am sure it can be done, to get our kids back!’

Read the full story in Wednesday’s edition of The Straits Times.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_500241.html