On 22/05/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 22/05/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 22/05/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 31/07/2004.
PART IV
REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS
18.
—(1) For the purposes of this Act, there shall be a Registrar of the Medical Council.
(2) The Director of Medical Services shall be the Registrar of the Medical Council.
(3) The Minister may appoint a person to act as Registrar during the absence from Singapore or incapacity from illness or otherwise of the Registrar.
19.
—(1) The Registrar shall maintain and keep the following registers:
(a)
a register to be called “The Register of Medical Practitioners” containing —
(i)
in Part I of the Register, the names of persons registered as fully registered medical practitioners under section 20(1) and (2); and
(ii)
in Part II of the Register, the names of persons registered as medical practitioners with conditional registration;
(b)
a register to be called “The Register of Specialists” containing the names of persons registered as specialists under section 22;
(c)
a register to be called “The Register of Temporarily Registered Medical Practitioners” containing the names of persons who are registered temporarily as medical practitioners under section 23; and
(d)
a register to be called “The Register of Provisionally Registered Medical Practitioners” containing the names of persons registered provisionally under section 24.
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(2) Each register shall contain —
(a)
the names and addresses of the persons registered;
(b)
the dates of the registration of the persons;
(c)
the qualifications by virtue of which the persons are so registered and the dates they obtained such qualifications; and
(d)
such other particulars as the Medical Council may determine for that register.
(3) The Registrar shall be responsible for the maintenance and custody of the registers.
(4) Every person whose name is entered in any of the registers shall inform the Registrar in writing of any change in his practice address or residential address within 28 days thereof, except that a person who makes a report of a change in his residential address under section 8 of the National Registration Act (Cap. 201) shall be deemed to have complied with this subsection on the date on which he makes the report.
(5) The Registrar may disclose any information in the registers to any person prescribed by regulations made under this Act, if such disclosure is in accordance with such conditions as may be specified in those regulations.
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(6) Subsection (5) is without prejudice to any other right or duty to disclose the information under general or written law.
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20.
—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who holds a Singapore degree and a certificate of experience shall be entitled to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner in Part I of the Register of Medical Practitioners.
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(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a person, not being a Singapore degree holder, who holds such qualifications as may be recognised by the Medical Council , complies with section 26 and satisfies the Medical Council that he has special knowledge and skill and sufficient experience in any particular branch of medicine shall, if the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct, be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner.
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(3) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), the Medical Council may, if it is of the view that it is not in the public interest for a person referred to in either of those subsections to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner, direct that he be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners, and section 21(4) to (9) shall apply accordingly.
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21.
—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who —
(a)
holds a degree from a university specified in the Schedule or any other degree which is, in the opinion of the Medical Council, not lower in standing than a degree specified in the Schedule;
(b)
has been selected for employment in Singapore as a medical practitioner in hospitals or other institutions or medical practice approved by the Medical Council;
(c)
satisfies the Medical Council that he has the knowledge and skill and has acquired the experience which is necessary for practice as a medical practitioner; and
(d)
complies with section 26,
shall, if the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct , be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners.
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(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who holds —
(a)
a Singapore degree; and
(b)
a certificate approved by the Medical Council as being equivalent to a certificate of experience and granted by a hospital or an institution outside Singapore that is recognised by the Medical Council for the purpose of this paragraph,
shall be entitled to be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners .
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(3) The Medical Council may require a person with a degree, other than a degree specified in the Schedule, to undergo and pass an examination conducted or arranged by the Medical Council or by such other person or persons as the Medical Council may appoint to satisfy itself that the degree is not lower in standing than a degree specified in the Schedule.
(4) The conditions of a person’s registration under this section shall be specified in the direction by virtue of which he is registered.
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(5) Without prejudice to the power of the Medical Council to impose conditions, the direction may specify —
(a)
that the person shall work for a specified period under the supervision of a fully registered medical practitioner approved by the Medical Council; and
(b)
the particular employment or the descriptions of employment for the purposes of which he is registered under this section.
(6) The Medical Council may cancel the conditional registration of a medical practitioner if —
(a)
the medical practitioner fails to comply with any of the conditions specified in the direction by virtue of which he is registered; or
(b)
the Medical Council is of the opinion, having regard to the report of the medical practitioner supervising him, if any, that he is unable to perform the duties of a medical practitioner satisfactorily.
(7) A person who is or has been registered with conditional registration may, after the expiration of the period of supervision specified under subsection (5)(a), apply to the Medical Council to be registered as a fully registered medical practitioner.
