On 26/05/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 26/05/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 26/05/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 15/04/2011.
PART II
PRIVATE HOSPITALS
13. A licence for a private hospital may only be issued to the owner, or the person having the management or control, of a private hospital.
[S 308/2008 wef 01/07/2008]
14. A licensee of a maternity home shall not permit any abnormal delivery to be conducted or any operation to be performed on any person at its premises except in an emergency or life threatening situation.
15.
—(1) Where any private hospital (not being a nursing home or maternity home) intends to increase the number of its beds exceeding 10% of the maximum number of beds for which it is licensed, it shall obtain the prior written approval of the Director.
(2) The number of beds in a maternity home or a nursing home shall not be increased in excess of the maximum number of beds for which it is licensed unless the prior approval of the Director has been obtained.
(3) Every private hospital shall submit monthly to the Director in such form as he may direct, particulars of its bed utilisation.
16.
—(1) Where it is intended to carry out surgical or invasive procedures in a private hospital, an operation theatre shall be provided and properly equipped.
(2) All surgical operations or endoscopic procedures, other than those which would normally be carried out by a medical practitioner or a dentist in his consultation room, shall be performed in an operating theatre.
17.
—(1) A maternity, medical, surgical or children’s hospital or a hospital with any combination of these specialities shall have an intensive care unit.
(2) Every private hospital, other than a maternity home which provides obstetric services, shall have a neonatal intensive care unit or make adequate arrangements for neonatal intensive care services to be provided.
18.
—(1) Where a private hospital intends to perform any specialised procedure or service as specified in the Second Schedule, the licensee of the hospital shall obtain the prior approval of the Director in writing by making an application to the Director.
(2) The application referred to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the Director not less than 30 days before the intended commencement of the specialised procedure or service.
19.
—(1) Every private hospital shall have, in addition to normal electrical supply, emergency power and lighting in all patient care areas.
(2) Life support equipment shall be connected to emergency power at all times.
(3) Every private hospital shall have emergency water supply in its operating theatres, birthrooms and intensive care units.
20.
—(1) Where surgical or obstetric services are provided in a private hospital, there shall be an anaesthesia service.
(2) All general anaesthesia, spinal anaesthesia and epidural anaesthesia shall be provided only by an anaesthetist or a trained medical practitioner under the supervision of an anaesthetist.
21.
—(1) Every private hospital, other than a psychiatric hospital, convalescent hospital or nursing home, shall have an adequate supply of blood, including facilities for the proper storage and administration of blood and blood products, and such facilities shall be under the supervision of qualified personnel.
(2) In the case of a maternity home, it may either comply with paragraph (1) or ensure that blood shall be made available at the home within half an hour when it is required by any patient at the home.
22. The licensee of every private hospital, other than a maternity home, shall ensure that the private hospital employs, or makes arrangements with, a qualified dietician to supervise the dietary aspects of patient care and to ensure that proper dietary requirements are complied with.
[S 308/2008 wef 01/07/2008]
23. Every private hospital shall at all times be capable of instituting and making available essential life saving measures and implementing emergency procedures on any person.
24.
—(1) Every private hospital, other than a psychiatric hospital, convalescent hospital, maternity home or nursing home, shall have a laboratory service which shall be under the supervision of a qualified person and the laboratory shall comply with regulations 50 to 55.
(2) Any reference to a licensee of a clinical laboratory in regulations 50 to 55 shall include a licensee of a private hospital which has laboratory services.
(3) There shall be at least one medical technologist personally present and in attendance at all times in a private hospital.
25.
—(1) Every private hospital shall ensure that every medical practitioner who has been granted clinical privileges shall provide services only within the scope of the clinical privileges granted.
(2) The scope of individual clinical privileges granted by the hospital to any medical practitioner shall be within those areas of competence of the medical practitioner.
(3) Every private hospital shall ensure that every patient shall have an attending medical practitioner who shall have overall responsibility for the patient’s general medical condition.
(4) Every private hospital, other than a nursing home, with 50 or more beds shall have at least one medical practitioner on duty at all times.
(5) Every private hospital, other than a nursing home, with less than 50 beds shall have one medical practitioner available at its premises within half an hour of call.
(6) Every nursing home shall have one medical practitioner available at its premises within half an hour of call or shall make alternative arrangements to ensure that patients receive prompt and appropriate medical care.
(7) The licensee of a nursing home shall ensure that every patient in the nursing home is reviewed by a medical practitioner within 48 hours of admission thereto.
(8) Where, under paragraph (5) or (6), a resident medical practitioner is not provided, the patient must be informed before admission.
26.
—(1) Every private hospital shall have a nursing service which shall be under the supervision of a registered nurse and which shall comprise an adequate number of appropriately trained nurses or, in the case of a maternity hospital, an adequate number of appropriately trained nurses and midwives, to provide an acceptable standard of care to patients.
(2) All nurses and midwives employed in the nursing service of a private hospital shall be registered or enrolled under the Nurses and Midwives Act (Cap. 209).
27.
—(1) Every private hospital, other than a maternity home or a nursing home, shall have a pharmaceutical service under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.
(2) All personnel employed in the pharmaceutical service shall work under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacist.
(3) The supervising pharmacist shall be responsible for all activities including the preparation and dispensing of medicinal products and the maintenance of appropriate records.
28. Every private hospital shall ensure that all drugs, chemicals, biological and medicinal products shall comply with the requirements of any written law relating to such products.
29.
—(1) Every private hospital (other than a psychiatric hospital, convalescent hospital, maternity home or nursing home) shall have a radiology service which shall —
(a)
be under the supervision of a radiologist;
(b)
comply with regulations 50 to 55; and
(c)
have among its equipment a static X-ray machine and a mobile X-ray machine.
(2) All radiological examinations shall be conducted by a qualified radiographer or a qualified medical practitioner
(3) Where a private hospital is licensed as a psychiatric hospital or convalescent hospital, adequate arrangements shall be made for patients to have access to X-ray facilities.
30. Where a private hospital also provides within its premises —
(a)
services that are available for use by persons who are not inpatients of the hospital; or
(b)
services that are unrelated to the reception, lodging, treatment and care of persons who require medical treatment or suffer from any disease,
the licensee of the private hospital shall ensure that the privacy and safety of the inpatients of the private hospital are not compromised by its provision of such services.
31. [Deleted by S 831/2010 wef 02/01/2010 wef 02/01/2011]
32.
—(1) Every private hospital shall provide medical and surgical equipment, instruments, appliances and materials necessary for patient care which shall be adequate, functional and effective.
(2) Every private hospital, other than a maternity home or nursing home, shall have a complete set of resuscitation and monitoring equipment including a defibrillator in each intensive care unit, operating theatre complex and Accident and Emergency unit.
(3) All wards and special units in a private hospital referred to in paragraph (2) shall either be provided with similar equipment or there should be ready access to such equipment.
33.
—(1) Every private hospital shall have an Infection Control Programme with an appointed Infection Control Committee, documented infection control activities and written policies and guidelines to deal with any infection acquired or brought into the hospital.
(2) Every private hospital shall have isolation wards or facilities for persons found or suspected to be suffering from any infectious disease.
(3) Any room or equipment which has been used by a patient suffering or suspected to be suffering from any infectious disease shall not be used by any other patient until it is adequately disinfected.
(4) In this regulation, “infectious disease” means any of the diseases specified in the First Schedule to the Infectious Diseases Act (Cap. 137).
[S 233/2003 wef 30/04/2003]