PART 4 | REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS |
| Registrar of Medical Council |
18.—(1) For the purposes of this Act, there is to be a Registrar of the Medical Council.| (2) The Director‑General of Health is to be the Registrar of the Medical Council. [Act 11 of 2023 wef 01/05/2023] |
| (3) The Minister may appoint a Deputy Registrar to assist the Registrar in carrying out the Registrar’s functions and duties under this Act. |
| (4) The Registrar may, subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Registrar thinks fit, delegate to the Deputy Registrar any of the Registrar’s powers or functions under this Act, except the power of delegation conferred by this section. |
| (5) The Registrar may continue to exercise any power conferred on the Registrar or perform any function under this Act despite the delegation of such power or function under this section. |
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19.—(1) In addition to duties under the Public Sector (Governance) Act 2018, the Registrar must maintain and keep the following registers:| (a) | a register to be called “The Register of Medical Practitioners” containing —| (i) | in Part I of the Register, the names of persons registered as fully registered medical practitioners under section 20(1) and (2); and | | (ii) | in Part II of the Register, the names of persons registered as medical practitioners with conditional registration; |
| | (b) | a register to be called “The Register of Specialists” containing the names of persons registered as specialists under section 22; | | (ba) | a register to be called “The Register of Family Physicians” containing the names of persons registered as family physicians under section 22A; | | (c) | a register to be called “The Register of Temporarily Registered Medical Practitioners” containing the names of persons who are registered temporarily as medical practitioners under section 23; and | | (d) | a register to be called “The Register of Provisionally Registered Medical Practitioners” containing the names of persons registered provisionally under section 24. [5/2018] |
(2) Each register must contain —| (a) | the names and addresses of the persons registered; | | (b) | the dates of the registration of the persons; | | (c) | the qualifications by virtue of which the persons are so registered and the dates they obtained such qualifications; and | | (d) | such other particulars as the Medical Council may determine for that register. |
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| (3) The Registrar is responsible for the maintenance and custody of the registers. |
(4) Every person whose name is registered in any of the registers must inform the Registrar in writing of —| (a) | any change in the person’s name or residential address; | | (b) | any change in the person’s practice address or such of the person’s other particulars as may be prescribed; or | | (c) | any change or addition to the person’s qualification, |
| within 28 days after such change or addition. |
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| (4A) Any person who contravenes subsection (4)(a) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000. |
| (4B) A person who makes a report of a change in the person’s residential address under section 10 of the National Registration Act 1965 is deemed to have complied with subsection (4)(a) on the date on which the person makes the report. |
| (5) The Registrar may disclose any information in the registers to any person prescribed by regulations made under this Act, if such disclosure is in accordance with such conditions as may be specified in those regulations. |
| (6) Subsection (5) is without prejudice to any other right or duty to disclose the information under general or written law. |
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20.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who —| (a) | holds a Singapore degree; | | (b) | holds a certificate of experience or any other certificate specified by the Medical Council; and | | (c) | satisfies such other requirements as the Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, prescribe, |
| is entitled to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner in Part I of the Register of Medical Practitioners. |
| (1A) For the purposes of subsection (1)(c), the Medical Council may prescribe different requirements for the different degrees, diplomas or licences in medicine and surgery specified in the First Schedule. |
(2) Despite subsection (1), a person, not being a Singapore degree holder, who —| (a) | holds such qualifications as may be recognised by the Medical Council; | | (b) | complies with section 26; | | (c) | satisfies such other requirements as the Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, prescribe; and | | (d) | satisfies the Medical Council that the person has special knowledge and skill and sufficient experience in any particular branch of medicine, |
| is, if the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct, to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner. |
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| (3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), the Medical Council may, if it is of the view that it is not in the public interest for a person mentioned in either of those subsections to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner, direct that the person be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners, and section 21(4) and (6) to (9) applies accordingly. |
