Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill

In the Health Sciences Authority Act 2001 (called in this Part the HSA Act), in section 2, after the definition of “Chief Executive”, insert —“ “healthcare profession regulatory Act” means any of the following Acts:

the Allied Health Professions Act 2011;

the Dental Registration Act 1999;

the Medical Registration Act 1997;

the Nurses and Midwives Act 1999;

the Optometrists and Opticians Act 2007;

the Pharmacists Registration Act 2007;

the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act 2000;”.

In the HSA Act, in section 5, replace subsection (1) with —“(1) The Authority consists of at least 7 members, all of whom must be appointed by the Minister.”.

In the HSA Act, after section 5, insert —“Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson5A.—

The Minister may, by instrument in writing, appoint —

a member (other than the Chief Executive) to be the Chairperson of the Authority; and

one or more members (other than the Chairperson) to be a Deputy Chairperson or Deputy Chairpersons of the Authority.

The Chairperson or a Deputy Chairperson holds office until whichever of the following first happens:

his or her term of office as Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson (as the case may be) expires;

he or she ceases to hold office as a member of the Authority;

the Minister revokes his or her appointment as Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson, as the case may be.

A Deputy Chairperson may, subject to any direction given by the Chairperson, exercise any power or perform any function conferred on the Chairperson by or under this Act.”.

In the HSA Act, in section 9, replace subsection (1) with —“(1) The quorum for a meeting of the Authority is the higher of the following:

one‑third of the number of members;

3 members.

No business may be transacted at a meeting of the Authority if a quorum is not present.”.

In the HSA Act, in section 11 —

in subsection (1), after paragraph (a), insert —“(aa)to regulate the conduct of human biomedical research and human tissue activities;

to regulate the possession, use, import, transhipment, transfer and transportation of biological agents, inactivated biological agents and toxins;

to assist the Minister or Director‑General of Health (as the case may be) in relation to the administration or enforcement of the Acts specified in the First Schedule;”;

in subsection (1)(f), delete “and” at the end;

in subsection (1), after paragraph (f), insert —“(fa)to provide administrative services to any body (whether corporate or unincorporate) responsible for the regulation of persons under a healthcare profession regulatory Act; and”; and

after subsection (2), insert —“(2A) In addition to the functions conferred by this section, the Authority may undertake such other functions as the Minister may assign to the Authority, by notification in the Gazette, and in so undertaking —

the Authority is deemed to be fulfilling the purposes of this Act; and

the provisions of this Act apply to the Authority in respect of those other functions.”.

In the HSA Act, in section 12 —

in paragraph (f), after “commissions for”, insert “goods provided,”;

in paragraph (f), replace “by” with “or work performed by or on behalf of”;

in paragraph (f), replace “its” with “the Authority’s”; and

after paragraph (f), insert —“(fa)waive the payment of fees and charges payable to the Authority;”.

In the HSA Act, in Part 6, in the Part heading, after “EMPLOYEES”, insert “ON 1 APRIL 2001”.

In the HSA Act, after Part 6, insert —“PART 6ATRANSFER OF PROPERTY, ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND EMPLOYEES IN RELATION TO TRANSFERRING MOH FUNCTIONSInterpretation of this Part36A. In this Part —“agreement” includes an arrangement or undertaking;“asset”, in relation to the transferor, means property of any kind (whether tangible or intangible, whether arising from, accruing under, created or evidenced by or the subject of an instrument or otherwise, and whether actual or contingent) of the transferor on the eve of the first transfer date and includes, without limitation, any —

legal or equitable interest in real or personal property, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

chose in action;

money or securities;

plant and equipment, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

intellectual property;

infrastructure, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

records and information (including data) in any form; and

right;“first transfer date” means the date of commencement of section 9 of the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Act 2026;“liability”, in relation to the transferor, means any liability, duty or obligation (whether actual or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, and whether owed alone or jointly, or jointly and severally, with any other person) of the transferor on the eve of the first transfer date;“records”, in relation to the transferor, means registers, papers, documents, minutes, receipts, books of account and other records, however compiled, recorded or stored, of the transferor existing on the eve of the first transfer date;“right”, in relation to the transferor, means any right, power, privilege or immunity of the transferor on the eve of the first transfer date;“transferor” means the Government;“transferring MOH employee” means an employee of the Government who, on the eve of the first transfer date, is in any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Third Schedule;“transferring MOH functions” means the functions discharged by any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Third Schedule on the eve of the first transfer date.Transfer of undertakings to Authority36B.—

On the first transfer date, all assets and liabilities of the Government that relate solely to the transferring MOH functions are transferred to the Authority.

