Singapore has announced that graduates from nine new foreign medical schools will now be recognized by the country’s authorities. This decision is aimed at addressing the growing demand for doctors as the population ages. According to a joint statement by the Health Ministry and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC),
“Students keen on pursuing a medical career can enrol in another nine overseas universities which will bring the number of recognised foreign medical schools in Singapore to 112.”
The expansion of recognized foreign medical schools, starting from 2025, includes prestigious institutions such as the University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health in Australia. With the addition of this institution, a total of nine Australian universities will now have their medical degrees recognized in Singapore.
Additionally, five British universities, including Leeds University’s School of Medicine, will be added to the list of recognized institutions, bringing the total number of recognized British universities to 24. The remaining three universities are from Ireland.
The recognition of these nine medical schools will be effective from January 1, 2025, as part of SMC’s regular review process to ensure that foreign-trained medical professionals meet the required standards.
“The SMC review ensures that foreign-trained medical doctors applying to work in Singapore have received comparable training abroad.”
Moreover, graduates from recognized institutions can apply to practice in Singapore after graduation and may be required to fulfill specific requirements set by the SMC. The statement further highlights the SMC’s commitment to upholding high standards of medical practice by continuing to assess foreign-trained medical doctors in their initial years.
From Jan 1, 2025, the updated list of approved medical schools can be found in the Second Schedule of the Medical Registration Act 1997.
The nine universities whose medical degrees will be recognised in Singapore from 2025 are:
Australia
- University of Newcastle, School of Medicine and Public Health
Ireland
- University College Cork – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine
- University College Dublin – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – National University of Ireland, School of Medicine
United Kingdom
- The Queen’s University of Belfast, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
- University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
- University of Leeds, School of Medicine
- University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Faculty of Medical Sciences
- University of Warwick, Warwick Medical School
By expanding the list of recognized foreign medical schools, Singapore aims to enhance its healthcare workforce and ensure quality medical services for its population.
