No. S 227
Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act
(CHAPTER 333A)
Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
(Register and Practising Certificates)
(Amendment) Regulations 2020
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 36(1) of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board, with the approval of the Minister for Health, makes the following Regulations:
Citation and commencement
1.  These Regulations are the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Register and Practising Certificates) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 and come into operation on 1 April 2020.
New regulation 1A
2.  The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Register and Practising Certificates) Regulations (Rg 2) (called in these Regulations the principal Regulations) are amended by inserting, immediately after regulation 1, the following regulation:
Definitions
1A.—(1)  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —
“continuing professional education point” means a continuing professional education point which a registered person obtains by successfully completing any activity, course or programme in the list of activities, courses and programmes published under regulation 5A(1);
“core programme” means any activity, course or programme identified under regulation 5A(2) as a core programme;
“qualifying period”, in relation to a registered person, means the period specified in the fourth column of the Second Schedule applicable to that registered person;
“requisite number of continuing professional education points”, in relation to a registered person, means the number of continuing professional education points specified in the second column of the Second Schedule applicable to that registered person.
(2)  In these Regulations, an applicant obtains the requisite number of continuing professional education points if the applicant successfully completes one or more of the activities, courses and programmes in the list published under regulation 5A(1) in respect of which the total number of continuing professional education points obtainable equals or exceeds that requisite number.”.
Amendment of regulation 3
3.  Regulation 3 of the principal Regulations is amended by deleting paragraph (3) and substituting the following paragraph:
(3)  The Board is to determine the additional qualification or qualifications that may be entered in the Register.”.
New regulations 5A to 5D
4.  The principal Regulations are amended by inserting, immediately after regulation 5, the following regulations:
List of activities, etc., with continuing professional education points
5A.—(1)  The Board must publish on the Board’s website a list of activities, courses and programmes relating to the practice of traditional Chinese medicine for the purposes of these Regulations and the number of continuing professional education points which a registered person obtains by successfully completing each of the activities, courses and programmes.
(2)  The Board must identify in the list mentioned in paragraph (1) those activities, courses and programmes which are core programmes.
Grant or renewal of practising certificate subject to continuing professional education requirements
5B.—(1)  For the purposes of section 17(5A) of the Act and subject to regulation 5C, the Board may refuse to grant or renew a practising certificate if the applicant fails to satisfy any of the following requirements:
(a)the applicant must obtain not less than the requisite number of continuing professional education points set out in the second column of the Second Schedule applicable to the applicant within the qualifying period set out in the fourth column of that Schedule;
(b)the applicant must obtain not less than the percentage of the requisite number of continuing professional education points set out in the third column of the Second Schedule (if any) by the successful completion of one or more core programmes within the qualifying period set out in the fourth column of that Schedule.
(2)  The Board may, in any special circumstances that it determines, grant or renew a practising certificate even though the applicant is unable to satisfy the Board that the applicant has fulfilled the requisite continuing professional education requirements.
(3)  The Board may impose reasonable conditions in the exercise of its discretion under paragraph (2).
Application of regulation 5B
5C.  Regulation 5B does not apply to a registered person who applies for the grant of a practising certificate for the first time.
Conditions for applications for grant or renewal of practising certificate
5D.—(1)  For the purposes of section 17(5A) of the Act, the Board may refuse to grant or renew a practising certificate if the applicant fails to comply with paragraph (2).
(2)  For the purposes of paragraph (1), the applicant must —
(a)provide any document or information that the Board requires for those purposes; and
(b)give an undertaking, or make a declaration (including a statutory declaration), in the form and manner required by the Board.
(3)  Without limiting paragraph (2)(a), the Board may require an applicant to provide any document or information in relation to any of the following matters:
(a)where the applicant is registered with any foreign authority having the function conferred by law of authorising or registering individuals to practise traditional Chinese medicine in a state or territory other than Singapore, the applicant’s registration status and disciplinary record with the foreign authority;
(b)where the applicant was convicted, in Singapore or elsewhere, of any criminal offence —
(i)the facts and circumstances of the offence;
(ii)the court of law that convicted the applicant of the offence; and
(iii)the sentence or punishment imposed on the applicant;
(c)where the applicant was found guilty, in Singapore or elsewhere, of professional misconduct or an improper act or conduct which renders the applicant unfit to remain on the Register —
(i)the facts and circumstances of the professional misconduct or improper act or conduct;
(ii)the tribunal, professional body or authority that found the applicant guilty; and
(iii)the disciplinary action taken against the applicant and the outcome of that action;
(d)where the applicant, as at the date of the application for the grant or renewal of the practising certificate, is the subject of any proceedings, inquiry or investigation by any court of law, tribunal, professional body, licensing or health authority, or the police or other enforcement agency, in respect of any matter mentioned in sub‑paragraph (b) or (c) —
(i)the facts and circumstances of the alleged offence, professional misconduct or improper act or conduct; and
(ii)the nature and status of the proceedings, inquiry or investigation;
(e)where the applicant is receiving or undergoing treatment for a mental or physical condition, a medical report prepared by the registered medical practitioner providing treatment to the applicant stating —
(i)the diagnosis and prognosis of, and the treatment provided to, the applicant; and
(ii)the effect (if any) of the applicant’s condition on the applicant’s ability to safely or effectively carry out the prescribed practice of traditional Chinese medicine for which the applicant is registered.”.
Amendment of Schedule
5.  The Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —
(a)by renaming the existing Schedule as the First Schedule; and
(b)by inserting, immediately after the words “per year” in item 3(a) and (b), the words “or part of a year”.
New Second Schedule
6.  The principal Regulations are amended by inserting, immediately after the First Schedule, the following Schedule:
SECOND SCHEDULE
Regulations 1A(1) and 5B(1)
REQUISITE NUMBER OF CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION POINTS
First column
 