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21.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who —| (a) | holds a degree from a university specified in the Second Schedule or any other qualification which is, in the opinion of the Medical Council, not lower in standing than a degree specified in the Second Schedule; | | (b) | has been selected for employment in Singapore as a medical practitioner in hospitals or other institutions or medical practice approved by the Medical Council; | | (c) | satisfies the Medical Council that the person has the knowledge and skill and has acquired the experience which is necessary for practice as a medical practitioner; | | (d) | complies with section 26; and | | (e) | satisfies such other requirements as the Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, prescribe, |
| is, if the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct and subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Medical Council may think fit to impose, to be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners. |
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who holds —| (a) | a Singapore degree; and | | (b) | a certificate approved by the Medical Council as being equivalent to a certificate of experience and granted by a hospital or an institution outside Singapore that is recognised by the Medical Council for the purpose of this paragraph, |
| is entitled to be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners and is subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Medical Council may think fit to impose. |
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| (3) The Medical Council may require a person with a degree, other than a degree specified in the Second Schedule, to undergo and pass an examination conducted or arranged by the Medical Council or by such other person or persons as the Medical Council may appoint to satisfy itself that the degree is not lower in standing than a degree specified in the Second Schedule. |
(4) Every direction by virtue of which a person is registered under this section must specify the conditions or restrictions of the person’s registration and may further specify one or more of the following:| (a) | that the person must work for a specified period under the supervision of a fully registered medical practitioner approved by the Medical Council; | | (b) | that the person’s performance must be subject to review by such fully registered medical practitioners or healthcare professionals as the Medical Council may determine; | | (c) | the particular employment or descriptions of employment for the purposes of which the person is so registered. |
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| (5) [Deleted by Act 1 of 2010] |
(6) The Medical Council may cancel the conditional registration of a medical practitioner if —| (a) | the medical practitioner fails to comply with any of the conditions or restrictions specified in the direction by virtue of which the person is registered; or | | (b) | the Medical Council is of the opinion, having regard to any report of one or more fully registered medical practitioners supervising the person and any reviews of the medical practitioners or healthcare professionals mentioned in subsection (4)(b) (if any) that the person is unable to perform the duties of a medical practitioner satisfactorily. |
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(7) A person who is or has been registered with conditional registration may —| (a) | after the expiry of the period of supervision under subsection (4)(a); and | | (b) | upon the revocation or lapse of all the conditions or restrictions specified under subsection (4), |
| apply to the Medical Council to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner. |
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| (8) If the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct, having regard to the knowledge and skill shown and the experience acquired by the applicant mentioned in subsection (7), the applicant is to be registered under section 20 as a fully registered medical practitioner. |
| (9) On a medical practitioner with conditional registration becoming registered otherwise than conditionally, the medical practitioner’s name must be removed from Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners. |
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| Registration of specialists |
22.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person —| (a) | who holds such postgraduate degrees or qualifications; or | | (b) | who has gained such special knowledge of and skill and experience, |
| in a particular branch or branches of medicine, may apply to the Medical Council to be registered as a specialist. |
| (1A) A person may be registered under subsection (1) as a specialist subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Medical Council may impose. |
| (2) The Medical Council must not register any person under subsection (1) as a specialist unless the person has obtained a certificate from the Specialists Accreditation Board under section 35. |
(3) The Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations for all or any of the following purposes:| (a) | providing for the registration of specialists in any branch of medicine; | | (b) | regulating the recording in, removal from, and restoration to the Register of Specialists of the names, particulars and qualifications of persons so registered; | | (c) | providing for appeals by medical practitioners against any refusal of the Medical Council to register them in the Register of Specialists or to restore their names to that Register or against any decision of the Medical Council to remove their names from that Register; | | (d) | prescribing the fees payable in respect of —| (i) | any application for registration as a specialist; | | (ii) | any such registration as a specialist; | | (iii) | any restoration of names to the Register of Specialists; and | | (iv) | any appeal. |