A certificate signed by the Minister certifying whether an asset or a liability specified in the certificate has been transferred to the Authority under subsection (1) is admissible in evidence in any proceedings as proof of the matters stated in the certificate.

When any asset or liability of the transferor is transferred to the Authority under subsection (1), the following provisions have effect:

the asset vests in the Authority without the need for any further conveyance, transfer, assignment or assurance;

the liability becomes the liability of the Authority;

all legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability that are pending immediately before the first transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) are taken to be proceedings pending by or against the Authority;

any legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability which could have been started immediately before the first transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) may be started by or against the Authority;

a judgment or an order of a court or other tribunal obtained before the first transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) relating to that asset or liability becomes enforceable by or against the Authority;

any document in any legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability that has been served on or by the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) before the first transfer date is taken, where appropriate, to have been served on or by the Authority;

any act, matter or thing done or omitted to be done before the first transfer date in relation to that asset or liability by, to or in respect of the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) is (to the extent to which that act, matter or thing has any force or effect) taken to have been done or omitted to be done by, to or in respect of the Authority;

a reference to the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) in any Act, any instrument made under any Act, any agreement or any document of any kind is taken to be or includes (to the extent to which the reference relates to that asset or liability) a reference to the Authority;

any agreement relating to that asset or liability and to which the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) is a party becomes enforceable by or against the Authority.

The operation of this section does not —

constitute a breach of, or default under, any Act or other law, or any agreement, or otherwise a civil wrong or criminal wrong;

constitute a breach of any duty of confidence (whether arising by contract, in equity, by custom, or in any other way);

constitute a breach of any contractual provision prohibiting, restricting or regulating the assignment or transfer of assets or liabilities or the disclosure of any information;

terminate an agreement or obligation, or fulfil any condition that allows a person to terminate or otherwise releases a person from any agreement or obligation, or give rise to any right or remedy in respect of any agreement or obligation;

cause any contract or other instrument to be void or otherwise unenforceable;

frustrate any contract;

release a surety or other obligor or obligee wholly or in part from an obligation; or

constitute an event of breach of, or default under, any contract or other instrument.

No attornment to the Authority by a lessee of the transferor is required.Transfer of employees and secondees to Authority36C.—

On the first transfer date, every transferring MOH employee —

stops being an employee of the Government; and

is each transferred to the service, and becomes an employee, of the Authority on terms no less favourable than those enjoyed by the employee on the eve of the first transfer date.

A certificate signed by the Minister certifying whether an individual named in the certificate has been transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) is admissible in evidence in any proceedings as proof of the matters stated in the certificate.

The transfer under subsection (1) of a transferring MOH employee to the service of the Authority —

does not interrupt continuity of that employee’s service;

does not constitute a retrenchment or redundancy of that employee’s employment by the Government; and

does not entitle that employee to any compensation or other payment or benefit merely because he or she stops being employed by the Government.

Nothing in this section prevents —

any of the terms and conditions of employment of an individual transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) from being altered by or under any law, award or agreement with effect from any time after the first transfer date; and

an individual transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) from resigning from that service any time after the first transfer date, in accordance with the terms and conditions of his or her employment then applicable.

To avoid doubt, section 18A of the Employment Act 1968 does not apply to the transfer under this Part of any transferring MOH employee to the service of the Authority.

On the first transfer date, every public officer seconded to any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Third Schedule under an arrangement made by the Government that is in force on the eve of the first transfer date, continues on secondment to the Authority.

On the first transfer date, every employee of a public body seconded to any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Third Schedule under an agreement or arrangement between the transferor and that public body that is in force on the eve of the first transfer date, continues on secondment to the Authority.General preservation of employment terms, etc.36D.—

When a transferring MOH employee is transferred to the service of the Authority under section 36C(1) (called in this section a transferred employee), the transferred employee’s service with the Authority must be regarded for all purposes as having been continuous with his or her service with the transferor immediately before the first transfer date.