Second column
 
Third column
 
Fourth column
Description of registered person applying for grant or renewal of practising certificate
 
Requisite number of continuing professional education points
 
Minimum percentage of requisite number of continuing professional education points
 
Qualifying period
1.Registered person applying to renew practising certificate with a validity period of 24 months, where the application is made for the first time
 
Pro‑rated as follows:
where A is the number of days between the date of issue of the current practising certificate and the end of the qualifying period (both dates inclusive)
 
60% of the requisite number of continuing professional education points from core programmes
 
The period beginning on the date of the current practising certificate and ending on 31 March of the year in which the current practising certificate expires
2.Registered person applying to renew practising certificate with a validity period of 12 months, for the first time
 
Pro‑rated as follows:
where B is the number of days between the date of issue of the current practising certificate and the end of the qualifying period (both dates inclusive)
 
60% of the requisite number of continuing professional education points from core programmes
 
The period beginning on the date of the current practising certificate and ending on 31 March of the year in which the current practising certificate expires
3.Registered person applying to renew practising certificate with a validity period of 24 months, for the second or subsequent time
 
50 points
 
60% of the requisite number of continuing professional education points from core programmes
 
The period of 24 months ending 31 March of the year in which the current practising certificate expires
4.Registered person applying to renew practising certificate with a validity period of 12 months, for the second or subsequent time
 
25 points
 
60% of the requisite number of continuing professional education points from core programmes
 
The period of 12 months ending 31 March of the year in which the current practising certificate expires
5.Registered person whose name was removed from the register applying for restoration of registration under section 23 of the Act and the grant of a practising certificate
 
50 points
 
60% of the requisite number of continuing professional education points from core programmes
 
The period of 24 months prior to the date of application for restoration of registration
”.
Miscellaneous amendments
7.  The principal Regulations are amended by deleting the words “the Schedule” in the following provisions and substituting in each case the words “the First Schedule”:
 
Regulation 2
 
Regulation 3(2)
 
Regulation 4(1)
 
Regulation 5(1) and (2)
 
Regulation 6(2)
 
Regulation 8(1)
 
Regulation 9.
[G.N. No. S 10/2012]
Made on 31 March 2020.
YU-FOO YEE SHOON
Chairman,
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Practitioners Board,
Singapore.
[MH 78:50/1; AG/LEGIS/SL/333A/2015/4 Vol. 1]