Healthcare Services (Emergency Ambulance Service and Medical Transport Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

No. S 397

Healthcare Services Act 2020

Healthcare Services
(Emergency Ambulance Service and
Medical Transport Service)
(Amendment) Regulations 2023

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 57 of the Healthcare Services Act 2020, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the Healthcare Services (Emergency Ambulance Service and Medical Transport Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 and come into operation on 26 June 2023.

Amendment of regulation 2

2. In the Healthcare Services (Emergency Ambulance Service and Medical Transport Service) Regulations 2022 (G.N. No. S 2/2022) (called in these Regulations the principal Regulations), in regulation 2 —

(a)

after the definition of “applicable service”, insert —

“ “approved emergency ambulance” means an emergency ambulance that is approved under the Act to be used for the provision of an emergency ambulance service by an emergency ambulance service licensee;

“approved medical transport” means a medical transport that is approved under the Act to be used for the provision of a medical transport service by a medical transport service licensee;”;

(b)

after the definition of “Clinical Governance Officer”, insert —

“ “emergency ambulance” and “emergency ambulance service” have the meanings given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;”;

(c)

after the definition of “licensee”, insert —

“ “medical transport” and “medical transport service” have the meanings given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;”; and

(d)

replace the definition of “service crew” with —

“ “service crew”, in relation to an approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, means a group of 2 or more service crew members deployed to the approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, as the case may be;”.

Deletion of regulation 4

3. In the principal Regulations, delete regulation 4.

Amendment of regulation 8

4. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 8(2)(a), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, as the case may be”.

Amendment of regulation 9

5. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 9 —

(a)	in paragraph (1), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, as the case may be”;
(b)	in paragraphs (2)(b)(i), (4) and (7), replace “emergency ambulance” wherever it appears with “approved emergency ambulance”;
(c)	in paragraph (2)(b)(ii), replace “a medical transport” with “an approved medical transport”;
(d)	in paragraphs (3) and (5), replace “an emergency ambulance or a medical transport” with “an approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”; and
(e)	in paragraph (5), replace “the emergency ambulance or medical transport” with “the approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”.

New regulation 11A

6. In the principal Regulations, after regulation 11, insert —

“Dimensions of patient compartment of approved emergency ambulances and approved medical transports

11A.—(1) A licensee must ensure that the patient compartment of each approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport (as the case may be) is not less than 2.9 metres in length by 1.5 metres in width by 1.3 metres in height.

(2) In paragraph (1), “patient compartment” of a vehicle used as an approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport means the space in the vehicle bounded by —

(a)	the fixed partition installed behind the driver’s seat and any forward‑facing front seat alongside the driver’s seat and separating those seats from the rest of the vehicle;
(b)	the permanent roof and floor of the vehicle; and
(c)	the tailgate or doors opening at the rear of the vehicle.”.

Amendment of regulation 12

7. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 12 —

(a)

replace the regulation heading with —

“Equipment for approved emergency ambulances and approved medical transports”;

(b)

in paragraphs (1)(a) and (2), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”;

(c)

in paragraph (1)(a), replace “the emergency ambulance or medical transport” with “the approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”; and

(d)

in paragraph (3), replace “each emergency ambulance operated by the licensee” with “each approved emergency ambulance”.

Amendment of regulation 13

8. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 13 —

(a)	in the regulation heading, replace “emergency ambulances” with “approved emergency ambulances”;
(b)	in paragraph (1), replace “emergency ambulance operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance”; and
(c)	in paragraphs (1) and (2), replace “the emergency ambulance” with “the approved emergency ambulance”.

Amendment of regulation 14

9. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 14 —

(a)	in the regulation heading, replace “medical transports” with “approved medical transports”;
(b)	in paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), replace “medical transport operated by the licensee” with “approved medical transport”; and
(c)	in paragraphs (1) and (2), replace “the medical transport” with “the approved medical transport”.

Amendment of regulation 15

10. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 15 —

(a)	in paragraph (2)(b), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport (as the case may be)”;
(b)	in paragraph (5)(a), replace “emergency ambulance” with “approved emergency ambulance”; and
(c)	in paragraph (5)(b), replace “emergency ambulances” with “approved emergency ambulances”.

Amendment of regulation 16

11. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 16 —

(a)

in paragraph (1), replace “emergency ambulance or a medical transport operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”;

(b)

in paragraph (8), in the definition of “healthcare institution”, replace “licensed premises” with “approved permanent premises”;

(c)

in paragraph (8), in the definition of “healthcare institution”, replace “licensed conveyance” with “approved conveyance”;

(d)

in paragraph (8), in the definition of “healthcare institution”, replace “healthcare establishment, medical clinic or private hospital” with “nursing home”; and

(e)

in paragraph (8), in the definition of “relevant licensee”, replace paragraph (a) with —

“(a)	in relation to a healthcare institution that is a nursing home licensed under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act 1980, means a person who is licensed under that Act to use the healthcare institution as a nursing home; or”.

Amendment of regulation 17

12. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 17 —

(a)

in paragraph (1)(a), replace “emergency ambulance operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance”;

(b)

in paragraph (1)(b), replace “medical transport operated by the licensee” with “approved medical transport”;

(c)

in paragraph (2)(a) and (b)(i), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”; and

(d)

replace paragraph (3) with —

“(3) Without affecting paragraph (1)(a), an emergency ambulance service licensee must ensure that the supply of medicines and medical supplies and equipment for each approved emergency ambulance is at all times adequate and appropriate for the approved emergency ambulance to be used to convey emergency patients.”.

Amendment of regulation 18

13. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 18 —

(a)	in paragraph (1)(a), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, as the case may be”;
(b)	in paragraph (3), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”; and
(c)	in paragraphs (4) and (5), replace “an emergency ambulance or a medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “an approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”.

Amendment of regulation 20

14. In the principal Regulations, in regulation 20(b)(ii)(A) and (B), (c)(i) and (ii), (d) and (e)(i), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport”.

Miscellaneous amendments

15. In the principal Regulations —

(a)

in the following provisions, replace “Director” wherever it appears with “Director‑General”:

Regulation 2, definition of “certification”

Regulation 6(2)(b)(i)

Regulation 9(3)

Regulation 9(8), definition of “ambulance paramedic”, paragraph (a)

Regulation 9(8), definition of “emergency medical technician”, paragraph (a)

Regulation 10(1)(b)

Regulation 12(2)(a)

Regulation 18(7)

Regulation 20(c) and (e)(i);

(b)

in the following provisions, replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport (as the case may be)”:

Regulation 5(b)

Regulation 11(1); and

(c)

in regulation 10(1), replace “emergency ambulance or medical transport (as the case may be) operated by the licensee” with “approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport, as the case may be”.

Made on 21 June 2023.

CHAN YENG KIT

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[MH 78:44/1; AG/LEGIS/SL/122E/2020/13 Vol. 4]

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