Janil Puthucheary on Healthcare Services (Amendment) Bill
Future-proofing the regulation of health services, including new models of care which became staples during the COVID-19 pandemic; putting in place safeguards and clarity so that patients can make more informed choices; and enabling the Ministry of Health to address patient safety and welfare issues expeditiously - these are the aims of a Bill that was put up for debate in Parliament on Monday (Mar 6). The proposed amendments include a change to the advertising of healthcare services not licensed under the Healthcare Services Act. Non-licensees cannot claim to treat medical conditions or diseases when advertising healthcare services. Non-registered healthcare professionals who use “Dr” in their advertisements must make clear to the public what their qualifications are. Meanwhile, licensees cannot use terms associated with medical specialties in their business names if they do not employ any such specialist. An approval regime is also being proposed for the delivery of specified services such as liposuction, endoscopy or radiation oncology services. There would also be regulation of different modes of healthcare service delivery, ranging from “permanent premises” such as medical clinics and “temporary premises” including house calls or community screenings, to “conveyances” such as ambulances and dental screening buses as well as “remote”, referring to teleconsultations. The Ministry of Health also proposes refining the scope of employee background screening according to the degree of risk to patient safety and welfare. And it proposes that it should be allowed to take immediate action to protect public health and patient safety under exceptional circumstances. This involves removing the 14-day notice period to modify licence conditions for any class of licensees, so that new healthcare protocols can be expeditiously implemented.
Future-proofing the regulation of health services, including new models of care which became staples during the COVID-19 pandemic; putting in place safeguards and clarity so that patients can make more informed choices; and enabling the Ministry of Health to address patient safety and welfare issues expeditiously - these are the aims of a Bill that was put up for debate in Parliament on Monday (Mar 6). The proposed amendments include a change to the advertising of healthcare services not licensed under the Healthcare Services Act. Non-licensees cannot claim to treat medical conditions or diseases when advertising healthcare services. Non-registered healthcare professionals who use “Dr” in their advertisements must make clear to the public what their qualifications are. Meanwhile, licensees cannot use terms associated with medical specialties in their business names if they do not employ any such specialist. An approval regime is also being proposed for the delivery of specified services such as liposuction, endoscopy or radiation oncology services. There would also be regulation of different modes of healthcare service delivery, ranging from “permanent premises” such as medical clinics and “temporary premises” including house calls or community screenings, to “conveyances” such as ambulances and dental screening buses as well as “remote”, referring to teleconsultations. The Ministry of Health also proposes refining the scope of employee background screening according to the degree of risk to patient safety and welfare. And it proposes that it should be allowed to take immediate action to protect public health and patient safety under exceptional circumstances. This involves removing the 14-day notice period to modify licence conditions for any class of licensees, so that new healthcare protocols can be expeditiously implemented.
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