The Ministry of Health has formulated its draft regulatory regime pertaining to liposuction. In the proposal, MOH will regulate liposuction as a special care service under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act. Any clinic that offers liposuction must obtain prior approval from the Ministry and comply with specific licensing conditions. MOH will be gathering feedback on the proposed regulatory regime for liposuction. The feedback and views gathered will be used to determine the final licensing conditions.

The Ministry of Health would like to invite public feedback on the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Bill (“MHCT Bill”). The proposed Bill is necessary to ensure relevance as the existing Mental Disorders and Treatment Act (MDTA) will be repealed. The Bill enhances certain safeguards to protect the interests of patients who are compulsorily admitted into psychiatric institutions. MOH is also taking the opportunity to update the penalty provisions to reflect current economic realities and the seriousness of the offences, and to be on par with equivalent legislation.

Parliament has approved the amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) to include Muslims from 1st August 2008. With the inclusion of Muslims under HOTA, Muslims who do not opt out of HOTA will be accorded the same priority as other Singaporeans who have not opted out of HOTA. The amended HOTA will also provide MOH with the necessary enforcement powers to investigate any offence under HOTA.

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) announces the release of a Consultation Paper entitled “Human-Animal Combinations for Research". Human-animal combinations are entities resulting from the mixing of genes, cells or tissue of human origin with those of other species. The Paper discusses the ethical, legal and social issues arising from the creation and use of such entities for research.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be implementing the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) in Singapore from 1 January 2008. Cosmetic products, which are currently regulated under the Medicines Act, will be the second category of health products following medical devices to be regulated under the Health Products Act (HPA).

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) has released a public Consultation Paper on “Donation of Human Eggs for Research” and invites the public to give their comments. The Paper raises issues related to the provision of human eggs for purposes of research, especially research into embryonic stem cells.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be implementing the regulation of medical devices in phases from 1 Nov 2007. Medical devices are the first category of health products to be regulated under the Health Products Act.

The Infectious Diseases Act (IDA) is the principal piece of public health legislation that deals with the prevention and control of infectious diseases in Singapore. It is jointly administered by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA). The IDA has undergone several amendments over the years to keep up with the trends of outbreaks and the emergence of new infectious diseases. The IDA was last amended in 2003 in the middle of SARS to incorporate provisions to deal with the outbreak in Singapore.

Following the recent ruling by the Fatwa Committee of MUIS that Muslims can be included under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), the Ministry of Health intends to amend HOTA to improve the access of Muslim patients to donated organs. HOTA allows for the removal of kidney, liver, heart and cornea upon death for transplant purposes, from Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents between the ages of 21 and 60 years, unless the individual has registered an objection. Presently, Muslims are not covered under HOTA and have to opt in under the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA) for organ donation.

The Government will be amending the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) to include Singapore Muslims said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, 19 August 2007.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, MUIS, is proposing that all Muslims be included under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA).

The Ministry of Health is proposing to introduce a National Registry of Diseases (NRD) Bill. This is to enable MOH to collect relevant medical information for robust statistical analysis and health policy research to support formulation of effective public health policies on disease prevention and control.

Parliamentary Speech for the Second Reading of the Optometrists and Opticians Bill 2007 on 17 Jul 2007 by By Mr Heng Chee How at Parliament.

Patrons and employees at nightspots can enjoy cleaner air when restrictions on smoking are extended to entertainment outlets from 1 July 2007. About 900 businesses, which include pubs, bars, KTV outlets, lounges, nightclubs and discotheques, will have to construct fully-enclosed smoking rooms inside their premises for their smoking patrons. The rooms can occupy up to 10% of the indoor refreshment area. In addition, outlets which have an outdoor refreshment area can set aside 20% of this outdoor area for patrons who smoke.

In May this year, the Ministry of Health will propose legislation, in Parliament, to regulate the practices of optometrists and opticians. If passed in Parliament, it will be called the Optometrists and Opticians Bill. The Optometrists and Opticians Bill will ensure that Singaporeans continue to enjoy high standard of primary eye care. The legislation will also ensure a high level of competence and standard of practice among optometrists and opticians. Many developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia already have similar legislation in place.

On the Bioethics Advisory Committee’s (BAC) report entitled: “Personal Information in Biomedical Research”, the Ministry of Health (MOH) welcomes the BAC’s recommendations. We support the stand that personal information identifiable to an individual participating in human biomedical research should be safeguarded. Proper rules governing the access and use of personal information and a secure system of information protection would re-assure research subjects on the confidentiality of personal information.

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) announces the release of a Report entitled: “Personal Information in Biomedical Research”. This Report discusses the ethical issues relating to the use of personal information in biomedical research and makes recommendations on the appropriate use of such information through the provision of proper safeguards.

The Singapore Medical Association ("SMA") has decided to withdraw its guidelines on fees as of 1 April 2007. In a letter to its members dated 1 April 2007, the SMA said it had been advised by its legal advisors that its Guideline on Fees contravened the Competition Act.

The Health Products Act, passed in Parliament on 12 February 2007, gives the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) more powers to regulate medical products and devices. It also increased the penalties against those who break the law.

Health Products Bill 2007 was introduced in Parliament on 22 Jan 2007. The Bill proposes that all health products be evaluated and entered into a central registry, under categories determined by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Sunday, 29th October 2006, that the Advance Medical Directive (AMD) would be one of the issues his Ministry would be looking into in the next five years.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Dental Council is amending the Dentists Act (DA) 1999 to ensure that it is relevant to the current practice and new developments in the field of dentistry.

A Consultation Paper entitled “The Use of Personal Information in Biomedical Research” has been distributed to 70 religious, professional and scientific organisations, and healthcare and research institutions in Singapore to seek their views.

The Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC), established in April 1999 to oversee and advise on the research and development, production, use, handling and release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Singapore, is releasing a new set of guidelines to further promote and enhance the biosafety culture amongst Singapore scientists who are working on genetically modified organisms and, to establish a common framework for the assessment and notification of research on GMOs in Singapore.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board hereby announces that the "Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines for TCM Practitioners" has been published as provided for under the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Practice, Conduct and Ethics) Regulations.