Hospitals and clinics desperate for nurses

Hospitals and clinics desperate for nurses

Hospitals and clinics are so desperate for nurses that at least one private hospital group is offering a "finder's fee" of up to $12,000 for staff who can rope in an experienced nurse to join.

Even a fresh graduate nurse joining the hospital can bring the introducer a windfall of at least $3,600 at the group.

The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the shortage of nurses, as the need for them grows even as more of them quit their jobs.

Novavax applies for Covid-19 vaccine approval

A new Covid-19 vaccine could be available in Singapore, with American firm Novavax having applied for interim authorisation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

The authority said Novavax submitted data along with the application via the Pandemic Special Access Route on Nov 22.

Temasek Foundation to give free masks in vending machines

Temasek Foundation will be giving out another round of masks next year from Jan 10 to 23, the non-profit organisation said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

This will be the foundation's sixth nationwide mask distribution exercise to help protect residents against Covid-19.

The free masks will be dispensed by vending machines.

More qualify for Express course under new PSLE scoring system

After nearly 50 years, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) T-score, or transformed score, came to an end with more pupils making the cut for the Express course under a new scoring system.

The class of 2021 also saw 98.4 per cent of pupils doing well enough to progress to secondary school.

It matches the figures recorded from 2016, and remains the best performance since the national exam was introduced in 1960.

Around 5,000 HDB flats to be built in Mount Pleasant

Around 5,000 new Housing Board (HDB) flats will be built on the Old Police Academy site in the Mount Pleasant area, with the first Build-To-Order (BTO) project there to be launched within the next five years.

Residential blocks will come with sky and roof gardens, along with lush greenery and pedestrian routes woven into the estate to allow for better connectivity.

Tech programme launched to transform HR sector

A technology transformation programme for the human resources (HR) sector was launched on Thursday to boost job redesign efforts.

The HR Tech Transformation Programme should benefit 50 enterprises and more than 250 local HR professionals.

It aims to support enterprises in implementing HR technology through process re-engineering, redesigning impacted HR jobs and managing HR job transitions arising from technology adoption.