Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill

by deleting subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —“(1) The Medical Council shall consist of —

the Director of Medical Services;

one medical officer in the public service to be appointed by the President;

two registered medical practitioners to be appointed by the President on the nomination of the Council of the University of Singapore;

six registered medical practitioners resident in Singapore to be elected by the registered medical practitioners of Singapore; and

three registered medical practitioners resident in Singapore to be appointed by the Minister.”;

by deleting the expression “(c), (d), (e) and (f)” appearing in subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “(b), (c), (d) and (e)”;

by deleting subsection (3) thereof; and

by deleting the expression “(g)” appearing in subsection (4) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “(d)”.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the following persons shall be entitled to be registered under this Act: —

any person who holds a Singapore diploma;

any person holding any other degree, diploma or licence in medicine and surgery which was granted by any university, corporation, college or other body, outside Singapore, included in the Schedule to this Act but subject to the limitation appearing, where applicable, in column three thereof;

any person holding any other degree, diploma or licence granted by any university, corporation, college or other body outside Singapore which is not included in the Schedule to this Act whom the Minister may, after consulting the Medical Council, by order declare to be entitled to be registered under this Act, subject to such conditions and restrictions, as may be prescribed in such order.(2) Before advising the Minister under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section the Medical Council may satisfy itself, by such evidence as it may require, that the person holds a degree, diploma or licence that is not lower in standard than that required of a person who holds a Singapore diploma and, if the Medical Council is not so satisfied, it may require that person to undergo and to pass an examination conducted or arranged by the Medical Council, or by such other person or persons as it may for this purpose appoint.(3) Any person who is in Singapore for the purposes of teaching, research or postgraduate study in medicine or surgery under such training scheme as may be approved by the Minister in any institution recognised, from time to time, by the Medical Council for that purpose or any person who possesses medical or surgical knowledge, experience and skill which the Medical Council considers to be of international standing or are such as to have special value to the people of Singapore, or who, not having any of the qualifications mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, possesses other qualifications which, in the opinion of the Medical Council are adequate for purposes of registration under this Act, may have his name entered in the register for so long as he continues to engage himself exclusively in teaching or in research or in postgraduate study in medicine or surgery, as the case may be, under an approved training scheme or in such medical or surgical capacity as the Medical Council may specify:Provided that registration under this subsection shall be for a period not longer than two years which may be renewed, at the discretion of the Medical Council, for a further period or periods each not exceeding one year.(4) The entitlement of any person to be registered under subsection (3) of this section may be subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Medical Council may impose.(5) The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, after consulting the Medical Council, vary or amend the Schedule to this Act to include therein any medical qualification granted by any university, corporation, college or other body which he has decided should be recognised as entitling the holder to be registered under this Act.”.

by inserting immediately after the word “prescribed” appearing at the end of subsection (1) thereof the expression “or in such other capacity as the university or other corporation empowered to grant a Singapore diploma may approve (hereinafter referred to as “approved capacity”) and for such period as may be prescribed”;

by inserting immediately after the word “surgery” appearing in the last line of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) thereof the words “and for such period or minimum period as may be prescribed in an approved capacity”;

by inserting immediately after the word “midwifery” appearing in the third line of subsection (3) thereof the words “or in such other approved capacity”;

by inserting immediately after the word “both” appearing in the fourth line of subsection (4) thereof the words “or in an approved capacity”;

by inserting immediately after the word “midwifery” appearing in the fifth line of subsection (4) thereof the words “or in an approved capacity”; and

by inserting immediately after subsection (7) thereof the following new subsection: —“(8) Nothing in this section shall preclude a university, corporation, college or other body empowered to grant a Singapore diploma from approving for the purposes of this section a hospital or institution in a foreign country (hereinafter referred to as “approved foreign institution”) and granting a certificate for the purpose of paragraph (a) of section 10 of this Act to the holder of a Singapore diploma provided that such holder satisfies that university, corporation, college or other body that —

he has served in that approved foreign institution in a resident medical capacity for a period that is equivalent to the period prescribed under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section; and

he has performed and completed such service to the satisfaction of the competent authority or authorities controlling such approved foreign institution.”.

is not entitled to be registered;

is not of good fame and character; or

has had his name removed from a register of medical practitioners in the United Kingdom, a territory of the Commonwealth or another country, the degrees, diplomas or licences in medicine or surgery of which are recognised as a qualification entitling the holder thereof to be licensed under this Act,the Medical Council may, if it thinks fit, refuse to enter the name of such person upon the register.(6) The Medical Council shall afford the person applying for registration under this section an opportunity of being heard personally or by counsel on the application.(7) Where the Medical Council refuses to enter the name of a person upon the register on any of the grounds mentioned in subsection (5) of this section the Medical Council shall state in writing the reasons for the refusal and the Registrar shall forthwith by notice in writing give these reasons to the person concerned.(8) Any person aggrieved by the refusal of the Medical Council to enter his name upon the register may within one month of the notice given under subsection (7) of this section appeal against such refusal to the High Court and on any such appeal the High Court may give such directions in the matter as it thinks proper including any directions as to the cost of the appeal.(9) No appeal shall lie from an order of the High Court under this section.”.

