A survey on the impact of COVID-19 on incomes and practice patterns of private-sector physicians in Singapore

Chiang Yin Wong, Mark Yu Zheng Wong, Tze Lee Tan, Yia Swam Tan
2021 Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore  
A survey on the impact of COVID-19 on incomes and practice patterns of private-sector physicians in Singapore LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, The effects of COVID-19 have impacted the Singapore economy, including the healthcare sector. 1,2 The Singapore healthcare system is broadly split into public and private sectors. While there have been no documented salary cuts affecting public-sector workers, anecdotal evidence suggests that the incomes of privatesector physicians have been affected
more » ... ersely by COVID-19. Quantitative data in this area are lacking. The Singapore Medical Association (SMA), as the national medical association of Singapore, commissioned a descriptive study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on incomes and practice patterns of medical practitioners in the private sector. The study will allow the medical profession to better understand and cope with future pandemics. SMA represents the interests of a majority of medical practitioners in the public and private healthcare sectors. It has 6,025 members who are registered practitioners, and maintains a database of members' email addresses. An online survey assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on private-sector physicians was commissioned and conducted from 15 May to 31 May 2020. The survey was hosted using SurveyMonkey online survey software. Two email
doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.202119 fatcat:aqkrwrmklrdblipmnlzksozu4e