Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill.
Bringing more healthcare regulatory functions under the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) makes good sense. As healthcare becomes more complex, there is value in having stronger coordination across regulation, licensing, enforcement and oversight. But moving functions from one organisation to another does not, by itself, necessarily make regulations better.
The real test is whether this leads to better outcomes, where we build a more trusted, responsive and worker-conscious healthcare regulator. Will consumers be better protected? Will healthcare workers and professionals be treated fairly? Will our regulatory officers have the capabilities and support needed to do their jobs effectively?
As a Labour MP and the President of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), I would like to focus my speech on these two groups of stakeholders affected by this transition, that is our healthcare workers and our consumers.
Taking Care of Workers Through the Transition
First, we must take care of the workers affected by this restructuring.
The Bill provides for the transfer of regulatory functions and employees to HSA, which will progressively take on a wider range of responsibilities.
But it is our officers on the ground who make the regulatory system work. Regulatory work is highly specialised. Many have accumulated valuable knowledge and experience over the years. We should retain this expertise and give our officers opportunities to grow with the new organisation.
I therefore have two questions for the Minister.
First, can the Minister assure the House that employees affected by the transfer will not be disadvantaged in their remuneration, employment benefits, and career progression?
Second, what training and reskilling opportunities will be provided, particularly where job scopes change as HSA becomes a more integrated regulator?
There is also the question of workload.
Consolidation should not simply mean moving functions from one organisation to another and asking the same number of officers to do more and more.
Therefore, as HSA assumes greater responsibilities, we should ensure that manpower, specialist capabilities, digital tools and training grow in tandem. Can the Minister share what workforce and capability planning has been taken to support HSA‘s expanded mandate, particularly for licensing, inspections, investigations, and enforcement?
Accountability of Auxiliary Authorised Officers
My second point concerns the Bill’s provisions for auxiliary authorised officers.
The amendments allow suitably qualified individuals to conduct certain regulatory functions. This may be useful as healthcare regulation becomes increasingly specialised.
However, where regulatory powers are exercised by individuals who may not be public officers, we must ensure that public accountability is not diluted.
I would therefore like to ask, what qualifications and training will these officers be required to have? How will potential conflicts of interest be managed? And what confidentiality and accountability requirements will apply to them?
For example, if an auxiliary officer has previously worked for, or has commercial relationships with, an organisation in the sector being inspected, how will this conflict be identified and managed?
It may therefore be useful for MOH and HSA to publish clear governance arrangements covering appointment criteria, conflict management and training requirements. There should also be a clear avenue for a healthcare provider or member of the public to raise concerns if necessary.
Making Regulation Simpler for Consumers
My third point is from the consumer’s perspective.
At CASE, I have seen that when something goes wrong, consumers do not always know which agency or regulator they should approach.
This can be particularly confusing in healthcare. A problem may involve a healthcare provider, the conduct of a healthcare professional, or a health product. Sometimes, it may involve more than one at the same time.
From the consumer’s perspective, the organisational chart is not important. They do not distinguish between agencies, statues and regulatory boundaries.
They simply want to know: who can help me in a timely manner?
If one objective of this restructuring is better coordination, then I hope we can translate this into a simpler experience for consumers.
Could MOH consider developing a “no wrong door” approach, where a consumer can raise a healthcare-related complaint and have it routed seamlessly to the appropriate regulatory body?
Consumers should not need to navigate the boundaries between HSA, MOH and the various professional Boards and Councils before they know where to seek help.
There is another opportunity arising from this consolidation.
Individual complaints can sometimes provide an early warning of a much larger problem. One complaint may appear isolated, but when similar complaints emerge across different channels, they may reveal a systemic issue involving a healthcare provider, a product, misleading claims, or even patient safety.
An integrated regulator should be better positioned to connect these dots.
I therefore ask whether HSA intends to aggregate and analyse complaints and regulatory intelligence across its different functions and establish mechanisms to receive relevant intelligence from frontline organisations, including consumer organisations such as CASE, and the other professional bodies in the healthcare sector.
The objective should not simply be to resolve individual complaints, but to identify patterns early enough for intervention to take place before more consumers are affected.
Protecting Healthcare Professionals Too
Lastly, Mr Speaker, as we strengthen consumer and patient protection, we must also ensure that our healthcare professionals are treated fairly. The relationship between patient protection and professional fairness should not be viewed as a trade-off. Instead, public confidence is strengthened when healthcare professionals know that processes are rigorous, transparent and fair.
The Bill enables HSA to provide administrative support to the statutory bodies regulating healthcare professionals.
Can the Minister clarify how the new arrangement will preserve the independence of these professional Boards and Councils, particularly in decisions relating to registration, professional standards, and disciplinary matters, while HSA takes on a greater administrative and supporting role?
There is also an important worker consideration. When a healthcare professional is subject to a complaint or disciplinary proceeding, the outcome can have a major impact on his or her career and livelihood.
We must protect patients, but we must also ensure due process and timely resolution for the healthcare worker concerned. Prolonged uncertainty is difficult for everyone involved.
Can the Minister therefore share whether this consolidation could lead to clearer service standards and more timely processing of complaints and disciplinary cases, while preserving the independence of the professional Boards and fairness to all parties?
Not Just a Bigger Regulator, But a Better Regulator
Sir, this Bill presents an opportunity to strengthen trust in Singapore’s healthcare regulatory system. We should use this opportunity to improve outcomes and support officers who carry out regulatory work.
After these changes are implemented, I hope MOH and HSA will track tangible outcomes, such as licensing turnaround times, complaint resolution times, regulatory burden, and the timeliness of enforcement action.
I would also encourage MOH and HSA to monitor whether consolidation results in a reduction in regulatory burden for healthcare institutions and professionals. Where reporting requirements overlap or information is already available administratively, we should seek opportunities to streamline processes and reduce duplication.
At the end of the day, the measure of success should not be how many functions we have consolidated under HSA, but whether this restructuring helps us build a better regulator.
That means a coordinated, responsive and trusted regulator that better safeguard public health by supporting its officers, upholding fairness for our healthcare professionals, and most importantly, giving patients and consumers greater confidence that their interests will be protected.
Sir, notwithstanding my clarifications, I support the Bill.