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| Registration of family physicians |
22A.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person —| (a) | who holds such postgraduate degrees or qualifications; or | | (b) | who has gained such special knowledge of and skill and experience, |
| in family medicine, may apply to the Medical Council to be registered as a family physician in the Register of Family Physicians. |
| (2) A person may be registered under subsection (1) as a family physician subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Medical Council may impose. |
| (3) The Medical Council must not register any person under subsection (1) as a family physician unless the person has obtained a certificate from the Family Physicians Accreditation Board under section 35B. |
(4) The Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations for all or any of the following purposes:| (a) | providing for the registration of family physicians; | | (b) | regulating the recording in, removal from, and restoration to the Register of Family Physicians of the names, particulars and qualifications of persons so registered; | | (c) | providing for appeals by medical practitioners against any decision of the Medical Council refusing to register them in the Register of Family Physicians or to restore their names to that Register or against any decision of the Medical Council to remove their names from that Register; | | (d) | prescribing the fees payable in respect of —| (i) | any application for registration as a family physician; | | (ii) | any such registration as a family physician; | | (iii) | any restoration of names to the Register of Family Physicians; and | | (iv) | any appeal. |
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23.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person —| (a) | who is in Singapore for the purpose of teaching, research or postgraduate study in medicine under such training scheme as may be approved by the Minister in any institution recognised by the Medical Council for that purpose; | | (b) | who possesses medical knowledge, experience and skill which the Medical Council considers to be of international standing or are such as to have special value to the people of Singapore; or | | (c) | who is not otherwise entitled to be registered as a medical practitioner under this Act but who, in the opinion of the Medical Council, possesses other qualifications which are adequate for the purposes of registration under this Act, |
| and who, if the person has a degree other than a Singapore degree, complies with section 26, may be registered temporarily as a medical practitioner in the Register of Temporarily Registered Medical Practitioners for so long as the person continues to engage himself exclusively in teaching, research or postgraduate study in medicine under such approved training scheme or in such medical capacity as the Medical Council may specify. |
| (2) Any registration under subsection (1) is for a period not exceeding 2 years which may be renewed, at the discretion of the Medical Council, for a further period or periods each not exceeding 12 months. |
| (3) A person may be registered under subsection (1) subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Medical Council may impose. |
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24.—(1) This section has effect for enabling persons desirous of obtaining certificates of experience to be employed as mentioned in section 25(1).| (2) Any person who is qualified to be registered under this Act may, for the purpose of satisfying any requirement as to experience, be provisionally registered for such duration and subject to such conditions or restrictions as the Medical Council may specify, if he produces evidence satisfactory to the Registrar that he has been selected to be engaged in such employment as is mentioned in section 25(1). |
(2A) The Medical Council may cancel the provisional registration of a medical practitioner if —| (a) | he fails to comply with any of the conditions or restrictions of his provisional registration; or | | (b) | the Medical Council is of the opinion, having regard to the report of one or more registered medical practitioners supervising him and the reviews (if any) of the registered medical practitioners or healthcare professionals working with him, that he is unfit or otherwise unable to practise medicine. [Act 34 of 2020 wef 01/07/2022] |
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| (2B) The Medical Council must, before proceeding under subsection (2A), notify the registered medical practitioner concerned of its intention to cancel his provisional registration under subsection (2A) and must give the registered medical practitioner an opportunity to submit reasons why his registration should not be so cancelled. |
| (2C) Any person who is aggrieved by the cancellation of his registration by the Medical Council under subsection (2A) may, within 30 days after being notified of the cancellation, appeal to the Minister whose decision is final. |
| (3) Any person who is provisionally registered is to be registered in the Register of Provisionally Registered Medical Practitioners and on a person becoming registered otherwise than provisionally his name must be removed from such register. |
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| Certificate of experience in approved hospital |
