Allied Health Professions Bill

Bill No. 33/2010

Read the first time on 22nd November 2010.
An Act to provide for the registration of prescribed allied health professionals for the protection of the health and safety of the public and for purposes connected therewith.
Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title and commencement
1.  This Act may be cited as the Allied Health Professions Act 2010 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.
Interpretation
2.  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“allied health professional” means a person who has a professional qualification in any of the allied health professions listed in the First Schedule;
“allied health professional with conditional registration” means a person registered as such under a provision of this Act;
“allied health professional with full registration” means a person registered as such under a provision of this Act;
“allied health professional with restricted registration” means a person registered as such under a provision of this Act;
“allied health professional with temporary registration” means a person registered as such under a provision of this Act;
“certificate of registration” means a certificate of registration issued by the Council under section 22;
“Council” means the Allied Health Professions Council established under section 6;
“Director” means the Director of Medical Services;
“institution of higher learning” includes a polytechnic or university;
“lay person” means any person other than a healthcare professional;
“medical practitioner” means a person who is registered under the Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174) and includes a person deemed to be so registered under section 72(1) of that Act;
“member” means a member of the Council;
“practising certificate” means a practising certificate issued under section 23;
“prescribed allied health profession” means any of the allied health professions set out in the first column of the Second Schedule;
“president” means the president of the Council;
“register” means any of the registers referred to in section 14(1);
“registered allied health professional” means an allied health professional with full, restricted, conditional or temporary registration;
“Registrar” means the Registrar of the Council;
“regulations” means regulations made under section 75.
Duly qualified allied health professional
3.  In this Act and in any written law, unless the context otherwise requires, “duly qualified allied health professional” or any expression importing a person recognised by law as a member of one of the prescribed allied health professions, means a person who is a registered allied health professional and has a valid practising certificate.
Application
4.  This Act applies only in relation to allied health professions set out in the Second Schedule.
Amendment of Schedules
5.—(1)  The Minister may, after consultation with the Council, by order published in the Gazette, amend the First or Second Schedule.
(2)  The Minister may prescribe in an order amending the Second Schedule such transitional provisions as may be necessary or expedient.
(3)  Every order amending the Second Schedule shall be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after publication in the Gazette.