I am glad to hear from Health Minister Ong Ye Kung that a national committee has been set up to look into the well-being of junior doctors in the public healthcare system (Long working hours leaving young doctors exhausted, Feb 8).

I am concerned that our junior doctors are still required to do 30-hour shifts due to a lack of staff (Shorter night shifts are not always feasible due to lack of staff, Feb 8).

I don't think a 30-hour shift carries any benefits. One's effectiveness starts to drop and mistakes may be made after one works beyond a certain number of hours.

For doctors, these mistakes could be detrimental to a patient's health.

Junior doctors may see more and varied cases during these shifts, but how effectively are they learning?

Do these long shifts lead to junior doctors leaving the field after their housemanship?

If this is the case, then there is a definite need to find a better shift system to prevent this.

I hope the committee will make a bold recommendation to drop the 30-hour shift, now that its flaws are being acknowledged.

Can the committee also do an in-depth study on how many hours one can function effectively during one shift, and extend the findings to other vocations where long hours may carry health risks and do harm?

Leong Kok Seng