Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Registration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Physicians) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

No. S 229

Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act

(CHAPTER 333A)

Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
(Registration of Traditional Chinese
Medicine Physicians) (Amendment)
Regulations 2020

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 14(4) of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Registration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Physicians) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 and come into operation on 1 April 2020.

Amendment of regulation 1

2. Regulation 1 of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Registration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Physicians) Regulations (Rg 5) (called in these Regulations the principal Regulations) is amended by inserting, immediately after the word “Physicians”, the words “and Acupuncturists”.

Amendment of regulation 2

3. Regulation 2 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by deleting the definitions of “approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine”, “approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine”, “Category A local diploma” and “Category B local diploma” and substituting the following definitions:

“ “acupuncturist” means a person who practices acupuncture;

“approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine” means a qualification in traditional Chinese medicine obtained from a foreign traditional Chinese medicine training institution specified in Part II of the Second Schedule or any other qualification from a foreign traditional Chinese medicine training institution that is acceptable to the Board for the purposes of regulation 6(1)(a)(ii);

“approved local qualification in acupuncture” means a qualification in acupuncture obtained from a local traditional Chinese medicine training institution specified in Part III of the Second Schedule or any other training institution that is acceptable to the Board for the purposes of regulation 6(2)(a);

“approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine” means a qualification in traditional Chinese medicine obtained from a local traditional Chinese medicine training institution specified in Part I of the Second Schedule or any other training institution that is acceptable to the Board for the purposes of regulation 6(1)(a)(i);”; and

(b)

by deleting the definition of “traditional Chinese general medicine” and substituting the following definition:

“ “traditional Chinese general medicine” means —

(a)	acupuncture;
(b)	the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or alleviation of any disease or any symptom of a disease or the prescription of any herbal medicine on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine; and
(c)	the regulation of the functional states of the human body on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine;”.

Amendment of regulation 3

4. Regulation 3 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese medicine physician” in paragraph (1), the words “or an acupuncturist”; and
(b)	by deleting the words “, conditional or provisional” in paragraph (5)(a) and substituting the words “or conditional”.

Amendment of regulation 4

5. Regulation 4 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese medicine physician” in paragraph (1), the words “or an acupuncturist”;
(b)	by deleting the words “degree, diploma or certificate” in paragraph (2)(a) and substituting the word “qualification”;
(c)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese general medicine” in paragraph (2)(b) and (d), the words “or acupuncture”; and
(d)	by deleting the word “practitioner” in paragraph (2)(e) and substituting the words “physician or acupuncturist”.

Deletion and substitution of regulation 6

6. Regulation 6 of the principal Regulations is deleted and the following regulation substituted therefor:

“Full registration

6.—(1) A person may be granted full registration as a traditional Chinese medicine physician if the person —

(a)

has obtained —

(i)	an approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine; or
(ii)	an approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine, and practical experience in any organisation or institution that is acceptable to the Board;

(b)

passes any qualifying examination that the Board requires; and

(c)

is, in the opinion of the Board, a fit and proper person to be granted full registration as a traditional Chinese medicine physician.

(2) A person may be granted full registration as an acupuncturist if the person —

(a)	has obtained an approved local qualification in acupuncture;
(b)	passes any qualifying examination that the Board requires; and
(c)	is, in the opinion of the Board, a fit and proper person to be granted full registration as an acupuncturist.”.

Amendment of regulation 7

7. Regulation 7 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese general medicine” in paragraph (1)(b), the words “, or an acupuncturist in respect of acupuncture,”;
(b)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese general medicine” in paragraph (1)(c), the words “, or an acupuncturist in respect of acupuncture”;
(c)	by inserting, immediately after the words “traditional Chinese medicine physician” in paragraph (1)(d), the words “or an acupuncturist”; and
(d)	by deleting the words “regulation 6(1)(a)” in paragraph (4) and substituting the words “regulation 6”.

Deletion of regulation 8

8. Regulation 8 of the principal Regulations is deleted.

Amendment of regulation 9

9. Regulation 9 of the principal Regulations is amended by deleting the words “as the Board may accredit for the purpose of that examination” and substituting the words “for which that person is awarded an approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine, an approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine or an approved local qualification in acupuncture, as the case may be”.

Deletion of regulation 13

10. Regulation 13 of the principal Regulations is deleted.

Amendment of First Schedule

11. The First Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately above item 1, the following Part heading:

“PART 1

FEES FOR TRADITIONAL CHINESE
MEDICINE PHYSICIAN”;

(b)

by deleting item 2 and substituting the following item:

“2.	Fee for qualifying examination:

(a)

Part 1

$330

(b)

Part 2

$220”; and

(c)

by inserting, immediately after item 4, the following Part:

“PART 2

FEES FOR ACUPUNCTURIST

1.	Fee for application for registration

$250

2.	Fee for qualifying examination:

(a)

Part 1

$720

(b)

Part 2

$480

3.	Fee for evaluation

$300

4.	Fee for duplicate of certificate of registration

$50”.

Amendment of Second Schedule

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

(a)

by deleting paragraphs (a) and (b) in the second column of item 1 of Part I;

(b)

by deleting paragraph (a) in the second column of item 2 of Part I;

(c)

by deleting item 3 of Part II; and

(d)

by inserting, immediately after item 8 of Part II, the following Part:

“PART III

APPROVED LOCAL QUALIFICATION
IN ACUPUNCTURE

Institution

Description of qualification

1.	Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Graduate of the 2‑year part‑time graduate diploma course in Acupuncture”.

Revocation

13. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Registration of Acupuncturists) Regulations (Rg 1) are revoked.

Saving and transitional provisions

14.—(1) Any person who had obtained, before 1 April 2020, an approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine or an approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine specified in the Second Schedule to the principal Regulations as in force immediately before 1 April 2020, is deemed to have obtained an approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine or an approved foreign qualification in traditional Chinese medicine (as the case may be) for the purposes of registration under regulation 6(1)(a) of the principal Regulations, as amended by these Regulations.

(2) Any person who had obtained, before 1 April 2020, an approved local qualification in traditional Chinese medicine specified in the Second Schedule to the revoked Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Registration of Acupuncturists) Regulations as in force immediately before 1 April 2020, is deemed to have obtained an approved local qualification in acupuncture for the purposes of registration under regulation 6(2)(a) of the principal Regulations, as amended by these Regulations.

[G.N. Nos. S 686/2004; S 755/2010; S 9/2012]

Made on 31 March 2020.

NG HOW YUE

Permanent Secretary
(Health Development),
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[MH 78:50/1; AG/LEGIS/SL/333A/2015/3 Vol. 1]

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