By Sia Ling Xin

A SEARCH was launched yesterday for mature, friendly and empathetic Singaporeans to fill more than 300 vacancies in the new hospital in Yishun, the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).

The positions are for housekeeping staff and patient assistants, who will help in the operating theatres, provide financial counselling and transport patients, among other duties.

KTPH, run by public-health group Alexandra Health, will open in phases. Its specialist outpatient clinics will start operating on March 28 next year, followed by the acute and emergency care centre and inpatient wards in September.

It will need about 2,500 staff members. Most of Alexandra Hospital's current 1,700 employees will move over in about nine months' time.

At the recruitment exercise yesterday, staff from the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) - a skills-based institute for jobseekers, employers and training providers initiated by the National Trades Union Congress - screened jobseekers.

They shortlisted some for interviews with Alexandra Health to be held at a job fair, which will be on two weeks later.

Most of the 400 jobseekers who turned up yesterday were aged over 40, and lived in the area.

Those who were deemed not up to the mark yet were referred to attend e2i courses, which will prepare them for the jobs.

The courses are fully subsidised for citizens and permanent residents by the Government and e2i.

The courses, which range from two to five days, will cover communication skills and hygiene habits, among other things.

What is more important is having the right "can do" spirit and the willingness to learn and to promote a healthy lifestyle, said Alexandra Health's chief executive, Mr Liak Teng Lit.

Jobseeker Brenda Tan, 38, a former preschool teacher, decided to apply for a role in serving patients, as the last two years she spent caring for her sickly father after quitting her job helped her realise that "caring for others is immensely rewarding".

The next recruitment exercise for jobs in the hospital will be held in January next year. For more details, call the e2i hotline on 6474-3777.

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