Singapore Medical Association withdraws guidelines on fees
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 April 2007 2338 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Doctors now have more flexibility to adjust their fees, following a decision by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) to withdraw its guidelines on fees, as of 1 April.

In a letter to its members on Monday, the SMA said it had been advised by its legal advisors that its fee guidelines contravened the competition act (Sect 34(2) (a) of the Competition Act).

But the SMA has also urged its members not to vary pricing drastically.

This is so that there will not be unnecessary increases in healthcare costs.

The SMA added that charges levied by doctors should be "appropriate and within reasonable limits".

The Association also highlighted that under the "Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act and Regulations", doctors would have to advise their patients, before consultation, on charges that were likely to be incurred for consultation, investigation and treatment.

SMA will be conducting a survey later this year to find out the prices of the various charges in primary care clinics. - CNA/ms