25.—(1) A certificate of experience must not be granted in respect of any person unless that person has been engaged in employment as a house officer or in such other similar capacity as may be approved by the Medical Council (called in this section the approved capacity) in one or more hospitals or institutions in Singapore approved by the Medical Council for a prescribed period.(2) A person who has been employed as mentioned in subsection (1) may apply for a certificate of experience to the certifying authority, and if the certifying authority is satisfied —| (a) | that during the time the applicant has been so employed the person has been engaged for such period or minimum period as may be prescribed in medicine, in surgery and in an approved capacity; and | | (b) | that the person’s service while so employed has been satisfactory, |
| the certifying authority is to grant, in such form as may be prescribed, a certificate of experience that it is so satisfied. |
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(3) In subsection (2), “certifying authority” means —| (a) | the Dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University of Singapore; | | (b) | the Dean of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore; or | | (c) | such other person as may be prescribed. |
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| Experience required for holders of degrees other than Singapore degrees |
26. A person applying for registration by virtue of a degree, other than a Singapore degree, must satisfy the Medical Council that the person has —| (a) | a certificate of experience, or a certificate approved by the Medical Council as being equivalent to a certificate of experience and granted by a hospital or an institution outside Singapore that is recognised by the Medical Council for the purpose of this paragraph; or | | (b) | rendered satisfactory service in any appointment which, in the opinion of the Medical Council, confers experience of the practice of medicine not less extensive than that required for a certificate of experience. |
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| Evidence of qualification and entry of additional qualifications |
27.—(1) No qualification is to be entered on a register unless the Registrar is satisfied by such evidence as the Registrar may consider proper that the person claiming the qualification is entitled to it.| (2) Every person registered under this Act, who obtains any qualification in addition to the qualification by virtue of which that person has been registered, may apply to the Medical Council to have that additional qualification inserted in a register. |
| (3) The Medical Council has power to decide what additional qualifications may be entered in a register. |
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| Application for registration |
28.—(1) Every application for registration under this Act must be made to the Medical Council in such manner or form and must be accompanied by such documents and particulars as the Medical Council may require.| (2) An application under subsection (1) must be accompanied by the prescribed fee. |
(3) The Medical Council may refuse to register any applicant who, in the opinion of the Medical Council —| (a) | is not qualified to be registered; | | (b) | is not of good reputation and character; | | (c) | is unfit to practise medicine —| (i) | because the applicant’s ability to practise has been impaired by reason of the applicant’s physical or mental condition; or | | (ii) | for any other reason; |
| | (d) | has without reasonable cause failed to submit to a medical examination when required to do so under section 29(4)(b); | | (e) | has had the applicant’s name removed from a register of medical practitioners in any country whose degrees or licences in medicine are recognised as a qualification entitling the holder of the degree or licence to be registered under this Act; or | | (f) | has failed to comply with any condition or restriction of any previous registration as may have been imposed on the applicant by the Medical Council. |
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| (4) Where the Medical Council refuses to register an applicant, the Medical Council must by written notice inform the applicant of such refusal. |
| (5) Any person who is aggrieved by any refusal of the Medical Council under subsection (3) may, within one month of the notice given under subsection (4), appeal to the Minister whose decision is final. |
| (6) The Registrar must enter the name of a registered medical practitioner in the appropriate register. |
| (7) Every registered medical practitioner is, on payment of the prescribed fee, entitled to receive a certificate of registration. |
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29.—(1) The Medical Council is to appoint a committee called the Credentials Committee, consisting of at least 3 members of the Medical Council, to —| (a) | scrutinise all applications for registration other than applications for registration as specialists and family physicians; and | | (b) | undertake such other duties as the Medical Council thinks fit to assign to the Credentials Committee. |
| (2) The term of office of the members of the Credentials Committee and the quorum of the Committee are to be determined by the Medical Council. |
| (3) The Credentials Committee may interview the applicants and make such enquiries or do anything which the Committee may think necessary or expedient for discharging its functions under this Act. |
