SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old healthcare worker earning up to S$8.5k a month says the brutal hours and constant stress of her job eventually destroyed her health, leaving her with “stage 3 cancer, chest pains, gastritis, burnout, depression, and anxiety.”

In a Reddit post on Monday (May 4), the woman shared that she spent seven years in the healthcare sector, often surviving on just three hours of sleep while juggling full-day shifts and 24/7 on-call duties for an entire week.

She added that even meal breaks were extremely short. “My lunchtime daily was 30-45 mins, sometimes less.”

While the salary looked attractive on paper, she said the trade-off was devastating.

“My physical health was seriously compromised with me getting stage 3 cancer and chest pains due to high stress as well as gastritis,” she shared. “Throughout my career journey, I also had burnout, depression, and anxiety due to long working hours.”

Hoping to recover, she later moved to a smaller centre with regular hours and accepted a much lower salary, but she claimed the pressure never really stopped, as she was still expected to lead, train, and manage staff despite those responsibilities allegedly never being mentioned during the hiring process.

Feeling exhausted and “a bit cheated,” she has since decided to leave the role completely and is now looking into a career switch for the sake of her well-being.

“I want to switch careers for the sake of my well-being. [I’ve] done all necessary treatments, and I’m in remission now,” she said. “I would really appreciate any suggestions and don’t mind going back to school to be retrained.”

“Health over paycheck”

Many Singaporean Redditors responded with messages of encouragement and support.

One commenter wrote, “All the best. Sadly, I can’t offer much advice as I’m in a similar situation as you, but health really comes first before work (something I have to keep telling myself as well).”

Another said, “I don’t have any suggestions but would like to assure you that health comes first; you made the right move. Wish you all the best for recovery.”

A third added, “Health over paycheck always sia, no point grinding till your body crashes. Career can restart, but you only got one you for real.”

Some Redditors also shared suggestions for alternative careers that could offer her a less stressful and more balanced lifestyle.

One user commented, “Maybe you can look at being an adjunct lecturer relating to healthcare? I believe that your experience and mentorship are highly rewarded, especially in polytechnics.”

Another suggested, “Go private sector medical/pharma ops or compliance; better hours, decent pay, less chaos.”

A third wrote, “Maybe administrative/remote work at home? Sorry, can’t really suggest as much, but you should rest more, and I’m glad to hear you are in remission. Don’t take any high-stress jobs anymore.”

In other news, an Indonesian worker who’s currently earning S$6,000 a month took to Reddit to ask locals if “working from 9 am to 11 pm almost every day is actually normal in Singapore.”

“I keep telling myself it’s just ‘startup life’ or ‘SG hustle culture,’ but I honestly can’t tell anymore if I’m getting a normal experience or getting cooked.”

Read more: ‘14 hours is crazy’: Worker earning S$6K questions long work hours in Singapore

This article (Healthcare worker earning S$8.5k says years of stress and long hours left her with cancer, chest pains, gastritis, and mental health struggles) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in Singapore to witness the signing of a landmark comprehensive partnership pact. The agreement involves the continuous flow between the two countries of essentials such as food and fuel during times of crisis.

This comes in the wake of an agreement signed between Singapore and Australia a few weeks ago.

Mr Luxon sounded exultant in a video he posted on social media on Monday (May 4) after the agreement was signed. He filmed the clip in front of an oil refinery, saying that the fuel from the refinery would be going straight to New Zealand.

Essentials would flow between the two countries “even when the world gets disrupted.” He said that around one-third of New Zealand’s fuel is refined in Singapore, adding, “So what happens in Singapore affects our fuel supply at home. It’s this fuel that keeps trucks moving, farms running, and food on the table for everyone.”

Mr Luxon underlined that Singapore also gets some of its food supply from New Zealand, so the pact is mutually beneficial.

“This deal basically locks in that relationship,” he added, telling New Zealanders that it’s all about keeping the country moving “no matter what happens.”

On Sunday evening, PM Wong had posted a photo of himself and Mr Luxon in black shirts, writing, “we’re already in sync, down to our matching outfits.”

Landmark pact

The Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) is the first legally binding bilateral supply chain resilience agreement in the world. Singapore and New Zealand have committed not to impose unnecessary export restrictions on agreed essential supplies. Aside from food and fuel, these include healthcare and chemical supplies, as well as construction products. 

It was signed by Singapore’s Minister-in-charge of Energy, Science and Technology, Tan See Leng, and New Zealand Minister for Trade and Investment, Todd McClay. The signing was witnessed by Mr Luxon and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Other countries

According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, Mr Luxon said that he and PM Wong discussed bringing other countries in to sign the deal as well, with the two leaders talking about whether there were “other countries that we might be able to bring into it”.

“There’s potentially a group of countries that might be interested in that,” Mr Luxon told members of the media on Monday afternoon.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, as well as meet with Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, on Tuesday (May 5). /TISG

Read also: Australia inks agreement with Singapore for fuel supply as pumps run dry

This article (Lawrence Wong says he & New Zealand Prime Minister are ‘already in sync’; landmark food, fuel pact signed) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: As the demand for safe havens ramps up amid global instability, there has been an uptick in investment from companies in mainland China, as well as high-net-worth individuals, into Singapore’s real estate market.

The transparency of regulations in Singapore, in addition to its reputation as a financial haven, is drawing more Chinese developers. The Singapore Economic Development Board recently said that investors from mainland China made up around 21% of total fixed-asset investment in 2025. In comparison, this figure had only been at 2.5% the year before.

China has already overtaken the United States as a leading investor in Singapore, marking a significant change in global capital flows.

What has also helped is a growing familiarity. “Chinese developers who have had experience in Singapore are now familiar with the rules, regulations and market behaviour and are expected to continue bidding to replenish their landbanks,” a report in the South China Morning Post quoted Alan Cheong, the executive director for research and consultancy at Savills Singapore, as saying.

The report cited recent acquisitions, such as a Dover Drive lot spanning almost 145,500 sq ft, purchased by CNQC Realty (Prime), Forsea Residence, and Jianan Realty Investments for S$951 million. The property is expected to be the site for 625 residential units.

The China-based developer Kingsford Group bought a 147,350 sq ft plot on Telok Blangah Road for S$918.3 million and a 222,161 sq ft plot called Lentor Gardens for S$429.23 million. SingHaiyi Group and Haiyi Holdings acquired a parcel on Bayshore Road and bought a 112,992 sq ft property for S$658.9 million that is likely to accommodate 515 units.

The focus on Singapore’s residential sector shows how the developers are putting investments into projects that are expected to move relatively quickly.

Reuters has also highlighted how, over recent years, Singapore has seen “massive inflows of mainland Chinese wealth,” in large part due to political stability and tax advantages, as well as economic uncertainty in China. This has meant an even greater demand for high-end real estate and family offices specifically for managing Chinese capital.

Aside from residential projects, firms from China are also showing interest in commercial real estate, although this is happening at a slower pace. Reuters reported last August that a consortium that involves the property arm of JD.com, one of the biggest comprehensive e-commerce companies in China, looked into launching a Singapore-based real estate investment trust worth US$1 billion. /TISG

Read related: Singapore’s luxury goods sales slide as wealthy Chinese turn to ‘low-key’ spending on art, wine, and private clubs amid growing scrutiny from authorities

This article (Wealth flows into Singapore as Chinese invest in property) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.