Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (Amendment) Regulations 1996

No. S 200

Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act

(Chapter 248)

Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (Amendment) Regulations 1996

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 17 of the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act, the Minister for Health hereby makes the following Regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (Amendment) Regulations 1996 and shall come into operation on 3rd May 1996.

2. Regulation 5 of the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Regulations (Rg 1) (referred to in these Regulations as the principal Regulations) is amended —

(a)

by deleting paragraph (1) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(1) The fee payable for any licence or renewal thereof shall be as follows:

Private Hospital other than a maternity home and a nursing home —

1,000 beds and above

$7,500

100 to 999 beds

$5,000

less than 100 beds

$2,500

Maternity Home

$750

Nursing Home

$750

Medical and Dental Clinic —

used by —

1 to 5 doctors or dentists

$600

more than 5 doctors or dentists

$1,000

which provides any special care service as specified in the Third Schedule (in addition to the appropriate fee payable under item (i))

$1,000

Clinical Laboratory

$1,250

Any private hospital or medical clinic which is a charity under the Charities Act (Cap. 37)

$12.”;

(b)

by deleting paragraph (2);

(c)

by renumbering the existing paragraph (3) as paragraph (2); and

(d)

by deleting the existing paragraph (4) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(4) Where a licence is revoked or suspended, the Director may, in his discretion, refund up to one-quarter of any fee paid under this regulation in respect of the licence.”.

3. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting, immediately after regulation 7, the following regulation:

“Advertisement of services

7A. All advertisements of the services of every private hospital, medical clinic or clinical laboratory shall be in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Director.”.

4. Regulation 24 of the principal Regulations is amended by deleting paragraph (5) and substituting the following paragraphs:

“(5) Every private hospital, other than a nursing home, with less than 50 beds shall have one medical practitioner available at its premises within half an hour of call.

(6) Every nursing home shall have one medical practitioner available at its premises within half an hour of call or shall make alternative arrangements to ensure that patients receive prompt and appropriate medical care.

(7) Where, under paragraph (5) or (6), a resident medical practitioner is not provided, the patient must be informed before admission.”.

5. Regulation 25 of the principal Regulations is amended by deleting paragraph (1) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(1) Every private hospital shall have a nursing service comprising an adequate number of appropriately trained nurses or, in the case of a maternity hospital, an adequate number of appropriately trained nurses and midwives, to provide an acceptable standard of care to patients.”.

6. Regulation 32 of the principal Regulations is deleted.

7. Regulations 44 and 45 of the principal Regulations are deleted and the following regulations substituted therefor:

“Clinical laboratory for general pathological diagnoses

44. A licence for any premises to be used as a clinical laboratory for all pathological diagnoses may be issued to a medical practitioner who has the relevant higher qualifications and training in any one of the following disciplines:

(a)	histopathology;
(b)	cytology;
(c)	microbiology;
(d)	immunology;
(e)	haematology;
(f)	immunohaematology;
(g)	biochemistry; or
(h)	any other discipline acceptable to the Director.

Clinical laboratory for limited pathological diagnoses

45. A licence for any premises to be used as a clinical laboratory limited to one or more of the following disciplines:

(a)	histopathology;
(b)	cytology;
(c)	microbiology;
(d)	immunology;
(e)	haematology;
(f)	immunohaematology;
(g)	biochemistry; or
(h)	any other discipline acceptable to the Director,

may be issued to a person whose qualifications and experience are acceptable to the Director.”.

8. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting, immediately after regulation 52, the following regulation:

“Exemption

52A. The Minister may, subject to such terms or conditions as he may impose, exempt any private hospital, medical clinic or clinical laboratory from all or any of the provisions of these Regulations.”.

9. The Second Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by deleting item 4 and substituting the following item:

“4. Nuclear medicine, imaging and assay services.”.

(b)

by inserting, immediately after item 6, the following items:

“7. Radiation oncology.

8. Tissue banking.”.

10. The Third Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended by inserting, immediately after the word “surgery” at the end of item 2, the words “(including minimally invasive surgery and laparoscopy)”.

Made this 3rd day of May 1996.

KWA SOON BEE

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[MAAU 02-02/06-01; AG/SL/5/91 Vol. 1]

Search within Legislation