(4) Without limiting subsection (3), the Credentials Committee may, by written notice, require an applicant —| (a) | to furnish such further information, documents or particulars as the Credentials Committee may require within the time specified in the notice; or | | (b) | to submit to a medical examination to be conducted by a registered medical practitioner nominated or approved by the Medical Council within such time as may be specified in the notice. |
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| (5) The registered medical practitioner who conducts the examination mentioned in subsection (4)(b) must, within 14 days after the examination or such longer time as the Credentials Committee may allow, submit his report on the applicant’s fitness to practise medicine to the Credentials Committee. |
| (6) Any applicant who fails to comply with a requirement under subsection (4) within the time stated in the notice is deemed to have withdrawn his application. |
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| Publication of list of registered medical practitioners with practising certificates |
| 30. The Registrar must publish on the Medical Council’s Internet website, or on such other medium which is accessible to members of the public as the Minister may require, a list of the names, practice addresses, qualifications and dates of qualifications and registration of all registered medical practitioners who have in force a practising certificate. |
31. The Registrar must —| (a) | insert in a register any alteration which may come to his knowledge in the name or address of any person registered under this Act; | | (b) | insert in a register such alterations in the qualifications, additional qualifications and other particulars in the register as are required to be altered under this Act; | | (c) | correct any error in any entry in a register; | | (d) | remove from a register the name of any person whose name is ordered to be removed under this Act; | | (e) | remove from a register the name of any person who is deceased; | | (f) | remove from a register the name of any person who has not renewed his practising certificate for a continuous period of at least 2 years, and who cannot be contacted or sent any document using his particulars in the register; and | | (g) | remove from a register the name of any person who has requested and shown sufficient reason for his name to be removed from that register, unless an inquiry has or proceedings have commenced under Part 7 against that person. |
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| Power of Medical Council to remove names from registers |
32.—(1) Despite the provisions of this Act, the Medical Council may, upon such evidence as it may require, order the removal from the appropriate register the name of a registered medical practitioner under any of the following circumstances:| (a) | if he has been registered with conditional registration and the conditional registration has been cancelled by the Medical Council under section 21(6); | | (b) | if he has been temporarily registered under section 23 and has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council; | | (c) | if he has been registered in the Register of Specialists and —| (i) | his name has been removed from the Register of Medical Practitioners; or | | (ii) | he has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council under section 22; |
| | (ca) | if he has been registered in the Register of Family Physicians and —| (i) | his name has been removed from the Register of Medical Practitioners; or | | (ii) | he has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council under section 22A; |
| | (cb) | if his provisional registration has been cancelled by the Medical Council under section 24(2A); | | (d) | if he has obtained registration fraudulently or by incorrect statement; | | (e) | if his degree for registration under this Act has been withdrawn or cancelled by the authority through which it was acquired or by which it was awarded; | | (f) | if he has had his registration in any other country withdrawn, suspended or cancelled by the authority which registered him; | | (g) | if he has failed to serve the Government or such other body or organisation as directed by the Government for such period as may be specified in any undertaking given by him to the Government. |
| (2) The Medical Council must, before exercising its powers under subsection (1), notify the registered medical practitioner concerned of its intention to take such action and must give the registered medical practitioner an opportunity to submit reasons why his name should not be removed. |
| (3) Any person who is aggrieved by any order of the Medical Council under subsection (1) may, within 30 days of being notified of the order, appeal to the Minister whose decision is final. |
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| Restoration of names removed under section 31 or 32 |
33.—(1) Where the name of a person has been removed from a register under section 31(f) or 32(1)(a), (b), (c), (ca), (cb) or (g), the Medical Council may, upon application by the person, if it thinks fit direct —| (a) | that the person’s name be restored to the register; or | | (b) | that the person be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners, and section 21(4) and (6) to (9) applies accordingly. |
| (2) An application under subsection (1) must not be made to the Medical Council more than once in any period of 6 months by or on behalf of the medical practitioner. |
| (3) An application under subsection (1) must not be made to the Medical Council by or on behalf of the medical practitioner unless the medical practitioner has complied with all the terms of the order made against the medical practitioner under section 32(1), where applicable. |
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