Subject to this section, a person who is registered under this Act shall on or before the 30th day of September in each year pay to the Medical Council such annual retention fee as may be prescribed by the Medical Council with the approval of the Minister for the year commencing on the 1st day of January next following.(2) If a person registered under this Act does not pay such annual retention fee as the Medical Council has prescribed on or before the 30th day of September in any year, the Medical Council shall forthwith notify him by letter addressed to his last known address that if the fee is not paid before the 30th day of November next following his name will be removed from the register.(3) If a person registered under this Act does not comply with the notification under subsection (2) of this section the Medical Council shall forthwith remove his name from the register.(4) If a person’s name is removed from the register under this section or under section 23 of this Act the Medical Council shall restore it —

upon application by the person in the prescribed form where his name has been removed in pursuance of the provisions of this section or paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 22 of this Act and upon an order of the High Court where his name has been restored under section 24 of this Act; and

upon payment of such restoration fee as may be prescribed.”.

by renumbering the existing section as subsection (1);

by inserting immediately after the word “may” appearing in the first line of subsection (1) thereof the words “upon such evidence as it may require”;

by deleting the full-stop appearing at the end of paragraph (e) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “; or”;

by inserting immediately after paragraph (e) of subsection (1) thereof the following new paragraphs: —“(f)has been registered pursuant to an order made by the Minister under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 9 of this Act and who has contravened or failed to comply with any conditions or restrictions imposed by such order; or

has been registered under subsection (3) of section 9 of this Act and who has contravened or failed to comply with any conditions or restrictions imposed by the Medical Council; or

has had his registration withdrawn, suspended or cancelled by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom or by any other body which registered such person.”; and

by inserting immediately after subsection (1) thereof the following new subsections: —“(2) Any name removed from the register pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section may be restored as provided for in paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 16A of this Act.(3) Paragraphs (f), (g) and (h) of subsection (1) of this section shall apply to persons registered before the coming into operation of the Medical Registration (Amendment) Act, 1971 as it applies to persons registered after the coming into operation of that Act.”.

censure him;

require him to give such undertaking as the Medical Council thinks fit to abstain in future from the conduct complained of; and

suspend his registration either conditionally or absolutely for a period of not less than three months and not more than twelve months.(4) The suspension of the registration of any person whose registration has been suspended may at any time and for such reason as the Medical Council thinks fit, by order of the Medical Council be annulled and the effect of any such annulment shall be as the Medical Council determines.(5) While any order of suspension of registration under this section remains in force the person concerned shall not be regarded as being registered but forthwith on the expiry or annulment of such order, his rights and privileges as a registered medical practitioner shall be revived as from the date of such expiry or annulment.(6) Before suspending the registration of any person or taking any proceeding under subsection (3) of this section against any person the Medical Council shall —

give to that person, by post by registered letter, addressed to the last known place of residence or business of that person at least fourteen days’ notice in writing of the complaint against him and of the day, time and place fixed for hearing the complaint; and

hold full inquiry into the matter of the complaint and afford the said person an opportunity of giving an explanation personally or in writing.(7) The Medical Council may in any proceeding where any person is found guilty of infamous conduct in any professional respect make such order as to payment of costs of the proceedings as to it seems fit.(8) A person who has been suspended from registration pursuant to the provisions of this section shall have the right of appeal to the High Court against the order of suspension and on any such appeal the Court may make such order as it thinks proper having regard to the merits of the case and the public welfare.(9) Any such appeal shall be in the nature of a rehearing and shall be made in accordance with the Rules of Court.(10) An order of suspension shall not take effect until the expiration of a period of twenty-one days after notification by the Medical Council to the registered medical practitioner of the making of such order.(11) If within such period the registered medical practitioner gives due notice of appeal to the High Court such order shall not take effect unless the order is confirmed by the Court or the appeal is for any reason dismissed by that Court.(12) Unless the High Court otherwise orders, the period of suspension named in the order appealed from shall commence on the day when that order commences to have effect.”.