MEDICAL REGISTRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL

[Mr N. Govindasamy in the Chair]

Debate on Second Reading resumed.

Question proposed.

Mr P. Govindaswamy (Anson): Sir, I am very glad to hear the explanation of the Minister for Health on the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill, but many points have been left out. Therefore, I would like him to consider my suggestions.

The Schedule to the Bill lists the universities in both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries whose medical qualifications are recognised but no mention has been made of the medical qualifications of universities or medical colleges of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. This is strange, for in the past. Singapore has been graced by many medical practitioners who are not only citizens of these countries, but also local citizens who have obtained their qualifications from these countries. It seem& rather strange, because the United Kingdom recognises qualifications from, these universities, while we in the Commonwealth tend to ignore a whole sector of the Commonwealth and thereby lose an opportunity to take advantage of the brain drain from these countries.

Furthermore, what would be the future of the present students who are in the advanced stage of their medical studies in the universities of the three countries?

Looking at the Schedule to the Bill, it appears there are some universities. with which we in Singapore are not very familiar. I wonder how these universities have gained recognition, whereas not a single university of India, Pakistan and Ceylon is in the Schedule.

Sir, I would like the Minister to reconsider the Schedule to include a few universities of the countries that I have mentioned, because there are many parents who are worried about the future of their sons and daughters who are already studying in the universities of these countries.

5.25 p.m.

Dr Augustine H. H. Tan (Whampoa): Sir, while I welcome this Bill, I am a little bit curious about the criteria for determining the list of approved universities and colleges as listed in the Schedule. I am no medical man, but 1 would have thought that the medical schools of, say, Harvard or Stanford or a number of other Ivy League colleges in the United States are of sufficient stature to be included. Although the Minister does have discretion under the Bill to accept any applicant for registration, students are guided by the Schedule in deciding upon the college or university to go to. I hope to see some time in the future a more comprehensive list of universities including those I have mentioned, as well as some of the more prominent ones in India, Pakistan and Ceylon as mentioned by my colleague, the Member for Anson.

Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon (Tiong Bahru): (In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to praise the Government's effort in the past years to improve and develop our medical services. However, we often read in the newspapers about the shortage of medical personnel in Singapore. On the one hand, the Government has to meet the shortage of medical personnel and, on the other hand, it has to maintain the high standard of the medical profession. I therefore welcome the timely proposed amendments to the Medical Registration Act.

But I would like to take this opportunity to seek clarification from the Minister for Health. We know that university-trained doctors, other than those listed in the Schedule, have been recruited to fill the vacancies in the Government medical service. Among some of them are Singapore citizens. I wish to enquire whether these doctors who are Singapore citizens will be allowed to be registered for private practice, without having to go through the required examination, when their contracts with the Government expire.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, may I, first of all, answer the Member for Anson on the question of medical students who are at present studying in medical schools which are not on the Schedule which we have proposed. May I draw his attention to section 9 (1) (c) of the Act where those graduates who do not possess qualifications on the approved list can apply for registration, and their registration may be approved by order of the Minister after he has consulted the Medical Council. We have now made provision in this Bill whereby the Medical Council, if they are not satisfied with the standard of the applicant, can set a registration examination. If the person passes it, he will be registered. In other words, it all depends on the personal competence of the person who applies for registration. And if, as the Member for Anson says, they come from medical schools of a high calibre, there is no reason why they should not be able to pass a registration examination.

The Member for Whampoa wants to know what are the criteria we use to draw up the Schedule. As I have explained in my speech, this is only a first list which we have drawn up,, because, as I have said, it is not possible at this stage to include every medical school in the world which we think is of eminence. We have just chosen a representative few from the various countries from outside the Commonwealth, medical schools whose international reputation and prestige no one can gainsay. As you know, the question of standards and reputation can be subject to a lot of controversy and argument one way or the other. Further, as I have said, we also have provisions whereby the Minister can add to or delete from the list after he has consulted the Medical Council.

The Member for Tiong Bahru has mentioned that we are now short of doctors, and yet we are restricting the number of doctors who can be registered. We are not restricting. In fact, we have widened the Schedule to include medical schools from outside the Commonwealth. Hitherto, the list was a GMC list which included only medical schools from within the Commonwealth.

The Member for Tiong Bahru also wants to know whether graduate doctors who have been in Government service have to go through another examination before they can be allowed to do private practice. In a hospital, if he is a young doctor he is always practising under supervision, whereas if he is practising outside, he is practising on his own. So there are different criteria of allowing a doctor to practise. All along our criterion of allowing a doctor to practise on his own is that he does not endanger the lives of his patients. If a person has a medical qualification which is not on the approved list, as 1 have said, he can make an application under section 9 (1) (c) of the Act whereby the Medical Council can consider his application. If the Council have doubts about his competence, they will set him a registration examination and, if he passes, he will be registered.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Chua Stan Chin].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr N. Govindasamy in the Chair]

5.32 p.m.

Clauses 1 to 12 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 13 -

The Chairman: There are two amendments which are typographical corrections set out in the Order Paper Supplement, namely,

(1) In page 12, line 8, to leave out "MRCS Eng" and insert "LRCP Lond".

(2) In page 12, line 9, to leave out "LRCP Lond" and insert "MRCS Eng".

These amendments will be made.

Clause 13 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment, read a Third time and passed.