On the first transfer date —

a transferred employee retains all accrued rights as if his or her employment with the Authority were a continuation of employment with the transferor;

the liabilities of the transferor relating to the transferred employee’s accrued rights to annual, sick, maternity or other leave and superannuation become the liabilities of the Authority; and

a reference to the transferor in the contract of employment that had effect in relation to the transferred employee immediately before the first transfer date is taken to be, or includes, a reference to the Authority.

Until the time the Authority draws up the terms and conditions of employment for the transferred employee, the Authority is to be regarded as employing the transferred employee on the same terms and conditions of his or her employment with the transferor on the eve of the first transfer date.

Any term or condition of employment drawn up by the Authority relating to the length of service of the transferred employee with the Authority must recognise the length of service of that employee with the transferor (including any previous service of that employee taken to be service with the transferor) to be service with the Authority.

For any conduct of the transferred employee when he or she was employed by the transferor which would have rendered that employee liable to be reprimanded, reduced in rank, retired, dismissed or punished by the transferor, the Authority may —

start any disciplinary proceedings against that employee;

carry on and complete any disciplinary proceedings started by the transferor against that employee if those proceedings are pending on the eve of the first transfer date; and

reprimand, reduce in rank, retire, dismiss or otherwise punish that employee as if that employee were not transferred.

Where, on the eve of the first transfer date, any matter about the conduct of the transferred employee during his or her employment with the transferor concerned —

was in the course of being heard or investigated by a committee of the transferor acting under due authority; or

had been heard or investigated, but no order, ruling or direction had been made, by that committee,that committee must complete the hearing or investigation and make such order, ruling or direction as it could have made under the authority vested in it before that date, and that order, ruling or direction is to be regarded as an order, ruling or direction of the Authority.Transfer of records36E. On the first transfer date, every record, or part of any record, of the transferor that relates to the following becomes the record of the Authority:

any asset or liability transferred to the Authority under section 36B(1);

any transferring MOH employee.”.

In the HSA Act, before Part 7, insert —“PART 6BTRANSFER OF PROPERTY, ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND EMPLOYEES IN RELATION TO TRANSFERRING ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FUNCTIONInterpretation of this Part36F. In this Part —“agreement” includes an arrangement or undertaking;“asset”, in relation to the transferor, means property of any kind (whether tangible or intangible, whether arising from, accruing under, created or evidenced by or the subject of an instrument or otherwise, and whether actual or contingent) of the transferor on the eve of the second transfer date and includes, without limitation, any —

legal or equitable interest in real or personal property, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

chose in action;

money or securities;

plant and equipment, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

intellectual property;

infrastructure, whether situated in or outside Singapore;

records and information (including data) in any form; and

right;“liability”, in relation to the transferor, means any liability, duty or obligation (whether actual or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, and whether owed alone or jointly, or jointly and severally, with any other person) of the transferor on the eve of the second transfer date;“records”, in relation to the transferor, means registers, papers, documents, minutes, receipts, books of account and other records, however compiled, recorded or stored, of the transferor existing on the eve of the second transfer date;“right”, in relation to the transferor, means any right, power, privilege or immunity of the transferor on the eve of the second transfer date;“second transfer date” means the date of commencement of section 10 of the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Act 2026;“transferor” means —

in relation to any asset, liability, employee or department of the Government — the Government; and

in relation to any asset, liability, employee or department of the Singapore Medical Council — the Singapore Medical Council mentioned in section 3 of the Medical Registration Act 1997;“transferring employee” means an employee of the Government or the Singapore Medical Council who, on the eve of the second transfer date, is in any of the departments of the Ministry of Health or the Singapore Medical Council (as the case may be) as specified in the Fourth Schedule;“transferring functions” means —

the function of providing administrative services to any body (whether corporate or unincorporate) responsible for the regulation of persons under a healthcare profession regulatory Act, discharged by the department of the Singapore Medical Council as specified in the Fourth Schedule on the eve of the second transfer date; and

any ancillary administrative support services provided by any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Fourth Schedule on the eve of the second transfer date to the department of the Singapore Medical Council specified in the Fourth Schedule.Transfer of undertakings to Authority36G.—

On the second transfer date, all assets and liabilities of the Government and the Singapore Medical Council that relate solely to the transferring functions are transferred to the Authority.