(8) If the Medical Council thinks fit so to direct, having regard to the knowledge and skill shown and the experience acquired by the applicant referred to in subsection (7), he shall be registered under section 20 as a fully registered medical practitioner.
(9) On a medical practitioner with conditional registration becoming registered otherwise than conditionally or on his registration being cancelled under subsection (6), his name shall be removed from Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners.
22.
—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person who —
(a)
holds such postgraduate degrees or qualifications;
(b)
has gained such special knowledge of and skill and experience in a particular branch or branches of medicine; or
(c)
has both such postgraduate degrees or qualifications and experience,
may apply to the Medical Council to be registered as a specialist in that branch or branches of medicine in the Register of Specialists.
(2) The Medical Council shall not register any person under subsection (1) as a specialist unless the person has obtained a certificate from the Specialists Accreditation Board under section 35.
(3) The Medical Council may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations for all or any of the following purposes:
(a)
providing for the registration of specialists in any branch of medicine;
(b)
regulating the recording in, removal from, and restoration to the Register of Specialists of the names, particulars and qualifications of persons so registered;
(c)
providing for appeals by medical practitioners against any refusal of the Medical Council to register them in the Register of Specialists or to restore their names to that Register or against any decision of the Medical Council to remove their names from that Register; and
(d)
prescribing the fees payable in respect of —
(i)
any application for registration as a specialist;
(ii)
any such registration as a specialist;
(iii)
any restoration of names to the Register of Specialists; and
(iv)
any appeal.
23.
—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any person —
(a)
who is in Singapore for the purpose of teaching, research or postgraduate study in medicine under such training scheme as may be approved by the Minister in any institution recognised, from time to time, by the Medical Council for that purpose;
(b)
who possesses medical knowledge, experience and skill which the Medical Council considers to be of international standing or are such as to have special value to the people of Singapore; or
(c)
who is not otherwise entitled to be registered as a medical practitioner under this Act but who, in the opinion of the Medical Council, possesses other qualifications which are adequate for the purposes of registration under this Act,
and who, if he has a degree other than a Singapore degree, complies with section 26, may be registered temporarily as a medical practitioner in the Register of Temporarily Registered Medical Practitioners for so long as he continues to engage himself exclusively in teaching, research or postgraduate study in medicine under such approved training scheme or in such medical capacity as the Medical Council may specify.
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(2) Any registration under subsection (1) shall be for a period not exceeding 2 years which may be renewed, at the discretion of the Medical Council, for a further period or periods each not exceeding 12 months.
(3) A person may be registered under subsection (1) subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Medical Council may impose.
24.
—(1) This section shall have effect for enabling persons desirous of obtaining certificates of experience to be employed as mentioned in section 25(1).
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(2) Any person who, apart from any requirement as to experience, would have the qualifications for registration under this Act may be provisionally registered if he produces evidence satisfactory to the Registrar that he has been selected for such employment as is mentioned in section 25(1).
(3) Any person who is provisionally registered shall be registered in the Register of Provisionally Registered Medical Practitioners and on a person becoming registered otherwise than provisionally his name shall be removed from such register.
25.
—(1) A certificate of experience shall not be granted in respect of any person unless he has been engaged in employment as a house officer or in such other similar capacity as may be approved by the Medical Council (referred to in this section as the approved capacity) in one or more hospitals or institutions in Singapore approved by the Medical Council for a prescribed period.
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(2) A person who has been employed as mentioned in subsection (1) may apply for a certificate of experience to the certifying authority, and if the certifying authority is satisfied —
(a)
that during the time the applicant has been so employed he has been engaged for such period or minimum period as may be prescribed in medicine, in surgery and in an approved capacity; and
(b)
that his service while so employed has been satisfactory,
the certifying authority shall grant, in such form as may be prescribed, a certificate of experience that it is so satisfied.
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(3) In subsection (2), “certifying authority” means the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of Singapore or such other person as may be prescribed.
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26. A person applying for registration by virtue of a degree, other than a Singapore degree, shall satisfy the Medical Council that he has —
(a)
a certificate of experience, or a certificate approved by the Medical Council as being equivalent to a certificate of experience and granted by a hospital or an institution outside Singapore that is recognised by the Medical Council for the purpose of this paragraph; or
(b)
rendered satisfactory service in any appointment which, in the opinion of the Medical Council, confers experience of the practice of medicine not less extensive than that required for a certificate of experience.
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27.
—(1) No qualification shall be entered on a register unless the Registrar is satisfied by such evidence as he may consider proper that the person claiming the qualification is entitled thereto.
(2) Every person registered under this Act, who obtains any qualification in addition to the qualification by virtue of which he has been registered, may apply to the Medical Council to have that additional qualification inserted in a register.
