Protection of confidential information
66.—(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), a person who is or has been involved in the administration or enforcement of this Act must not disclose any information relating to any health product that the person knows or ought reasonably to know to be confidential information.
(2) Nothing in subsection (1) prevents any person from disclosing any information within the person’s knowledge concerning any health product where the disclosure is made —(a)
with the permission of the person from whom the information was obtained;
(b)
for the purpose of the administration or enforcement of this Act;
(c)
for the purpose of assisting any public officer or officer of any other statutory board in the investigation or prosecution of any offence under any written law;
(d)
for any other prescribed purpose; or
(e)
in compliance with the requirement of any court or the provisions of any written law.
(3) For the purpose of this section, the reference to a person disclosing or making use of any information includes that person permitting any other person to have any access to any record, document or other thing which is in that person’s possession or under that person’s control by virtue of that person being or having been involved in the administration or enforcement of this Act.
(4) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Service of documents
67.—(1) A document that is permitted or required by or under this Act to be served on a person may be served as described in this section.
(2) A document permitted or required by or under this Act to be served on an individual may be served —(a)
by giving it to the individual personally;
(b)
by sending it by prepaid registered post to the address specified by the individual for the service of documents generally, or specifically for the document, or (if no address is so specified) the individual’s residential address or business address;
(c)
by leaving it at the individual’s residential address with an adult apparently resident there, or at the individual’s business address with an adult apparently employed there;
(d)
by affixing a copy of the document in a conspicuous place at the individual’s residential address or business address; or
(e)
by sending it by email to the individual’s last email address.
(3) A document permitted or required by or under this Act to be served on a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership) may be served —(a)
by giving it to any partner or other similar officer, or an authorised representative, of the partnership;
(b)
by leaving it at, or by sending it by prepaid registered post to, the partnership’s business address; or
(c)
by sending it by email to the partnership’s last email address.
(4) A document permitted or required by or under this Act to be served on a body corporate (including a limited liability partnership) or an unincorporated association may be served —(a)
by giving it to the secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or unincorporated association, or the limited liability partnership’s manager;
(b)
by leaving it at, or by sending it by prepaid registered post to, the registered office or principal office in Singapore of the body corporate or unincorporated association; or
(c)
by sending it by email to the last email address of the body corporate or unincorporated association.
(5) Service of a document under this section takes effect —(a)
if the document is sent by prepaid registered post, 2 days after the day the document was posted (even if it is returned undelivered); or
(b)
if the document is sent by email, at the time that the email becomes capable of being retrieved by the person to whom it is sent.
(6) However, service of any document under this Act on a person by email may be effected only with the person’s prior written consent to service in that way.
(7) This section does not apply to documents to be served in proceedings in court.
(8) In this section —“authorised representative”, in relation to a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership), means any person authorised to accept service of documents on behalf of the partnership;
“business address” means —(a)
in the case of an individual, the individual’s usual or last known place of business in Singapore; or
(b)
in the case of a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership), the partnership’s principal or last known place of business in Singapore;
“document” includes an order or a notice permitted or required by or under this Act to be served;
“last email address” means the last email address given by the addressee concerned to the person giving or serving the document as the email address for the service of documents under this Act;
“residential address” means an individual’s usual or last known place of residence in Singapore.[Act 19 of 2025 wef 05/12/2025]
Form and authentication of notices, orders and other documents
68.—(1) All notices, orders and other documents which an enforcement officer is empowered to give by this Act may be in the form and manner determined by the Chief Executive, and may be given by any enforcement officer.
(2) Where any such notice, order or document requires authentication —(a)
the signature of the Chief Executive or an enforcement officer; or
(b)
an official facsimile of such signature,
appended to it is sufficient authentication.
Inaccuracies in documents
69.—(1) No misnomer or inaccurate description of any person, premises, conveyance or any other thing named or described in any notice, order or document prepared, issued or served under or for the purposes of this Act in any way affects the operation of this Act as respects that person, premises, conveyance or thing, if that person, premises, conveyance or thing is so designated or described in the notice, order or document as to be identifiable.
(2) No proceedings taken under or by virtue of this Act are invalid for want of form.
Exemption
70.—(1) Subject to any general or special direction of the Minister, the Authority may, by order in the Gazette, exempt any person or class of persons or any health product or class of health products from all or any of the provisions of this Act.
(2) In granting an exemption under subsection (1), the Authority may impose any conditions that it thinks fit.
(3) An exemption granted under this section may be revoked at any time.
Fees
71.—(1) The Authority may, with the approval of the Minister, by regulations prescribe the fees that are payable under and for the purposes of this Act and the time at which and the manner in which any fee is to be paid.
(2) All fees collected under this Act must be paid into the funds of the Authority.
Regulations
72.—(1) The Authority may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Act.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the Authority may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations for or with respect to all or any of the matters set out in the Second Schedule, and provide in the regulations that a contravention of the regulations shall be an offence punishable with penalties not exceeding a fine of $20,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.
(3) Regulations made under this section in relation to the supply or use of health products do not affect the supply or use of health products for veterinary purposes.
(4) Where any regulation expressly states that it is made pursuant to paragraph 1(l) of the Second Schedule to implement any specified international agreement to which Singapore is a party, that regulation has effect despite any rule of law to the contrary.
(5) All regulations made under this section must be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after publication in the Gazette.
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.