A certificate signed by the Minister certifying whether an asset or a liability specified in the certificate has been transferred to the Authority under subsection (1) is admissible in evidence in any proceedings as proof of the matters stated in the certificate.

When any asset or liability of the transferor is transferred to the Authority under subsection (1), the following provisions have effect:

the asset vests in the Authority without the need for any further conveyance, transfer, assignment or assurance;

the liability becomes the liability of the Authority;

all legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability that are pending immediately before the second transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) are taken to be proceedings pending by or against the Authority;

any legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability which could have been started immediately before the second transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) may be started by or against the Authority;

a judgment or an order of a court or other tribunal obtained before the second transfer date by or against the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) relating to that asset or liability becomes enforceable by or against the Authority;

any document in any legal or other proceedings relating to that asset or liability that has been served on or by the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) before the second transfer date is taken, where appropriate, to have been served on or by the Authority;

any act, matter or thing done or omitted to be done before the second transfer date in relation to that asset or liability by, to or in respect of the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) is (to the extent to which that act, matter or thing has any force or effect) taken to have been done or omitted to be done by, to or in respect of the Authority;

a reference to the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) in any Act, any instrument made under any Act, any agreement or any document of any kind is taken to be or includes (to the extent to which the reference relates to that asset or liability) a reference to the Authority;

any agreement relating to that asset or liability and to which the transferor (or a predecessor of the transferor) is a party becomes enforceable by or against the Authority.

The operation of this section does not —

constitute a breach of, or default under, any Act or other law, or any agreement, or otherwise a civil wrong or criminal wrong;

constitute a breach of any duty of confidence (whether arising by contract, in equity, by custom, or in any other way);

constitute a breach of any contractual provision prohibiting, restricting or regulating the assignment or transfer of assets or liabilities or the disclosure of any information;

terminate an agreement or obligation, or fulfil any condition that allows a person to terminate or otherwise releases a person from any agreement or obligation, or give rise to any right or remedy in respect of any agreement or obligation;

cause any contract or other instrument to be void or otherwise unenforceable;

frustrate any contract;

release a surety or other obligor or obligee wholly or in part from an obligation; or

constitute an event of breach of, or default under, any contract or other instrument.

No attornment to the Authority by a lessee of the transferor is required.Transfer of employees and secondees to Authority36H.—

On the second transfer date, every transferring employee —

stops being an employee of the Government or the Singapore Medical Council, as the case may be; and

is each transferred to the service, and becomes an employee, of the Authority on terms no less favourable than those enjoyed by the employee on the eve of the second transfer date.

A certificate signed by the Minister certifying whether an individual named in the certificate has been transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) is admissible in evidence in any proceedings as proof of the matters stated in the certificate.

The transfer under subsection (1) of a transferring employee to the service of the Authority —

does not interrupt continuity of that employee’s service;

does not constitute a retrenchment or redundancy of that employee’s employment by the Government or the Singapore Medical Council, as the case may be; and

does not entitle that employee to any compensation or other payment or benefit merely because he or she stops being employed by the Government or the Singapore Medical Council, as the case may be.

Nothing in this section prevents —

any of the terms and conditions of employment of an individual transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) from being altered by or under any law, award or agreement with effect from any time after the second transfer date; and

an individual transferred to the service of the Authority under subsection (1) from resigning from that service any time after the second transfer date, in accordance with the terms and conditions of his or her employment then applicable.

To avoid doubt, section 18A of the Employment Act 1968 does not apply to the transfer under this Part of any transferring employee to the service of the Authority.

On the second transfer date, every public officer seconded to any of the departments of the Ministry of Health as specified in the Fourth Schedule under an arrangement made by the Government that is in force on the eve of the second transfer date, continues on secondment to the Authority.

On the second transfer date, every public officer seconded to the department of the Singapore Medical Council as specified in the Fourth Schedule under an agreement or arrangement between the Government and the Singapore Medical Council that is in force on the eve of the second transfer date, continues on secondment to the Authority.

