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Source:
www.moh.gov.sg
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Regulations and Guidelines on Aesthetic Medicine |
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Parliamentary QA |
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21 Apr 2008 |
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Question No: 571 |
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Question By: Mdm Halimah Yacob |
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To ask the Minister for Health |
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(a) when will the regulations and guidelines
on aesthetic medicine be issued; |
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(b) what will the regulations and
guidelines cover; and |
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(c) in the interim, whether doctors are
allowed to continue with such procedures and how will the safety of
patients be protected. |
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Reply from MOH |
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There is a wide range of practices which
constitute the so-called “aesthetic medicine”. They range from
high-risk procedures like liposuction to relatively low-risk
practices like chemical skin peeling. |
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Our major concern is over high-risk
procedures which can lead to severe complications including death,
if they are carried out by operators without proper training or in
ill-equipped clinics. |
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We will regulate these high-risk
procedures, in the interest of protecting patient safety. We are
studying the regulatory regimes in other countries and our
regulatory measures will cover the training required, the practice
standards, the premises where they can perform the procedure, and
the quality assurance framework that must be in place. |
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We target to complete the draft
regulations for public consultation within a month. |
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As for the low-risk procedures, the
international practice is to let the professional bodies regulate
them. |
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At our request, the Academy of Medicine
and the College of Family Physicians are working together to draw up
guidelines to govern the practice of such procedures. Their
guidelines will similarly cover training requirements, practice
standards etc. Achieving consensus is likely to take longer and they
expect a few months to complete their work. |
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With or without explicit regulations,
doctors have to comply with the Singapore Medical Council’s Ethical
Code and Ethical Guidelines. If they fail to do so and their
patients should complain to the Singapore Medical Council, they will
have to justify their action to their peers. Our doctors are largely
ethical and competent. We should strive to preserve this high
clinical and ethical standard among our doctors. |
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Source:
www.moh.gov.sg News 21 Apr
2008 |
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Aesthetic Treatment Control Measures |
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22 Apr 2008 |
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Question No: 574 |
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Question By: Mdm Ho Geok Choo |
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To ask the Minister for Health in light
of the recent guidelines on aesthetic treatment, what control
measures are being put in place to ensure that these treatments are
not driven underground. |
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Reply from MOH |
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As I have explained earlier, aesthetic
medicine covers a wide range of procedures. My Ministry will
regulate the high-risk procedures in the interest of patient safety.
Any operator who insists on providing such high-risk procedures
illegally will be dealt with by the law. Patients can also protect
themselves by not seeking the services of such illegal operators. |
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As for the relatively low-risk
procedures, we shall await the proposed guidelines being formulated
by the professional bodies. We are also studying the regulatory
regimes in other countries to see how best to regulate this
business. |
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By and large, we have competent and
ethical doctors. We will do our best to safeguard the high standard
of our healthcare services. |
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Consumers have to play their part too.
Do not be taken in by advertisements and where possible, try to get
additional opinions from other qualified medical practitioners. |
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Source:
www.moh.gov.sg News 22 Apr
2008 |
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Notice |
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FrontPage Edition: Mon 21 April 2008
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