§ 57 — Regulations

57.—(1) The Minister may make regulations for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.(2) In particular, the Minister may make regulations for any of the following:(a)

the duties and responsibilities of licensees;

(aa)

the service delivery modes or the types of premises or conveyances that are not permitted for the provision of a licensable healthcare service or specified service;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(ab)

the requirements that apply to the provision of any licensable healthcare service at any permanent premises, using any conveyance or by any other service delivery mode;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(ac)

the prerequisites for applying for an approval under section 11C;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(b)

the form and manner in which an application for or in relation to any licence or approval under this Act may be made, and the information and documents required to be provided in connection with such an application;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(c)

the fees to be paid in respect of applications for and the grant (including the late renewal) of any licence or approval, and otherwise in connection with the administration of this Act, and the waiver, reduction or refund of fees charged;

(d)

the records of patients, customers and staff that licensees must keep and maintain and the provision of returns and other information with respect to the provision of licensable healthcare services;

(e)

the requirements as to the number and qualifications of nursing and other staff to be employed by licensees;

(f)

the apparatus, appliances, equipment and instruments to be provided and maintained by licensees;

(g)

the requirements as to the emergency ambulances and medical transports used by licensees for the provision of licensable healthcare services, and the apparatus, appliances, equipment and instruments the emergency ambulances and medical transports are equipped with;

(h)

the minimum standards of accommodation, sanitisation and other amenities to be provided by licensees;

(i)

the standards of cleanliness and hygiene to be observed, and infection control measures to be undertaken, by licensees;

(j)

the safety and welfare of patients and customers of licensees, and the quality of care and continuity of care to be provided by licensees for their patients and customers;

(k)

the management, control, superintendence and care of the facilities and services provided by licensees;

(l)

the skills, competencies, functions and duties of the key appointment holders of licensees;

(m)

the minimum qualifications, functions, duties and responsibilities of the Principal Officer and Clinical Governance Officers of licensees;

(n)

the specified committees that section 25 licensees are required to appoint, including —(i)

the functions and duties of any specified committee;

(ii)

the licensable healthcare services, or the programmes or activities relating to the provision of any licensable healthcare service, for which any specified committee is appointed; and

(iii)

the composition and procedures of and responsibilities that apply to any specified committee, including —(A)

the disclosure and treatment of conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest of a member of that committee;

(B)

the appointment of any person to oversee or supervise the activities of that committee in the performance of that committee’s functions and duties; and

(C)

the keeping and maintenance of records, for the period and in the manner prescribed, relating to any activity, finding or recommendation of that committee, and the implementation of any such recommendation by the section 25 licensee that appointed that committee;

(o)

the duties of section 25 licensees in relation to any recommendations of any specified committee appointed by those licensees, including the taking of any corrective actions to implement those recommendations and the keeping and maintenance of records relating to those corrective actions;

(p)

the records in relation to any matter that is relevant to monitoring or evaluating any aspect of any licensable healthcare service or the provision of any licensable healthcare service, including the safeguards that licensees must implement to protect those records, and any computer system used to keep and maintain those records, against —(i)

accidental or unlawful loss, modification or destruction; and

(ii)

unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification;

(q)

the service standards and other requirements or conditions that apply to the provision of licensable healthcare services;

(r)

the measures licensees must take to promote or facilitate price transparency for patients and customers, including requirements for bill itemisation, financial counselling and display of fees chargeable;

(s)

the requirements for advertisements of licensable healthcare services relating to the media those advertisements appear in, and the content and form of those advertisements;

(t)

the manner in which appeals may be made to the Minister under this Act and the procedure for those appeals;

(u)

all matters and things required or permitted to be prescribed under or for the purposes of this Act.

(3) The regulations made under this section may —(a)

prescribe different requirements for different licensable healthcare services;

(aa)

prescribe different requirements for different service delivery modes;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(b)

prescribe different fees for different licensable healthcare services;

(c)

prescribe for different section 25 licensees to appoint different specified committees;

(d)

prescribe the offences under this Act that may be compounded; and

(e)

provide that any contravention of any provision of the regulations shall be an offence punishable with a fine not exceeding $20,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or with both and, in the case of a continuing offence, with a further fine not exceeding $1,000 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.

