Singapore legislation
Regulation 17
of Healthcare Services (Acute Hospital Service) Regulations 2023
Regulation 17
Anaesthesia service
Subregulation 1
A licensee must ensure that the administration of any anaesthetic to cause deep sedation, general anaesthesia or neuraxial anaesthesia in a patient is only performed by an anaesthesiologist or another medical practitioner or dentist under the supervision of an anaesthesiologist.
Subregulation 2
A licensee must —
either —
ensure that sufficient supplies of anaesthetic, anaesthetic delivery equipment and patient monitoring devices are kept and maintained at every approved permanent premises; or
establish, implement and regularly review processes to ensure that the licensee may obtain the supplies mentioned in sub‑paragraph (i) at any time;
establish, implement and regularly review processes and procedures to determine whether a particular anaesthetic is suitable to be administered on a patient;
before administering any type of anaesthetic to cause any anaesthesia in a patient, properly inform the patient of the risks and benefits of, and (if any) the alternatives to, the anaesthesia;
having satisfied the condition mentioned in sub‑paragraph (c) in respect of a patient, keep and maintain proper and accurate records of this fact;
where any anaesthetic is administered to a patient for the purpose of conducting a surgical or any other bodily invasive procedure on the patient — ensure that the patient is regularly monitored throughout the procedure by the person who administered the anaesthetic, using the appropriate patient monitoring device; and
establish, implement and regularly review processes and procedures to ensure the continued monitoring and care of the patient mentioned in sub‑paragraph (e) after completion of the procedure mentioned in that sub‑paragraph.
Subregulation 3
In this regulation —
Definition
“anaesthesiologist” means a medical practitioner who is registered under section 22 of the Medical Registration Act 1997 as a specialist in the branch of anaesthesiology;
Definition
“deep sedation” means a drug‑induced depression of a patient’s consciousness —
during which the patient cannot be easily aroused but will respond purposefully following repeated or painful stimulation;
where the patient’s ability to independently maintain ventilatory function may be impaired;
where the patient may require assistance in maintaining a patent airway and spontaneous ventilation may be inadequate; and
where the patient’s cardiovascular function is usually maintained;
Definition
“general anaesthesia” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
Definition
“neuraxial anaesthesia” means the anaesthesia that is caused in a patient by the administration of an anaesthetic around the nerves of the central nervous system of the patient.