On the second transfer date, every employee of a public body seconded to any of the departments of the transferor as specified in the Fourth Schedule under an agreement or arrangement between the transferor and that public body that is in force on the eve of the second transfer date, continues on secondment to the Authority.General preservation of employment terms, etc.36I.—

When a transferring employee is transferred to the service of the Authority under section 36H(1) (called in this section a transferred employee), the transferred employee’s service with the Authority must be regarded for all purposes as having been continuous with his or her service with the transferor immediately before the second transfer date.

On the second transfer date —

a transferred employee retains all accrued rights as if his or her employment with the Authority were a continuation of employment with the transferor;

the liabilities of the transferor relating to the transferred employee’s accrued rights to annual, sick, maternity or other leave and superannuation become the liabilities of the Authority; and

a reference to the transferor in the contract of employment that had effect in relation to the transferred employee immediately before the second transfer date is taken to be, or includes, a reference to the Authority.

Until the time the Authority draws up the terms and conditions of employment for the transferred employee, the Authority is to be regarded as employing the transferred employee on the same terms and conditions of his or her employment with the transferor on the eve of the second transfer date.

Any term or condition of employment drawn up by the Authority relating to the length of service of the transferred employee with the Authority must recognise the length of service of that employee with the transferor (including any previous service of that employee taken to be service with the transferor) to be service with the Authority.

For any conduct of the transferred employee when he or she was employed by the transferor which would have rendered that employee liable to be reprimanded, reduced in rank, retired, dismissed or punished by the transferor, the Authority may —

start any disciplinary proceedings against that employee;

carry on and complete any disciplinary proceedings started by the transferor against that employee if those proceedings are pending on the eve of the second transfer date; and

reprimand, reduce in rank, retire, dismiss or otherwise punish that employee as if that employee were not transferred.

Where, on the eve of the second transfer date, any matter about the conduct of the transferred employee during his or her employment with the transferor concerned —

was in the course of being heard or investigated by a committee of the transferor acting under due authority; or

had been heard or investigated, but no order, ruling or direction had been made, by that committee,that committee must complete the hearing or investigation and make such order, ruling or direction as it could have made under the authority vested in it before that date, and that order, ruling or direction is to be regarded as an order, ruling or direction of the Authority.Transfer of records36J. On the second transfer date, every record, or part of any record, of the transferor that relates to the following becomes the record of the Authority:

any asset or liability transferred to the Authority under section 36G(1);

any transferring employee.”.

In the HSA Act, after section 40, insert —“Amendment of First Schedule40A.—

The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, amend the First Schedule.

The Minister may, in an order under subsection (1), make provisions of a saving or transitional nature consequent on the enactment of the order that the Minister may consider necessary or expedient.”.

In the HSA Act, in section 42, after “specified in the”, insert “Second or Third”.

In the HSA Act, in section 42, replace “or Third” with “, Third or Fourth”.

In the HSA Act, after section 42, insert —“FIRST SCHEDULESections 11(1)(ac) and 40A(1)Specified acts1.CareShield Life and Long‑Term Care Act 20192.Geneva Conventions Act 19733.Healthcare Services Act 20204.Human Cloning and Other Prohibited Practices Act 20045.Human Organ Transplant Act 19876.Infectious Diseases Act 19767.Medical and Elderly Care Endowment Schemes Act 20008.MediShield Life Scheme Act 20159.National Registry of Diseases Act 200710.Termination of Pregnancy Act 197411.Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974”.

In the HSA Act, rename the Schedule as the Second Schedule.

In the HSA Act, after the Second Schedule (as renamed by section 14), insert —“THIRD SCHEDULESections 36A, 36C(6) and (7) and 42Transferring departments of Ministry of Health1.Regulatory Compliance Division2.Regulatory Transformation Division3.Surveillance and Enforcement Division”.

In the HSA Act, after the Third Schedule (as inserted by section 15), insert —“FOURTH SCHEDULESections 36F, 36H(6), (7) and (8) and 42TRANSFERRING DEPARTMENTS OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH1.Finance Shared Services2.Human Resource Shared ServicesTRANSFERRING DEPARTMENT OF SINGAPORE MEDICAL COUNCIL1.Secretariat of healthcare Professional Boards”.

In the HSA Act, in the following provisions, replace “Schedule” with “Second Schedule”: Section 30(1) Section 31(1) Section 34 Section 35(4).