(3) The Medical Council shall have power to decide what additional qualifications may be entered in a register.
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28.
—(1) Every application for registration under this Act shall be made to the Medical Council in such manner or form and shall be accompanied by such documents and particulars as the Medical Council may require.
(2) An application under subsection (1) shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee.
(3) The Medical Council may refuse to register any applicant who, in the opinion of the Medical Council —
(a)
is not qualified to be registered;
(b)
is not of good reputation and character; or
(c)
has had his name removed from a register of medical practitioners in any country the degrees or licences in medicine of which are recognised as a qualification entitling the holder thereof to be registered under this Act.
(4) Where the Medical Council refuses to register an applicant, the Medical Council shall by notice in writing inform the applicant of such refusal.
(5) Any person who is aggrieved by any refusal of the Medical Council under subsection (3) may, within one month of the notice given under subsection (4), appeal to the Minister whose decision shall be final.
(6) The Registrar shall enter the name of a registered medical practitioner in the appropriate register.
(7) Every registered medical practitioner shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, be entitled to receive a certificate of registration.
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29.
—(1) There shall be a committee to be known as the Credentials Committee, consisting of not less than 3 members of the Medical Council to be appointed by the Medical Council, to scrutinise all applications for registration other than applications for registration as specialists.
(2) The term of office of the members of the Credentials Committee and the quorum of the Committee shall be determined by the Medical Council.
(3) The Credentials Committee may interview the applicants and make such enquiries or do anything which the Committee may think necessary or expedient for discharging its functions under this Act.
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30.
—(1) The Registrar shall, from time to time, prepare and publish in the Gazette a list of the names, addresses, qualifications and dates of qualifications of all registered medical practitioners who have in force a practising certificate.
(2) The Medical Council may, if it thinks fit, direct the Registrar to prepare and publish for sale, at such intervals as the Medical Council may direct, publications of the names, addresses, qualifications and dates of qualifications of all medical practitioners who are registered in the registers referred to in section 19(1)(a), (b) and (d) and who have in force a practising certificate.
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31. The Registrar shall —
(a)
insert in a register any alteration which may come to his knowledge in the name or address of any person registered under this Act;
(b)
insert in a register such alterations in the qualifications, additional qualifications and other particulars in the register as are required to be altered under this Act;
(c)
correct any error in any entry in a register;
(d)
remove from a register the name of any person whose name is ordered to be removed under this Act;
(e)
remove from a register the name of any person who is deceased;
(f)
remove from a register the name of any person who has not renewed his practising certificate for a continuous period of not less than 5 years, and who cannot be contacted or sent any document using his particulars in the register; and
32.
—(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act, the Medical Council may, upon such evidence as it may require, order the removal from the appropriate register the name of a registered medical practitioner under any of the following circumstances:
(a)
if he has been registered with conditional registration and has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council;
(b)
if he has been temporarily registered under section 23 and has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council;
(c)
if he has been registered in the Register of Specialists and his name has been removed from the register kept under section 19(1)(a) or has contravened or failed to comply with any condition or restriction imposed by the Medical Council under section 22;
(d)
if he has obtained registration fraudulently or by incorrect statement;
(e)
if his degree for registration under this Act has been withdrawn or cancelled by the authority through which it was acquired or by which it was awarded;
(f)
if he has had his registration in any other country withdrawn, suspended or cancelled by the authority which registered him; or
(g)
if he has failed to serve the Government or such other body or organisation as directed by the Government for such period as may be specified in any undertaking given by him to the Government.
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(2) The Medical Council shall, before exercising its powers under subsection (1), notify the registered medical practitioner concerned of its intention to take such action and shall give the registered medical practitioner an opportunity to submit reasons why his name should not be removed.
(3) Any person who is aggrieved by any order of the Medical Council under subsection (1) may, within 30 days of being notified of the order, appeal to the Minister whose decision shall be final.
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33.
—(1) Where the name of a person has been removed from a register under section 31(f) or 32(1)(a), (b), (c) or (g), the Medical Council may, upon application by the person, if it thinks fit direct —
(a) that his name be restored to the register; or
(b) that he be registered as a medical practitioner with conditional registration in Part II of the Register of Medical Practitioners, and section 21(4) to (9) shall apply accordingly.
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(2) No application under subsection (1) shall be made to the Medical Council more than once in any period of 6 months by or on behalf of the medical practitioner.
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(3) No application under subsection (1) shall be made to the Medical Council by or on behalf of the medical practitioner unless the medical practitioner has complied with all the terms of the order made against him under section 32(1), where applicable.
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