—(1) The Minister may make regulations for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.

(2) In particular, the Minister may make regulations for any of the following:(a)

the duties and responsibilities of licensees;

(aa)

the service delivery modes or the types of premises or conveyances that are not permitted for the provision of a licensable healthcare service or specified service;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(ab)

the requirements that apply to the provision of any licensable healthcare service at any permanent premises, using any conveyance or by any other service delivery mode;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(ac)

the prerequisites for applying for an approval under section 11C;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(b)

the form and manner in which an application for or in relation to any licence or approval under this Act may be made, and the information and documents required to be provided in connection with such an application;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(c)

the fees to be paid in respect of applications for and the grant (including the late renewal) of any licence or approval, and otherwise in connection with the administration of this Act, and the waiver, reduction or refund of fees charged;

(d)

the records of patients, customers and staff that licensees must keep and maintain and the provision of returns and other information with respect to the provision of licensable healthcare services;

(e)

the requirements as to the number and qualifications of nursing and other staff to be employed by licensees;

(f)

the apparatus, appliances, equipment and instruments to be provided and maintained by licensees;

(g)

the requirements as to the emergency ambulances and medical transports used by licensees for the provision of licensable healthcare services, and the apparatus, appliances, equipment and instruments the emergency ambulances and medical transports are equipped with;

(h)

the minimum standards of accommodation, sanitisation and other amenities to be provided by licensees;

(i)

the standards of cleanliness and hygiene to be observed, and infection control measures to be undertaken, by licensees;

(j)

the safety and welfare of patients and customers of licensees, and the quality of care and continuity of care to be provided by licensees for their patients and customers;

(k)

the management, control, superintendence and care of the facilities and services provided by licensees;

(l)

the skills, competencies, functions and duties of the key appointment holders of licensees;

(m)

the minimum qualifications, functions, duties and responsibilities of the Principal Officer and Clinical Governance Officers of licensees;

(n)

the specified committees that section 25 licensees are required to appoint, including —(i)

the functions and duties of any specified committee;

(ii)

the licensable healthcare services, or the programmes or activities relating to the provision of any licensable healthcare service, for which any specified committee is appointed; and

(iii)

the composition and procedures of and responsibilities that apply to any specified committee, including —(A)

the disclosure and treatment of conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest of a member of that committee;

(B)

the appointment of any person to oversee or supervise the activities of that committee in the performance of that committee’s functions and duties; and

(C)

the keeping and maintenance of records, for the period and in the manner prescribed, relating to any activity, finding or recommendation of that committee, and the implementation of any such recommendation by the section 25 licensee that appointed that committee;

(o)

the duties of section 25 licensees in relation to any recommendations of any specified committee appointed by those licensees, including the taking of any corrective actions to implement those recommendations and the keeping and maintenance of records relating to those corrective actions;

(p)

the records in relation to any matter that is relevant to monitoring or evaluating any aspect of any licensable healthcare service or the provision of any licensable healthcare service, including the safeguards that licensees must implement to protect those records, and any computer system used to keep and maintain those records, against —(i)

accidental or unlawful loss, modification or destruction; and

(ii)

unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification;

(q)

the service standards and other requirements or conditions that apply to the provision of licensable healthcare services;

(r)

the measures licensees must take to promote or facilitate price transparency for patients and customers, including requirements for bill itemisation, financial counselling and display of fees chargeable;

(s)

the requirements for advertisements of licensable healthcare services relating to the media those advertisements appear in, and the content and form of those advertisements;

(t)

the manner in which appeals may be made to the Minister under this Act and the procedure for those appeals;

(u)

all matters and things required or permitted to be prescribed under or for the purposes of this Act.

(3) The regulations made under this section may —(a)

prescribe different requirements for different licensable healthcare services;

(aa)

prescribe different requirements for different service delivery modes;[Act 11 of 2023 wef 26/06/2023]

(b)

prescribe different fees for different licensable healthcare services;

(c)

prescribe for different section 25 licensees to appoint different specified committees;

(d)

prescribe the offences under this Act that may be compounded; and

(e)

provide that any contravention of any provision of the regulations shall be an offence punishable with a fine not exceeding $20,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or with both and, in the case of a continuing offence, with a further fine not exceeding $1,000 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.