Consultation with MOH on proposed regulations for healthcare services
On 22 January 2019, SMA President Dr Lee Yik Voon participated in a consultation session with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on proposed regulations under the upcoming Healthcare Services Bill, which will replace the current Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (PHMC) Act.
SMA provided MOH with input and requested for clarification on compliance. The consultation session was fruitful and we look forward to reviewing the amended document.
SMACF thank you dinner
SMA held an appreciation dinner for SMA Charity Fund (SMACF) board members and deans/vice-deans of the three medical schools on 8 January 2019 for their unwavering support of the SMACF and its initiatives. SMACF was set up to provide financial support for needy medical students, helping to offset costs of medical education, living expenses and overseas academic conferences. In 2018, SMACF garnered $343,897 in donations. Since 2013, we have disbursed a total of $1.26 million to 252 students across the three medical schools. We would like to thank all donors for their generous donations. We would also like to appeal to our Members to continue supporting the SMACF. Donations can be made online at https://www.giving.sg/smacf. You may also contact smacharity@ sma.org.sg for more information.
SMC Sentencing Guidelines Committee
The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) has set up a Sentencing Guidelines Committee to develop a framework to guide the Disciplinary Tribunals on the appropriate sanctions for matters referred to them.
SMA's representative to the Sentencing Guidelines Committee is Dr Wong Chiang Yin, who is currently an SMA Council Member and a past President of SMA.
More details can be found here: http://bit.ly/2Sj0OPB.
SMC Disciplinary Tribunal Inquiry for Dr Soo Shuenn Chiang
Following the release of the Grounds of Decision, SMA wrote a letter to the Straits Times Forum, which was published on 11 March 2019. The letter highlighted our concerns over the severe penalty despite the mitigating factors relating to the case, the challenges of identity authentication and the resulting erosion of trust in the patient-doctor relationship. SMA also wrote to SMC on 11 March 2019, seeking advice on the steps needed to verify the identity of patients, relatives and other healthcare professionals in non-face-to-face communications. We will continue to provide updates to Members via our Facebook group/website when they are available.
To view the letter published on the Straits Times Forum, visit http://bit.ly/2VOzPh8. For the reply from the SMC, please go to http://bit.ly/2CdidUz.
New advertising regulations for hospitals and clinics
MOH has reviewed the PHMC (Publicity) Regulations, which is the current principal legislation governing all publicity conducted by private hospitals, medical/dental clinics, clinical laboratories and nursing homes licensed under the PHMC Act in Singapore.
The PHMC (Publicity) Regulations will be replaced by the PHMC (Advertisement) Regulations (the "Advertisement Regulations"), which will take effect from 15 April 2019.
The new advertising regulations and explanatory guidance can be found here: http://bit.ly/2tCjTSR.