Public can approach Health Sciences Authority with various health concerns as agency widens scope

SINGAPORE – As Singapore’s integrated health regulator, the beefed-up Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will build a system that protects patients and provides clarity to the healthcare industry and professionals, while enabling timely access to beneficial healthcare innovations.

This will bring value to various stakeholders, said Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament.

The Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill was passed on Sept 9, paving the way for a consolidation of health regulatory functions under the authority.

“Bringing these regulatory capabilities and expertise closer together will allow us to respond more coherently across the healthcare journey,” she said during the debate on the Bill.

Currently, the regulatory system spans three different agencies, she explained.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) regulates healthcare services, health information, human biomedical research and biosafety; HSA regulates health products such as medicines and medical devices; and the Secretariat of healthcare Professional Boards (SPB) supports the boards and councils that oversee the regulations of doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.

More than an organisational restructuring, the move is an opportunity to lay the foundation for a more future-ready system that protects patients while giving them timely access to beneficial healthcare innovations, Rahayu said.

For instance, members of the public can turn to HSA as their sole touchpoint for concerns related to medicine purchased, medical devices used in their care, or the healthcare service provider or professional caring for them.

And at a time when healthcare is evolving rapidly, there are new models of care and innovative technologies, such as digital health, genomics and artificial intelligence, which may span various regulatory domains, she pointed out.

AI has huge potential to improve patient care but its regulation cuts across multiple domains.

An integrated regulatory function under HSA would allow it to holistically consider the governance of AI, gives AI developers, healthcare institutions and users a single point of contact, and facilitates clearer and more consistent regulatory guidance for the safe and responsible adoption of AI, said Rahayu.

With visibility across the entire healthcare journey, HSA will be better placed to identify risks which cut across domains and take coordinated, decisive enforcement action when needed, which benefits the public and patients by ensuring their safety, she added.

HSA will also take over the role of MOH in investigating a clinic for the improper prescription of certain controlled medicines, and looking into the doctor’s professional conduct, beyond its current function of investigating the potential supply sources of controlled medicines.

MOH will continue to be responsible for stewarding Singapore’s healthcare system, including the national healthcare regulatory policies, to ensure that it remains safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable. HSA will execute the integrated regulatory functions to support the ministry, she explained.

The amendments will come into effect in two phases.

In November, MOH’s regulatory functions and manpower will be transferred to HSA, for it to take over the administration and regulation of Acts such as the Human Biomedical Research Act.

HSA officers will also be empowered to assist in the administering or enforcement of specified MOH Acts.

In the second phase of consolidation, SPB’s functions and manpower will be transferred by the end of 2027.

SPB currently supports professional boards and councils overseeing the regulation of various healthcare professionals, such as the Singapore Medical Council, which oversees doctors, and Singapore Dental Council, which oversees dentists.

The existing self-regulatory and disciplinary roles of these bodies remain unchanged.

Nominated MP Kuah Boon Theng, a medical law and ethics lawyer, sought assurance that the reorganisation would not result in any setbacks for SPB to clear the current backlog of complaints, as she noted there were old cases lodged well before 2020 yet to be cleared.

Kuah was one of the eight MPs and NMPs who spoke during the debate, all in support of the Bill.

In response, Rahayu said that ongoing proceedings will continue through the transition, supported by proper handover of records, case information and institutional knowledge.

She also pointed out that for complaints and disciplinary proceedings, the respective committees and tribunals must be given the space to conduct thorough and fair inquiries.

“Timeliness should not come at the expense of rigour, as disciplinary proceedings carry significant consequences for the professionals involved,” she added.

Rahayu also highlighted that the transfer of functions does not affect the independence and statutory autonomy of these professional bodies over healthcare professional matters, including professional standards and disciplinary decisions.

Responding to Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) and NMP Sanjeev Tiwari’s questions about staff impacted by the transition, Rahayu said officers would be transferred on terms which are not less favourable than what they currently enjoy.

She also said that MOH and HSA have engaged with affected staff and addressed their concerns, and will continue to support them, including through the provision of reskilling opportunities and on-the-job training for those whose job scope would change.

Against the backdrop of healthcare being reshaped by AI, genomics and new care models, “our regulatory system must be capable of evolving around it”, said Rahayu.

“This Bill is a key milestone, laying the foundation for a future-ready regulatory system trusted by the public and our stakeholders. I am confident this transformation will serve Singaporeans well,” she added.